Psychiatric service dogs are a type of service dogs that help with psychiatric mental health conditions. There are a number of different ways that a service dog can help an individual manage and find relief from their psychiatric disability, and these dogs are specifically trained to help mitigate symptoms and provide comfort to their handlers.
If you are considering adding a psychiatric service dog to your treatment plan, you may be wondering if you need to obtain certification for this animal. Our article gives you more details on psychiatric service dog certification and how you may be able to add one of these wonderful animals to your treatment plan.
What Is a Psychiatric Service Dog?
A psychiatric service dog is any service dog that has been trained to help with a psychiatric condition or disability. Different conditions that a psychiatric service dog can be trained to help with include conditions such as depression, anxiety, chronic stress, bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD, and some learning or sensory disorders. With the help of a psychiatric service dog, the symptoms of these conditions may not impact an individual’s life as much, and they may find it easier to go about their daily lives and seek comfort from the help of their service dog.
For many individuals with psychiatric conditions that impact their lives, a service dog is an essential piece of medical equipment and a valued companion.
Tasks That Psychiatric Service Dogs Perform
The tasks that a psychiatric service dog is trained to perform vary depending on the exact psychiatric condition a dog is being trained to help with. In general, psychiatric service dogs will help individuals manage the symptoms of their condition, and they can be specially trained to help with very nuanced tasks if necessary.
Common tasks that a psychiatric service dog may perform include:
· Opening and closing doors
· Acting as a buffer between their owner and others
· Checking around corners
· Retrieving medication and water
· Bringing phones to their owner
· Interrupting negative behaviors or self-harm
· Providing deep pressure therapy as a calming method
· Helping to ground their owner with their presence
· Guiding their owner to a safe, calm, or quiet space
This list of tasks is not exhaustive, as there are many other specific tasks that your dog may be trained to perform based on your exact needs.
Do I Need Certification for My Psychiatric Service Dog?
Unlike an ESA dog, a psychiatric service dog doesn’t require any certification. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require any specific training program, certification, or paperwork for a dog to be considered a psychiatric service dog. The only qualification that your dog must meet is being properly trained to complete tasks that help you directly when dealing with a psychiatric disability.
Additionally, it helps if your dog is well-behaved and polite in public, as this can avoid issues with others questioning your service dog or stopping you from taking advantage of your public access rights.
That being said, individuals who choose to obtain a certification for their psychiatric service dog do so in order to have paperwork on hand when traveling with their dog to make identification easier.
How Do I Get a Psychiatric Service Dog?
If you think that you would benefit from a psychiatric service dog, your first step is to speak to your doctor or a licensed mental healthcare professional. Your provider can help you evaluate your needs and whether or not a psychiatric service dog will provide benefits to you, and they will approve you for your service dog if it is deemed necessary.
From there, you can look into adopting a psychiatric service dog from a local or national organization, or you can train your own psychiatric service dog.
What Are My Rights With a Psychiatric Service Dog?
Once you have your psychiatric service dog you will have public access rights. This means that your service dog can accompany you into any business, restaurant, or other public or private space. The only exceptions to your public access rights are certain religious organizations and spaces where bringing a dog would compromise safety, such as an operating room.
If you want to learn more about your public access rights, you can learn more by looking through the Americans with Disabilities Act and by reviewing your state’s laws on service dogs.
Obtaining the Psychiatric Service Dog Help You Need
Psychiatric service dogs are wonderful companions for many individuals with certain psychiatric conditions or disabilities. These dogs are impeccably trained to help their owners, and they can encourage their owners to enjoy a greater quality of life.
If you think you would benefit from the help of a psychiatric service dog, don’t hesitate to reach out to your medical or mental health care provider and inquire about adding one of these pups to your treatment plan.
