The Role of Service Animals in Counseling and Psychology

As health care professions increasingly recognize the significance of human animal bond, opportunities arise for multidisciplinary research into the topic of how service animals also referred to as companion or emotional support animals may affect human health. In this article, a brief overview will be made on the role that service animals may play in human psychological treatment. This article dig deeper into the inexorable link between animals and humans. To get started, it is essential to know what is service animal? Service animals are any animal that provide emotional or psychological healing to individuals with disability. Service animals serve the purpose of healing a lot many kinds of psychological disability concerns within individuals. They make a very positive impact on the psychological condition of the individuals. Service animals can cure a lot many psychological disability concerns including, physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

Today, the health care professions have recognized ‘pet therapy’ as a very effective method of curing a patient with any particular psychological disability. This ‘pet therapy’ is basically the emotional and psychological assistance provided by the service animals to individuals with disability. As per the recent medical studies, great number of psychological patients has been brought back to normal mental health condition with the health care assistance provided with the help of ‘pet therapy’. Pet therapy can be applicable to those who love to be around their favorite animals or pets. Since, the first and foremost aim of any psychological treatment is to provide mental or psychological comfort to the patient, the doctors make effective use of this bond of mutual love, care, and companionship in alleviating the mental discomforts of the patient.

It is been widely noticed that a patient of a particular psychological illness responds more positively when his/her pet is around him/her than when he/she is surrounded by his/her family members or near ones. The doctors or psychologists immediately come to the conclusion that the person is in need of an animal assisted therapy. Special preparations are made for the patient so that the animal can always be in close proximity to its emotionally disturbed owner. The syndromes for which the medial psychotherapists suggest or recommend the assistance of service animals or emotional support animals to individuals with disability are anxiety, bipolar disorder, cognitive decline, social phobia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many more.

Service Animal Letters - Explanation Defining Its Use and Benefits

There are several places, where the entry of animals is strictly prohibited. In such places, it becomes difficult for an individual with disability to carry his/her service animal with him. Here is when the service animal letters become significant. So, what are service animal letters? Service animal letters are used for emotional support animals and they serve as the only legal source of protection for your pet as an emotional support animal and also allows for service animal travels on planes, trains, taxis, etc. Simply getting your pet registered in a database, getting a service vest, or ID just helps identify your service animal but it provides no legal support.

Getting a service animal letter from a doctor is critical to ensure federal protection for housing, service animal travel, and recognition in the law. Most anyone can qualify to get a service animal letter as the main prerequisite is getting comfort from the animal. This can include people that suffer from anxiety, fear, depression, cognitive decline, and many more. Unlike service dogs that assist with the blind or specific physical ailments, service animals or emotional support animals can be prescribed for a wide variety of psychological conditions. Any animal can also qualify for a service animal letter whether it is dog, bird, cat, or even squirrel. There are no federal limitations on which species can qualify as an ESA. There are many benefits to getting your pet an ESA letter as outlined below:

• No pet housing facilities
• No pet deposit can be charged for a service animal
• Free service animal travel for ESA’s
  
• No limitations on the size of an emotional support animal, for instance, some rental properties limit the size of dogs
• Service animal travel within the cabin of an airplane, instead of storage below in a travel crate
• Free access to cruise ships, taxis, trains, etc

 
If you want to travel having the service animals or emotional support animals accompanied with you, then consider carrying a service animal letter with you, essentially.