Emotional Support Animals: Benefits and Considerations
Alexander Netzley
By: Talik Hill
Have you ever heard of a kangaroo, sugar gliders, or even perhaps a turkey being an emotional support animal? Not to be confused with service animals, which are defined primarily as “any dog [, or miniature horse,] that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability”, emotional support animals are any type of animal that grants sentimental aid while also reducing the “symptoms or effects of a person’s disability” (ADA National Network, 2022).
These animals are meant to provide a sense of social companionship along with positive emotional outcomes, but keep in mind they aren’t trained to help humans deal with their disabilities. In order to establish your pet as an emotional support animal, you would need to receive a prescription from a licensed mental health professional to reap the many benefits of having one, which will be discussed further (Mental Health America, n.d.).
The Benefits:
Understanding housing accommodations
The prescribed documentation given by a mental health professional would have to be formulated as a letter that claims you’re a person under their care, you have a type of disability, and where they are suggesting for you to have an emotional support animal to ease the symptoms of your disability (Chandler, April 2015).
An emotional support animal may qualify for a reasonable housing accommodation under applicable fair housing rules, but documentation does not automatically override every pet policy. Eligibility, exceptions, and safety considerations vary. Emotional support animals are distinct from trained service animals and do not have the same general public-access rights. Consult current official guidance or a qualified housing professional for your circumstances.
They Soothe Extreme Negative Emotions
It’s no secret that our pets are capable of not only bringing us joy, but they can also reduce unfavorable sentiments like worry, sadness, anger, etc., which could aid with conditions like the grief process, panic attacks, phobias, and depression.
A loving animal can help in the release of a positive neurochemical called dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for the feelings of “love”, joy, and “pleasure” (Kentucky Counseling Center). Physical interactions with your emotional support animal can also provide a way to overcome negative emotions. Petting an animal reduces blood pressure and causes oxytocin and serotonin levels to rise (Professor Phelps).
Social Companionship
Our pets can be seen as more than just minor animals that we just so happen to take care of. Pets tend to be perceived as children or family members, which is also supported by scientific studies. According to professor Phelps (2021), “similar brain responses were found in mothers when looking at their child and their dog.” This illustrates that the relationship between emotional support animals and their owners is mutually beneficial, one that’s a heartfelt bond.
Being in the presence of an emotional support animal can help in reducing feelings of loneliness. They can produce a similar comfort to the presence of a friend. This can be helpful for people that have social anxiety or social-related phobias.
Life-Style Changes
Having an emotional support animal in your life can increase daily rates of productivity and structure. They could even encourage opportunities for social interaction by serving as a conversation starter.
The up-keep of taking care of a pet can, a lot of the time, require partaking in physical activities like taking them for a walk, visiting the vet, grooming or cleaning them, etc. Giving care to them can even encourage you to pay more attention to your own self-care needs as well. The commitment and responsibility of tending to the needs of an animal would call for days to be pre-planned, which would serve as a good change that adds order to the lives of someone with a mental illness or disability otherwise wouldn’t have.
Self Improvement and Identity Affirmation
Having an animal rely upon you for its needs while also providing unconditional love has the potential to increase a person’s self-esteem. This could also correlate with the growth of self-confidence with the achievement of completing tasks and learning new skills related to the care of an emotional support animal, like problem-solving and critical thinking.
Responsibility, time management skills, and emotional intelligence are all things that can be improved through the consideration and care of another living being, while also giving more purpose to one’s life.
The TakeAway
It can be seen how having an emotional support animal can produce positive changes in the social, psychological, and lifestyle aspects of individuals who deal with disabling mental health problems. The positive benefits that can potentially be gained can prove to be good predictors of consideration for getting an emotional support animal but they shouldn’t be the stemming reason you get one.
A person would have to think and plan for the amount of responsibility, and commitment it would take to keep one, including the financial strains, behavior training, housing conditions being appropriate for the animal, etc. You would also have to discern if having an emotional support animal is what you need or if getting a service dog is the answer to your mental health related issues. Having an emotional support animal can be a great thing, where you get to experience a connection with another living creature that’s filled with unconditional love, trust, and an uncomplex sense of understanding among each other.
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Works-Cited:
ADA National Network: Information, Guidance, and Training on the Americans with
Disabilities Act. (May 2022). Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal: What’s the Difference? https://adata.org/service-animal-resource-hub/differences
Mental Health America. (n.d.). How do I get an emotional support animal?
Reffue, Doug. (2022, Feburay 15). The Complete Guide to Emotional Support Animal
Laws & Psychiatric Service Dog Laws. Pettable. https://pettable.com/blog/emotional-support-animal-laws-guide#:~:text=Whether%20they’re%20dogs%2C%20cats,live%20and%20when%20they%20travel
Chandler, Cynthia. (2015, April 20). Confirming the benefits of emotional support
animals. Counseling Today. https://ct.counseling.org/2015/04/confirming-the-benefits-of-emotional-support-animals/#:~:text=These%20benefits%20include%20calming%20and,reducing%20depression%20and%20increasing%20pleasure .
Kentucky Counseling Center: Counseling & Psychiatry. (2021, May 31). Mental Health Benefits Of Emotional
Support Animals. https://kentuckycounselingcenter.com/mental-health-benefits-of-emotional-support-animals/
Professor Phelps, Kerryn. (2021, September 21). How your pet changes your brain
chemistry for the better. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/how-your-pet-changes-your-brain-chemistry-for-the-better-20210917-p58sq7.html#:~:text=these%20positive%20changes%3F-,Pets%20lower%20the%20levels%20of%20cortisol%2C%20the%20%E2%80%9Cstress%20hormone%E2%80%9D,we%20interact%20with%20our%20pets .
Sutton, Jeremy. (2021, March 30). Pets & Mental Health: 15 Benefits of Emotional
Support Animals. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/pets-mental-health/
Finding counseling support in Michigan
Harvard Avenue Counseling Services, PLLC offers in-person counseling in Ithaca, MI and virtual counseling throughout Michigan. Contact us to discuss your needs, clinician availability, and whether an approach described in this article is appropriate for you. Educational articles do not replace individual assessment or medical advice.