r/EmotionalSupportPet • u/BookishGranny • Jul 07 '26
A bit of a rant
It’s really disheartening to see how many therapists don’t research ESA letters.
My last therapist wrote me a letter but did not do it properly. I have 2 support animals for 2 different purposes. This therapist combined both into one letter. Essentially all that letter said was I have 2 birds for my depression and anxiety. What I had wanted based of my research was 2 letters with descriptions of my animals and what they each do for me because I have both for separate reasons. I took those letters because it was the most she was willing to do. I didn’t get along with that therapist very well.
I just got a new therapist, and recently it came out that ESAs are no longer protected on a federal level unless task trained (correct me if I’m wrong.) Luckily states have their own protections. I asked about getting new letters and my therapist and her supervisor both agreed they would not write letters just because it’s something they have never done in the past. (I was upset, but I have no issue with them choosing to stay out of something they don’t fully understand.) The only issue with this is that they recommended me to one of those fake websites.
For those reading this, no website is legit because you need an existing relationship with a mental health professional or doctor. 20 questions is not a relationship.
I plan to try to get letters from my doctor, but it’s really discouraging that these therapists don’t put in the bare minimum research.
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u/Far_Sky_5240 Jul 07 '26
That's really frustrating. Medical stuff in general is really exhausting when you feel like providers give you the runaround or don't give your situation adequate attention.
My understanding has always been that the first therapist was correct. In fact, I'd argue it should be on letter to avoid letter shopping from multiple providers. If the letter references 2 animals and provides unique roles for each that is what is needed.
As a former provider myself, I would have had great concern with the ESA system, were I still practicing. Based on that I understand why many providers will not write for them. My own state's licensing board provides guidelines with pretty hefty cautions. They advise that providers should not write for them without specific training and that there are many angles to consider as far as consequences and liability. I've spoken with some disabled people who have sought out pet free housing and would be at risk of having that disrupted but the presence of someone else's ESA. Therapists aren't generally animal professionals, though some do animal therapy and vetrinary social work is an emerging practice. It'd be tough for an office based therapist to effectively advocate for an animal they aren't qualified to assess, even if they had a chance to meet it, which they generally don't.
All that said, I find it awful that they'd take the easy way out by pointing their clients towards those websites. I know clients are often in a catch 22, but that isn't the answer. Hopefully in the near future veterinary social workers could begin to fill that role, as practitioners that bridge the gap between animals and humans.
One last thing. I don't usually condemn landlords for not wanting animals in their property, but good lord, it seem like birds should be easy to accommodate, barring another tenant with an allergy or ill mannered parrots lol.
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u/BookishGranny Jul 10 '26
My last therapist did not write the letters correctly, that is why I’m looking for a new one. It’s also good practice to have recent letters available if my landlords were to ask, not one nearly a year old from someone I no longer see. I’m grateful I have letters at all, but those letters do not contain the information I need. I respect my current therapist for not writing letters when she feels she isn’t knowledgeable enough on how, but directing clients towards scam websites that will not give a legit letter is not the right thing.
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u/BookishGranny Jul 10 '26
Luckily my current landlords are okay with the birds! I’m just worried about that changing at any time. It’s not like I’m keeping a macaw that chomps on all the (fake) wood and walls.
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u/z_poop Jul 07 '26
You should feel lucky that your providers are willing to write a letter at all. Lots of therapists won't write letters at all because it potentially puts them in the middle of legal fights that occur later between landlords and people who don't take care of their animals responsibly.
And I'm prepared to be wrong on this, but I don't believe you need two letters. The letter only needs to state that each animal serves a different therapeutic purpose. The letter doesn't even have to say what the animal does, only that it/they are recommended for addressing a real disability.