How To Get a Psychiatric Service Dog in New York?

For many of us, animals are just pets, but there are some people for which these pets are much more! These pets provide unconditional love and support to those people, which helps them to deal with their mental or emotional health disabilities. Yes, here we are talking about Psychiatric Service Dogs or PSDs. These dogs have gained much attention in recent years and are working towards the betterment of people with disabilities. In this blog, we will discuss everything related to how to get a Psychiatric Service Dog in New York. Let’s begin.

What is a Psychiatric Service Dog?

A psychiatric service dog is a canine that is trained to lessen the symptoms of a person’s mental or emotional health conditions. Psychiatric service dogs are capable of performing a wide range of tasks for their handlers, such as entering a dark room and turning on the lights so the owner can enter, sensing when their owner is having a horrible dream and waking them up from it, reminding their owners to take their medication on time, and much more.

Qualifications for Psychiatric Service Dogs in New York

You must have one or more mental or emotional health conditions that seriously restrict your major life activities to get a psychiatric service dog in New York. These are:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Bipolar disorders
• Panic attacks
• Social phobias & agoraphobia
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD)
• Schizophrenia
• Autism
• Claustrophobia and many more

How Do I Get a Psychiatric Service Dog?

A psychiatric service dog is trained to assist people with mental disorders. A well-trained PSD provides comfort to their handler during difficult times and even reduces the symptoms of mental health disabilities.

To get a psychiatric service dog or PSD, you must first have a qualifying mental or emotional health condition like depression, anxiety, PTSD, panic attacks, etc., i.e., stopping your ability to perform daily life activities. If you’re unsure whether you qualify for a Psychiatric Service Dog, you must consult the mental health care professional and discuss your disability. If the mental health professional finds your condition genuine, they will write a ‘PSD letter‘ for you. A PSD letter is a legitimate document that works as proof that you’re taking therapeutic benefits from the assistance of a psychiatric service dog (PSD).

If you can’t meet regularly with your therapist in New York because of your mental health disabilities, you can also get your PSD letter online! Fast ESA Letter is here to help you with the easy and convenient online process of getting a PSD letter in New York.

Get Psychiatric Service Dog Letter Online

Complete an Online Form

Start the process by filling up the small application and providing information about you and your pet.

Get Evaluated By LMHP

After submitting the form, the state’s licensed mental health professional will evaluate your form and give approval for a PSD letter.

Get Your PSD letter

Once the LMHP approves, we will email you a PSD letter. You can download your PSD letter from there.

Benefits of Psychiatric Service Dogs for Mental Health Treatment

Psychiatric service dogs can perform various tasks for their owners dealing with mental health conditions such as phobias, anxiety, depression or PTSD, etc. With the proper training, these dogs can greatly benefit people who are facing difficulty in performing daily life activities. These benefits are mentioned below:

Provides Medication

When someone falls or experiences an incident like a panic attack, they might risk hyperventilating or being unable to access their medication. In these situations, psychiatric service dogs are trained to bring their owner’s medication using specific commands.

Create a Signal

It is common for people with anxiety or depression to take sedative-heavy medications which divert their attention from regular activities. A trained psychiatric service dog will continuously notify the person until they react in the case of an emergency, such as a fire. This could include licking, tugging at their sleeve, or consistent barking.

Helps in Public Places

Autism or social anxiety disorders can make it challenging for some people to interact with others in public. With the help of a trained psychiatric service dog, you can ensure you’re safe from outsiders. Also, the PSDs might use their body to strategically hide others from seeing their handler.

Creates a Safe Environment

Individuals who suffer from anxiety or PTSD may be scared to enter a dark room because they think that someone is there. Psychiatric service dogs are trained to investigate a room before their owner enters carefully. If the dog returns to the room without barking, the handler can feel comfortable entering the room. This is especially helpful in public areas or in hotels where the room is generally vacant.

Legal Rights for Psychiatric Service Dog Owners in New York

Psychiatric service animals are protected by New York state law, which also respects all PSD rights granted by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

Fair Housing Act (FHA)

The Fair Housing Act provides equal housing facilities to persons with mental or emotional health disabilities. According to the FHA, landlords cannot discriminate among owners with disabilities like anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression or PTSD, etc. Psychiatric service dogs can live with their owners on any property they choose, even if it is a ‘no-pet’ policy building, at no additional costs.

Public access rights

This law gives psychiatric service dogs equal rights to access public places, even where pets are generally not allowed. The New York state has realized the importance of psychiatric service dogs in human life, permitting PSDs to enter public places, including private housing accommodations, educational institutions, theatres, government buildings, shopping malls, food stalls, and company property.

Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA)

Psychiatric Service Dogs can accompany their owners on flights, according to the ACAA. However, airlines cannot charge any extra fee from the owners to fly with their PSDs. While flying with your PSD, submit your request for a PSD accommodation at least 48 hours before coming to the airport. Confirming your airline’s exact criteria and submitting all the necessary PSD documents in advance for a smooth departure is essential.

How to Train Your Psychiatric Service Dog in New York

A service dog needs to be trained to perform the required task. A service dog must be taught how to act responsibly in a public place with adequate training. There are three ways to train your service dog in New York.

Hire a Professional Trainer

You can contact a professional trainer to provide your dog with good training. These professional trainers carry a lot of experience and are well aware of which tasks can your service dog perform for you depending on the type of breed, size, and weight of your dog.

Purchase an Already-Trained Dog

This is another way to get a trained psychiatric service dog. These are much-trained and well-behaved dogs who are set to provide you with immediate assistance. These dogs are usually expensive, but a convenient way to get a psychiatric service dog.

Train Your Dog on Your Own

This is the most cost-efficient method to train your psychiatric service dog. If you have enough time and energy to spend with your dog, this option is the best for you! You can train your dog by yourself, depending on your mental or emotional health condition. This may require a lot of research and effort from your side, but in the last, you will indeed develop a much stronger bond with your dog.

Conclusion:

Psychiatric service dogs are usually trained to assist their owners in day to day life. But to provide them all the rights and privileges in New York, you need to certified your dog as a psychiatric service dog. Contact the Fast ESA Letter to start the process of getting a PSD letter today!