Pets can soothe us and help us feel grounded. But is this need being exploited?
First, let’s distinguish between service animals for the disabled and emotional support animals (ESAs). Service animals are dogs that have been specifically trained to assist with a particular disability, such as a guide dog for the blind. The definition for ESAs is much more vague.
According to one website, The Official ESA Registration of America, ESAs are “animals that provide therapeutic benefits to their owner through affection and companionship,” and require no specific training. This leaves a lot open to interpretation.
Benefits of Registration
It’s clear to see there are many benefits to registering your pet as an ESA. For example, ESAs are allowed to fly in the cabin of an airplane, and allowed to live in pet-free housing (with no extra fees such as a pet deposit).
Since no specific training or certification is required of the animal, all you need is a letter from a mental health professional and you can take your cuddly fur ball pretty much wherever you want.
But should mental health counselors provide this letter?
Let’s Start with Ethics
There are two main ethical questions:
- Are we practicing within our scope of competence?
- Have we received informed consent for changing roles?
Scope of Competence
Let’s start with the first question. According to the ACA ethics code (C.2.a):
“Counselors practice only within the boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience.”
Are therapists qualified to determine whether or not an ESA is required? Most of us have not been trained thoroughly in assessment, which is why psychologists have taken on that role. And if we are not trained in assessment, because we cannot practice outside the scope of our competence we cannot write such a letter.
And even if we are sufficiently trained, what are the guidelines? How, exactly, do we determine if an ESA is required? Is it a certain score on an anxiety assessment? Unlike service animals, there are no clear guidelines for ESAs.
Changing Roles
Now, let’s look at the second question. Here is the applicable ACA ethics code (A.6.d.):
“When counselors change a role from the original or most recent contracted relationship, they obtain informed consent from the client and explain the client’s right to refuse services related to the change.”
One of the role changes listed is from therapeutic to evaluative. If mental health counselors write letters for ESAs, then we are taking on an evaluative role. This means a fundamental and sometimes irreversible change in our relationship to the client, hence the need for informed consent. Do clients really want to give up therapy so their therapist can become an evaluator?
These are some things to consider should a client ask for an ESA letter.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Dr. Barb LoFrisco
