You may have heard some different terms thrown around regarding animals, specifically dogs.
Emotional Support Animal (ESA), Service Dog, and Therapy Dog.
However, you may be unsure about the differences between these three categories.
**An ESA, Emotional Support Animal, is an animal any animal that provides emotional support alleviating one or more symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. These types of animals also typically require a letter from a licensed or board certified clinician stating that do in fact assist the person with their disability.
**A Service Dog is any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. These dogs are specially trained and even sometimes prescribed to a person based on their disabilities.
**A Therapy Dog works in situations where stress levels are high. Therapy animals provide people with healing contact, typically in an institutional or clinical setting, to improve their physical, social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. While these types of animals receive extensive training and may interact with all sorts of people, including an individual with a disability, they are not trained to perform a specific task for an individual with a disability like a service dog.
An easy way to differentiate between these is an ESA comforts their person, a Service Dog works/provides a service to keep their person safe, and a Therapy Dog works to provide healing and stress-relief to others.
For example, I have two dogs: Bao and Teriyaki. Both have been through advanced obediance training and are AKC Good Citizen certified.
Teriyaki has undergone assessment through ATD, Alliance of Therapy Dogs, to become a fully certified therapy dog where he can provide the community, and my clients, the benefits of interacting with him. Bao is still undergoing the training and certification process.
So, what are the benefits? Here are just a few!**
Decrease stress levels
Improved self-esteem
Elevated mood/joy
Reduces lonliness
Reduces feelings of depression
Decreased blood pressure
Relieve tension
Regulate the cardiovascular system
Improve cognition
Increased feelings of comfort
Reduce anxiety
Regulate emotions
and many other benefits...
Dogs are a joy and blessing to humanity, and I am very proud that I can assist my community and my clients by adding a therapy dog to my practice - starting in Jan. 2024.
This was written by Kendal Gerrity, M.S. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of Metamorphosis Therapeutic Counseling, LLC. She offers individual, family, and group counseling. Contact her today for a free phone consultation. (256) 631-7898
-Teriyaki is ATD certified and insured.
**Some information was used from the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) Network and from Alliance of Therapy Dogs.
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