The Simple Steps to Getting an Emotional Support

Perhaps the most asked questions we get from our clients is what is involved with getting an emotional support animal, and what are the steps in getting a dog certified as an emotional support animal? Today, many people know that emotional support animals are an option for people with specific mental and emotional challenges. However, the process of certifying one’s animal, and what to do next, is still unknown to most.

This is the reason we started ESA Registration of America in the first place – we were frustrated by how many of our friends and loved ones struggled to get the emotional support they needed and we wanted to offer a way to keep up to date with all ESA laws and info. Whether you already have an animal that you want to register as an emotional support companion, or you’d like to learn about getting an emotional support animal, we want the process to be easy and ironclad.

So how do you register your dog as an emotional support animal? It’s actually a simple process that you can do right on our website!

First, and most importantly, after registering you need to get a prescription letter from a licensed mental health professional. Although this may sound daunting, rest assured. On our website, we connect our clients with licensed, respected members of the mental health community directly over the phone. Simply fill out an onboarding form on our site sharing a bit of information, and one of our doctors will call you for a private over-the-phone diagnosis.

Once you’ve been approved for a prescription, our therapist will email you an official emotional support animal letter. This ESA letter is your prescription to legally use an emotional support animal in your home and when flying. While we do offer other services, such as emotional support dog registration and access to our emotional support dog kit, it is this prescription letter that is the most important thing you’ll need. Per the law, ESA travel leaders need to be renewed annually. However, ESA housing letters do not.

It’s important to remember that this ESA letter belongs to YOU, not your animal companion. That means that you don’t need to get a new one if you get a new animal. It applies to any and all companions that provide you with emotional support.

Once you’ve been diagnosed by one of our mental health professionals and received your free ESA letter, we will automatically enter your companion into our emotional support dog registry. This nationwide registry contains all of your animal’s information so that if you ever find yourself without proper identification (or if your animal’s status is challenged by someone) you can easily and quickly provide proof. Our clients have found this service to be especially useful, given the amount of misinformation about emotional support animals by the general public.

And that’s pretty much all you need to start your new life with an emotional support animal! We also provide additional material on our site, such as literature, emotional support and service dog supplies, and updates on the latest legal changes throughout the country. Most importantly, we’re here for our clients. From the time you decide that getting an emotional support animal is right for you, to when you actually register your companion, and beyond, our website is a service we encourage you to keep coming back to for updates and support.