What Are the Benefits of Getting an ESA Certification?

ESA Certification plays a vital role when it comes to living with ESA in a rental property. It allows an ESA Owner to live independently with ESA without any interruption. Before moving further, let’s discuss mental health facts in the USA and how an ESA has helped improve mental health.

Mental Health Facts in the USA

Mental health is an important aspect of overall health and well-being. In the United States, mental health issues are prevalent and affect millions of people each year. Here are some key facts about mental health in the United States:

• Approximately one in five adults in the United States, or 20% of the population, experiences mental illness in any given year.
• The most common mental health conditions among adults are anxiety disorders, major depression, and bipolar disorder.
• Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. In 2019, over 47,500 people died by suicide.
• Mental health conditions can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
• Children and adolescents are also affected by mental health conditions. Approximately one in six children aged 6-17 in the United States has a mental health disorder.
• The stigma surrounding mental illness remains a barrier to treatment and support. Many people with mental health conditions do not receive the care they need due to fear of discrimination or lack of access to resources.
• Treatment for mental health conditions is available and effective. Medication and pet therapy can be helpful in case a person wants to improve his mental health.

Here’s how emotional support animals can help in mental healing

An emotional support animal (ESA) is a type of assistance animal that can provide therapeutic support to people with mental health conditions. Here are some ways that an ESA can help in mental healing, presented in an improved readability format:

• Providing emotional support: ESAs can offer companionship and unconditional love, which can help alleviate feelings of loneliness and depression. The presence of an ESA can also help reduce anxiety and stress levels.
• Encouraging social interaction: ESAs can provide a reason for their owners to leave the house and engage with others, which can help reduce social isolation and improve social skills.
• Promoting physical activity: Walking, playing, and caring for an ESA can provide a source of exercise and physical activity, which can improve overall health and well-being.
• Offering a sense of purpose: Taking care of an animal can provide a sense of responsibility and purpose, which can improve self-esteem and self-worth.
• Serving as a coping mechanism: The act of petting, cuddling, or interacting with an ESA can release feel-good chemicals in the brain, such as oxytocin and dopamine, which can help regulate mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
• Providing a distraction: Focusing on the needs of an ESA can help distract from negative thoughts and emotions, and provide a sense of comfort and safety.

What is ESA Certification?

The most common question that comes to an ESA Owner while hearing this word for the first time is ‘What is ESA Certification?’ Here’s everything you must know about it. 

ESA Certification, also known as an Emotional Support Animal letter, is a type of prescription that verifies the existence of a person’s mental or emotional disability and states that the person is benefiting therapeutically from having an ESA. Normally, you can benefit from the companionship that your pet gives you with the aid of an ESA certification. A certified therapist might recommend ESA certification, which offers health benefits to people with emotional or mental disabilities.

The name, breed, type, and weight of the emotional support animal are included in this certificate. Any type of animal may be an emotional support animal (ESA). Emotional support animals are primarily used to provide companionship, reduce loneliness, and aid people in overcoming depression, anxiety, and certain irrational fears.

What does it mean to have ESA Certification?

An ESA Certification indicates that an individual has a mental or emotional disability and that their emotional support animal (ESA) is necessary for their mental health treatment. This certification is typically issued by a licensed mental health professional, such as a therapist or psychiatrist, and includes the following information:

1. Confirmation of the individual’s mental or emotional disability: The letter must confirm that the individual has a mental or emotional disability that substantially limits their daily life activities.
2. Recommendation for an emotional support animal: The letter must recommend an emotional support animal as part of the individual’s mental health treatment plan.
3. Information about the animal: The letter must include information about the animal, such as its type, breed, and name.
4. Therapist’s contact information: The letter must include the licensed mental health professional’s contact information, including their name, license number, and the date the license was issued.

An ESA Certification is important for individuals who need their emotional support animal to live with them in housing that may not otherwise allow pets or to travel with them on airlines. An ESA Certification provides documentation that the individual requires the animal for mental health treatment and is entitled to certain reasonable accommodations under the law. It’s important to note that this certification must be renewed annually or as determined by the treating mental health professional.

Qualifying Conditions

An individual must have a diagnosed mental or emotional disability that substantially limits their daily life activities. This disability may include, but is not limited to, the following conditions:

1. Anxiety disorders: This may include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, or panic disorder.
2. Mood disorders: This may include major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or seasonal affective disorder.
3. Personality disorders: This may include borderline personality disorder or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
4. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): This may result from experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as military combat, sexual assault, or a natural disaster.
5. Phobias: This may include specific phobias, such as fear of flying, fear of heights, or fear of dogs.
6. Other mental health conditions: This may include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eating disorders, or schizophrenia.

How much time does it take to get an ESA Certification?

It may take 24-48 hours if you’re applying for this certification online. Applying offline through a psychiatrist may let you wait for a longer period. If you’re considering getting ESA Certification online, the process is simple to do so. All you have to do is find a reliable website and fill up the form with your mental health details. A licensed mental healthcare expert will check your details and you’ll get your ESA Certification via email after approval. You can also contact your personal therapist if he is licensed.

An ESA certification provides several benefits for individuals with qualifying mental or emotional disabilities, including:

1. Housing accommodations: Individuals with an ESA Certification are protected under the Fair Housing Act, which requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including allowing emotional support animals in housing that may otherwise prohibit pets.
2. A person can live with ESA in a rental property without any landlord interruption
3. No need to pay extra pet charges.
4. If any new law regarding ESA is passed, this certification lets you get the benefits of these laws.

Note: Your landlord can deny your request to live with ESA if your ESA is not well-behaved. If your ESA is causing any harm to the property or neighbors, your landlord has the complete right to reject your request for ESA.

I hope this blog is helpful for you to understand everything related to ESA Certification. It is important to know that this certification is valid for one year only. After one year this certification is considered to be expired. You will have to renew this certification to use it for housing. You can do that online also. Beware of scams while getting this certification online. There are a lot of fraudsters in the market.