ESA Evaluations

An emotional support animal (ESA) is a companion that brings therapeutic benefits to individuals with diagnosable mental health and emotional conditions. An ESA often helps to mitigate or alleviate symptoms of a disability such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), insomnia, etc. Typically, an ESA is a cat or dog; however, ESAs may also include other common domesticated animals, like hamsters and birds.  There are several differences between an emotional support animal, a service animal, and a therapy animal. To learn more about these differences, please review this information.  

*Continue reading for Tacoma and Associates, P.C. policy on ESAs*

Policy

In order for a psychologist to recommend the need of an emotional support animal, a diagnosis of a psychological disability is required. This process is complex and requires several sessions in order to understand the presence, intensity, and duration of various symptoms, the degree of impairment in several areas of life functioning, and an evaluation of how an emotional support animal (ESA) would help mitigate symptoms and improve functioning.

There are several factors that will determine how long the process of evaluation may take with the most important being whether you are currently receiving mental health services from another therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist. Your evaluator should be able to give you an approximation of how many sessions will be required after initial contact but typically it will be 2-4 sessions. 

Prior to your first appointment, you will complete two standardized/self-report inventories to be used as both screeners for completing subsequent sessions, and as aids in your overall diagnosis/prescription of an ESA.  During your face-to-face assessment period, your psychologist will be conducting a clinical interview including collecting biopsychosocial history from you.  You and your evaluator will work on therapeutic skills (such as coping/calming skills) so that an ESA is not your sole source of managing your mental health issues.  Finally, you will receive education on how and when you can use your ESA letter and what to do moving forward. 

If you qualify for an ESA, the psychologist will provide your letter during your final session.  If you do not qualify, this will be discussed with you during your final session.  Sessions held cannot be refunded based on unfavorable outcomes as psychologist cannot guarantee that you will qualify for an ESA.

Dr. Tacoma can submit claims for these sessions to your 3rd party payer if she is in your network.  The letter itself is not covered by insurance and will be an additional one-time fee of $50.  

Please note that Dr. Tacoma will not provide an ESA disability accommodation letter simply to circumvent housing restrictions and/or to avoid fees associating with having a pet reside on a property.  Further, we do not provide ESA letters for airlines given that the Department of Transportation no longer lists them as accommodation on their airlines. Finally, due to a conflict of interest and multiple relationship issues, Dr. Tacoma will not conduct this evaluation on current clients but is happy to provide a referral for someone who could do this evaluation for you.  

Please see ESA FAQs for commonly asked questions