Emotional Support Animal Letter Templates and Samples
An Emotional Support Animal Letter is a formal statement drafted by a licensed psychotherapist or psychiatrist to confirm their patient needs a pet to help them handle their mental health issues.
Alternate Names:
- ESA Letter;
- Therapist Letter for Emotional Support Animal;
- Companion Animal Letter.
Whether the owner of the property you rent out asks you to prove your pet must live with you in the rented residence, the airline requests a letter following their policy for travelers, or a third party wants to know for sure you need a therapy animal, this document will briefly refer to your mental health issues and explain the necessity of a pet with you during accommodation or travel.
Emotional Support Animal Letter Types
- Generic Emotional Support Animal Letter. This is a generic document you may use whenever asked to provide proof of the need for a therapy pet. Ask your physician to fill out the template - they will certify they have been treating you, state they have prescribed an emotional support animal to help you deal with your anxiety or disability, refer to the vast experience that allowed them to make this decision, and add their contact information to let the letter recipient reach out for further inquiries;
- Sample Emotional Support Animal Letter for Flying. Before you travel with a therapy animal and book plane tickets, you should make sure the airline will allow you to bring the pet to the airplane cabin. Ask them for permission with this statement completed by your psychiatrist - they will confirm the need for travel with the pet and include the reference to the regulations that permit the animal on board;
- Sample Emotional Support Animal Housing Letter. If you are negotiating the terms of the rental agreement with the property owner and they do not allow you to keep pets at your future house or apartment, you can ask your doctor to prepare this statement to prove the necessity of a therapy animal for your healing. This may be especially useful if the other party refuses to sign or extend a contract with you unless you comply with the no-pets policy or pay more money to stay in the rental unit.
How to Get an Emotional Support Animal Letter?
Whether you already own a pet that can officially become an emotional support animal or you are only in the process of getting one, obtaining an official document that proves the need for a therapy animal is a significant step. If you have had a therapist or psychiatrist that observes you and your emotional state for months or years, they can write this letter for you upon your request outlining your mental health problems and
confirming they are licensed to practice counseling or psychiatry. Alternatively, you may research online services that fill out dozens of ESA Letters every week - they usually offer free screening and one or several sessions with doctors that are able to determine whether the patient actually requires a therapy pet to live or travel with them.
Still looking for a particular template? Take a look at the related templates and samples below:
Documents:
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A mental health professional may use this letter as a reference when they draft their own letter on behalf of their patient to verify that they need to travel with their therapy animal on a plane.
PDF 
Word
Individuals can use this type of template when they are required to confirm that the animal that accompanies them is an emotional support animal.
A mental health professional may use a letter such as this as a reference to certify their patient needs the presence of their companion animal at their residence.
