Our Emotional Support
Animal (ESA) Therapy and Prescription Services
Bringing People & Pets Together in Today's Busy World.
Sometimes the emotional pain of trauma or depression can make words hard to find. Sometimes the best shoulder to cry on is one that doesn’t talk back, but instead, listens with compassion and empathy.
An Emotional Support Animal, or ESA, is an animal that provides therapeutic value to its owner. Many people suffer from a multitude of debilitating emotional distress, ranging from just wanting to feel more comfortable all the way to depression or PTSD. ESAs have been shown to encourage social interaction and reduce behavioral outbursts. Their presence has also been linked with an increase in oxytocin levels, the hormone associated with feeling content and peaceful. Pets often play a KEY role in the happiness of their owners. ESAs help people FEEL better.
At E-Therapy Cafe, we recognize that many different factors can lead to symptoms such as depression, anxiety, sleepless nights, PTSD etc. We also recognize that the bond people have with their animals can be very important in helping to ease the symptoms of those conditions. ESAs provide companionship, relieve loneliness, and sometimes help with depression, anxiety, and certain phobias, but do not have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities.
ESA’s are beneficial for promoting better overall health, including sleep, confidence, general well-being, and increases self-esteem, along with more benefits for you and your specific journey.
Our team can help you learn interventions and techniques to self-sooth, calm, and reduce anxiety with the support of your beloved pet. We embrace integrating ESAs into therapy; your companion offers mental and emotional support that is imperative for growth, stabilization, and wellness.
Who qualifies for an ESA?
Difference between Service Animals & ESAs
Service Animals are trained to behave flawlessly in public; ESAs may or may not be as well behaved or trained.
Service Animals engage in extensive training focused on assisting individuals with Physical and Medical disabilities (i.e. blind, deaf, seizure disorders, diabetes, paralysis, amputee etc).
ESA’s are CHOSEN as companion animals for individuals challenged with emotional and psychological disabilities. ESA’s are often indistinguishable from the family pet. It is important to remember that ESA may appear to be “normal pets” but they provide a specific service to their owners- emotional support.
Essentially anyone who feels that their pet is a key source of comfort and wellbeing can qualify for an emotional support animal.
There may be certain levels of anxiety, depression and restlessness that are mitigated by the presence of a pet.
Qualifying for an ESA essentially means that your pet helps you live a better life. Your pet improves your living situation and helps you travel more comfortably. Qualifying involves a DSM diagnosis.
In order to obtain an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) a prescription letter is required from a licensed mental health professional stating that the animal alleviates the stress caused by a mental or emotional disability. The prescription is based on a variety of assessments and therapeutic sessions.
The purpose of an ESA letter is to make the special bond between people and their pets even stronger. As long as you have a well behaved pet, there should be no problems living anywhere or traveling with the animal.; Having an official ESA letter allows you to roam free with your animal pet Restrictions become a thing of the past.
At E-Therapy Café, we focus on improving the lives of people by making sure individuals get to live and travel with their pets, who can be essential in the persons comfort and well-being.
As long as your animal is well behaved, there should be no problems with your ESA letter. The ESA letter is based on the owner’s needs, and not dependent on any specific training for the animal. However, even with an ESA letter, the owner is still responsible if their animal causes damage to property or harm to others. In most cases, people who are seeking an ESA letter have well behaved animals, so there are rarely issues that cause people to call the letter into question.
Benefits of an ESA Letter:
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With very few exceptions (i.e. history of violence, breed), an ESA letters allow your pet to live with you virtually anywhere.
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Some apartment complexes have a no pet policy or size restrictions…but with an official ESA letter, you and your pet are allowed to bypass all of that.
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You are no longer charged more just for having your pet with you.
Obtaining an ESA Letter through ETC
In order to obtain an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Letter, you will:
1. Pay for your requested ESA prescription.
2. Register with E-Therapy Cafe
3. Schedule an E-Session with one of our licensed therapists.
4. Fill out a few basic forms that covers basic health and wellness information.
5. Be evaluated through a variety of assessments; your licensed therapist will review your evaluation and have your results within 2-3 business days.
6. If a diagnosis can be made, a prescription will be emailed to you via a secured link with your results (as a PDF file to print at home)
7. Be encouraged to continue E-Sessions with your therapist to increase your overall well-being and strengthen your coping skills.
8. If a diagnosis cannot be made, you will be reimbursed (minus the $110 Assessment Analysis fee).