Emotional Support Animals

We are frequently asked to provide support and documentation for students who are wanting to get an Emotional Support Animal (ESA). CAPS does not provide letters of support and referral for students seeking documentation for an ESA.

It is recommended that professionals providing this documentation have received training and gained experience working with the human animal bond in counseling. Here at CAPS, we do not currently have the training or experience to provide documentation for an ESA. We recommend that students interested in obtaining a letter of support should seek a disability evaluation from a prior medical or mental health provider or by starting a disability assessment process through local community resources with the recommended training and experience providing ESAs.

Please note, we discourage the use of online resources that promise ESA support letters for a fee. These sources may be fraudulent, and the Student Access Center may not accept letters obtained in this fashion.

More information can be found on the Student Access Center's webpage regarding the difference between service animals and animals for comfort. Additionally, this does NOT affect the K-State policy on Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals. For more information regarding animals on K-state campus, check out the campus policy under “Control of Animals on Kansas State University Property".

Resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA
• Clay, Rebecca A. “Is that a pet or therapeutic aid?” Monitor on Psychology, vol. 46, no. 8, September 2016
• “Dogs and PTSD” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs