Table of Contents
According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 5% of the U.S. population suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in any given year. Even though the condition is usually associated with military veterans, it can affect anyone who’s gone through significant trauma.
PTSD is usually treated with talk therapy, medication, or a mix of the two. In some cases, however, emotional support animals (ESAs) might also help. These furry (or feathery or even scaly) buddies can offer companionship and comfort, easing some of the symptoms that accompany PTSD.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and you’re wondering whether getting an ESA for PTSD is a good idea, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll unpack:
- What are ESAs, and how they can help with PTSD
- What is the difference between a service dog and an emotional support one
- Which animals might be a good choice for someone with PTSD
- How to get an ESA letter for your ESA for PTSD
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal is any animal that can help you deal with the symptoms of a mental health or emotional issue, whether it’s anxiety, depression, or PTSD. An ESA doesn’t require any special training, as it doesn’t need to perform specific tasks. Instead, its presence, behavior, and your acts of caring for it are the things that provide therapeutic value.
Emotional support animals, and you as their owner, are afforded some rights when it comes to housing. The Fair Housing Act (FHA), the law that prohibits housing discrimination, treats ESAs like a prescribed disability aid and not a pet, protecting you from:
- Having your housing application denied based on no-pet rules
- Breed restrictions that would usually apply in housing
To get all of these protections, an ESA has to be made official by a Licensed Mental Health Professional, who will determine that:
- You have a qualifying mental health condition—in this case, PTSD—under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR)
- An emotional support animal can help you manage some of the symptoms or the effects they have on your day-to-day life
If you and your ESA fit the bill, the LMHP will issue you an ESA letter, the official paperwork you need for your support animal.
How Can an ESA Help With PTSD?
One of the greatest benefits of living with an ESA if you have PTSD is the non-judgmental companionship and support that animals can offer. Specifically, an emotional support animal can help you:
- Reduce stress and anxiety: Whether it’s petting a dog or a cat, or watching fish peacefully swim in an aquarium, ESAs can make you feel calmer and keep intrusive thoughts and panic at bay
- Feel more grounded: If your PTSD causes you to dissociate, the tactile stimulation from an animal can bring you back into the here and now. Caring for an animal can also create a grounding routine
- Deal with social withdrawal: Some ESAs can get you out of the house and provide an opportunity for social interactions—dogs are natural conversation starters, for example
Should You Get a PTSD Service Dog or an Emotional Support Dog?
Emotional support animals can do you a world of good when dealing with PTSD. However, some animals can offer practical assistance, not just emotional support. Those animals are called service animals. They’re typically dogs (although miniature horses can also qualify in some instances), and here’s how they’re different from ESAs:
ESAs | Service Animals |
Offer emotional support and companionship to people with mental challenges | Help people with disabilities and conditions like PTSD by performing specific tasks |
Don’t receive any special training | Undergo specialized training to learn how to assist with daily activities |
Protected under the Fair Housing Act | Protected under the Fair Housing Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) |
Allowed in housing, but not allowed in public spaces, schools, or restaurants (unless specifically approved by the establishment) | Allowed in housing and to accompany you in public spaces, schools, restaurants, and on flights |
To determine whether you should get a PTSD service dog or an emotional support dog, you should consider whether you need it to:
- Alert you when it senses your anxiety is increasing
- Provide deep pressure therapy to calm you down by sitting on you
- Sit behind you during episodes to keep people from coming up behind you
- Wake you up if you’re having a nightmare
These are the types of tasks that a service dog can be trained to do. If that’s the kind of support you need, a psychiatric service dog might be a better fit. Keep in mind, though, that nothing’s stopping you from training your dog ESA to help you with specific PTSD-related tasks.
Which PTSD Support Animal Should You Choose?
Dogs are a popular choice for PTSD support animals for all the right reasons. They’re smart, easy to train, loyal, can help you feel safe, and are active. However, some dogs might be better suited for an ESA role than others. So instead of getting a husky or a Jack Russel terrier and hoping things will work out, you should consider adopting a dog from one of the following breeds:
- German shepherd
- Labrador retriever
- Golden retriever
- Poodle
If you’re not a dog person, there’s nothing stopping you from getting another animal as an ESA. The FHA doesn’t specify which species can serve as ESAs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which implements the FHA, doesn’t have any specifications in its guidelines either. So, cats, fish, rabbits, birds, or even bearded dragons are all eligible to become an ESA.
When making the choice, however, you should keep in mind that:
- All animals require care, and some need more of it than others. Make sure you choose an animal you can take care of
- You’re not restricted to a single emotional support animal. If you want an aquarium full of fish and a dog, you can legally have both
- Certain animals might inadvertently trigger your PTSD with their natural behavior. Nocturnal animals make noises during the night, for example, and parrots can mimic unwelcome sounds
To get the most out of an ESA and make sure they’re happy, choose an animal that fits your lifestyle, circumstances, and needs.
How To Get an ESA Letter
When you’ve decided that an emotional support animal is the right choice, and you have an idea of the animal for the job, your next step is to get an ESA letter. Here’s how you can do that:
- Find an LMHP
- Schedule and attend a consultation
- Receive your letter
Find an LMHP
First, you need to find an LMHP licensed in your state and offering ESA letters as part of their practice. If possible, try talking to the doctor who diagnosed you with PTSD, since they’ll know your condition and medical history. If they cannot write you a letter, you can find another LMHP to help you. They can be a:
- Psychologist
- Counselor
- Psychiatric mental health nurse (PMHN)
- Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)
- Nurse practitioner
- Psychiatrist
For adolescents dealing with PTSD or any other mental struggle, a pediatric neurologist is also a valid option.
Attend a Consultation
After you’ve found an LMHP willing to help you, your next step is to meet with them so they can assess your condition and determine whether an ESA can help you.
An LMHP might decide that an ESA is not the best option for you. If they think that caring for an animal might be too burdensome on you, that the animal in question is not a good fit, or that having an ESA might not provide actual benefits, they can turn you down.
Receive Your Letter
If the LMHP decides that an ESA is a good choice for you, they’ll issue you the ESA letter. To be valid and withstand landlord scrutiny, the letter has to:
- Be written on the LMHP’s official letterhead
- Contain information about your condition (without actually naming it)
- Describe how the animal in question helps manage it
- Contain information on the LHMP, including their full name, contact details, National Provider Identification number, and state license number
Get Your ESA Letter Online With Your Service Animal
A quicker way to get a letter for your ESA for PTSD is by doing it online since the law doesn’t require the consultation with the doctor to be done in person.
And if you want to make sure you’re working with a legit online ESA service, and not someone offering registration, certification, or other things your ESA doesn’t legally need to be official, you should choose Your Service Animal.
As a reputable online ESA letter provider, Your Service Animal prioritizes speed, convenience, and compliance with all federal and state laws, giving you the peace of mind that you’ll get a legitimate letter when you need it.
Here’s how Your Service Animal makes sure you don’t waste any time or money on getting an ESA letter:
Service | Benefit |
Zero-cost quiz | To avoid guesswork, you can complete a brief online quiz to see whether you qualify for an ESA letter |
Fully digitized services | The whole process takes place online, from application to the assessment and letter delivery, ensuring you can complete it without having to leave home and commute to a doctor |
Fast turnaround times | You will get your digital ESA letter within 24–48 hours after the appointment |
100% refund policy | If our landlord rejects your letter for any reason, you will get a refund and assistance for filing a complaint against them |
How It Works
To get an ESA letter for your PTSD support animal, reach out to Your Service Animal and follow these steps:
- Find out if you’re a good fit for an ESA letter with our online quiz
- Schedule an online appointment with a licensed mental health practitioner in your state
- Attend the online call and receive your ESA letter if clinically appropriate
- Receive a full refund if the therapist doesn’t issue an ESA letter or your landlord rejects your letter