Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Letters for Connecticut Residents
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To get an emotional support animal letter in Connecticut online, you must meet with a licensed mental health professional (LMHP) – and this meeting must be a live or in-person consultation to be valid. Only an LMHP who can practice in your state can determine if you qualify for an emotional support animal.
Online telemedicine visits and marketplaces – such as Pettable – make this course of action simple and convenient. Without ever leaving the comfort of your home, you can connect with one of our LMHPs today! If your therapist deems you eligible for an emotional support animal, you will receive a digital copy of your ESA letter.
Some companies, like Pettable, can get you a copy of your ESA Letter within 24-48 hours, excluding California, Arkansas, & Montana residents (requires 30 days), for an additional fee.
Answer a few questions about your ESA needs
We'll match you to a professional in your state
Receive it within 24 hours of getting approved *
We'll help with any extra forms you need signed and our therapists are available to talk to your landlord anytime, for an additional fee.
* For Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana and Montana residents, new laws requires those seeking an ESA letter to establish a client-provider relationship with the individual for at least 30 days prior to providing documentation, which will result in having two consultations before qualifying.
If you live in Connecticut and have been diagnosed with mental or emotional disabilities, you may have been prescribed an emotional support animal (ESA). An emotional support animal can aid with symptoms related to an emotional or mental disability, such as any mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), manic disorders, and others, including an emotional disability, such as anxiety, depression, and others.
Animal-assisted therapy can have therapeutic benefits for someone suffering from these disorders. Emotional support animals (or therapy animals) offer relief from symptoms, and with the animal's presence, an individual can begin to feel better from their symptoms.
To have an emotional support animal prescription in Connecticut, a licensed mental health provider or professional medical needs to provide you with an emotional support animal letter that will help you receive equal access despite an individual's disability. This letter can help against housing discrimination and protect against paying pet deposits.
In Connecticut, as in all U.S. states, emotional support animals are not automatically permitted in public places. Service animals, on the other hand, generally do have this right. This includes commercial flights, workplaces, shops, restaurants, hotels, libraries, and hospitals.
However, some airlines, employers, and venue owners/managers may accommodate your companion animal, as long as you can show them a valid ESA letter. Of course, if they still will not permit your emotional support animal to enter, you must abide by their decision. Instead, you could seek out a pet-friendly establishment, or leave your ESA at home.
For air travel, you have a few additional options. Your ESA could fly with you as a regular pet – in a carrier in the cabin (if they’re small enough), or in the hold. You’ll also have to accept the airline’s standard pet fees. Alternatively, your emotional support animal could train to become a psychiatric service animal, as service animals are allowed on all flights.
On a more encouraging note, federal and state housing legislation is quite accepting of emotional support animals. The federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects your right to have your ESA live with you. As long as you can provide an ESA letter, your housing provider must make reasonable accommodations for you and your emotional support animal to live together. This is the case even if the landlord typically has a “no pets” policy. A valid ESA letter also waives any pet fees and breed or weight restrictions that your landlord may typically have in place.
A mental health professional licensed in Connecticut can determine whether you are eligible for an emotional support animal. Specifically, they’ll assess whether you have a qualifying mental health condition and a disability-related need for the companionship of an emotional support animal. Individuals that suffer from anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, and postpartum depression all have the potential to qualify for an emotional support animal. If your LMHP determines that an emotional support animal would be an asset to your mental health treatment plan, they will write you an official ESA letter that you can use for housing and other purposes.
However, it's essential to remember that this is not an exhaustive list. While an individual must have a mental or emotional disorder to qualify for an ESA, an ESA must also alleviate at least one or more symptoms of an individual's mental health disorder.
If your LMHP determines an emotional support animal would be an asset to your mental health treatment plan, they will write you an ESA letter.
Are you eligible for an emotional support animal? Take this quiz to find out.
While an emotional support animal provides both companionship and comfort to individuals suffering from mental and emotional disabilities, there are also other, less known benefits that an ESA provides.
Like all animals, an ESA can provide its owner with unconditional love. Receiving unconditional love from any being can help someone with an illness like depression or grief get back on their feet after a challenging emotional experience.
Feeling love and accompaniment can dramatically improve a person's overall mental distress and decrease the debilitating nature of their symptoms. This crucial stepping stone can lead individuals to more meaningful relationships with other human beings and their loved ones.
Many people feel a certain sense of joy upon seeing a cute animal. Well, there's a reason for that. Studies show dopamine production is boosted by looking into your dogs' eyes. Not only does this help individuals suffering from mental distress feel less depressed, but it also increases their capacity to feel love towards another being. Having an ESA around can help individuals feel safer and loved.
Most people don't see their furry friends as pets but as family members. This is why it can feel so devastating when many apartment buildings have no-pet policies. If your furry friend is also an assistance animal, you never have to be without them again. The FHA protects individuals with emotional and mental disabilities and mandates landlords make reasonable accommodations for ESAs.
While emotional support animals may have limited legal rights, they are protected by housing rights.
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects a person with a disability from discrimination when obtaining housing. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines a person with a disability as an individual with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Under this law, a landlord must provide what is known as "reasonable accommodation" for individuals with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to reside in a dwelling.
The Connecticut Fair Housing Act applies to all assistance animals, including emotional support animals and service animals. The "reasonable accommodation" expected from the landlord includes the right for individuals to keep ESAs in their homes, regardless of whether or not the building has a "no-pet policy." Because ESAs are not pets, no pet-related policies can be applied to an emotional support animal. This means that ESAs are exempt from a housing complex's weight or breed restrictions on pets and any pet-related fees and deposits.
Unfortunately, no law requires employers to allow ESAs in the workplace. That said, it never hurts to make a personal appeal to HR. If you work more efficiently with your ESA by your side, your employer may be willing to make an exception.
Are you eligible for an emotional support animal?
While psychiatric service dogs and emotional support animals are not interchangeable, obtaining a PSD letter is similar to getting an ESA letter. If you are seeing a therapist or psychiatrist in Connecticut, this is a healthcare professional to connect with about a PSD letter. Even if this individual cannot write an ESA letter, they may know another healthcare professional who can.
There are also online services that can connect you with an LMHP in your state. Pettable can connect you with a therapist that prescribes PSD and ESA letters. It's essential to keep in mind that even if you qualify for an emotional support animal, you may not qualify for a psychiatric service dog. Psychiatric service dogs must be trained to help with a specific aspect of your disability.
Pettable provides assurance every step of the way that our ESA and PSD letters are legal and legitimate. Our world-class LMHPs are a pleasure to work with and ensure you get everything you need from us. And with our 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can rest easy knowing that, in the unlikely event that your letter doesn't work for you, we'll provide a full refund for the service.
1. We Guarantee Our Letters Will Work For You
We believe you should not have to worry about your letter working or not. That's why at Pettable we offer a satisfaction guarantee - meaning your letter works or you get your money back.
2. World Class Mental Health Professionals
We have built a team of world class mental health professionals who can write you a PSD Letter prescription guaranteed to work anywhere you go.
3. Unparalleled Customer Support
We know getting your animal approved to travel or live with you can be stressful, which is why we invest so much in our team of dedicated support specialists to make sure you are always taken care of and have the support you need!
4. Licensed in all 50 states
Our network of mental health professionals is deep and spans across the entire country. Additionally, we have a deep team of mental health professionals to make sure we can meet any timeline.
5. Best In Class Legal Support
We are here to make sure your housing and travel needs are taken care of so you don't worry. Our legal team is dedicated to having your back should you need it!
6. Human Connection & Legitimate Evaluations
In order for your letter to work you need to have a live consultation with a mental health professional. At Pettable we make sure our clinicians adhered to HUD standards and conduct consultations over the phone to get to know you and your mental health situation well.
It's clear from our reviews – we're different from other online ESA letter providers. What sets us apart? Our satisfaction guarantee, our transparency, live consultations with our clinicians, and our top-notch, customer-focused support. Have a look at the chart to see how we compare with our competitors.
MSW, LCSW
Jennifer Bronsnick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Anxiety Treatment Specialist, & Heartmath Certified Trainer. She provides customized workshops and trainings to working professionals and teams to help build resilience and reduce stress with practical strategies.
MSW, LCSW
I graduated with a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before obtaining my Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in 2021. I have eight years of experience in the mental health field working in and with various populations, including case management, intake coordination, and residential, inpatient, and outpatient programs. I am certified in Brainspotting to help individuals deeply process negative emotions and trauma/significant life events. Additionally, I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and safety planning in sessions/groups.
LCSW
As a clinical social worker, I have been able to work within multiple types of settings, such as hospitals, community centers, and family welfare. I enjoy having the clinical and administrative experience to holistically serve those I work with.
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