I was on a recent teletherapy call with an anxious young
college student. Let's call him Robbie. Half-way in he told me he thought he
needed an ESA. ESA, I thought…is that one of those texting anagrams I should
know, like FOMO or YOLO? Before I had a chance to ask, Robbie said that having
his long-time companion, his adored tabby, in his dorm room would make his
anxiety manageable.
It came to me in a flash: Emotional Support Animal. I'd read
about these. A quick Google search after the call revealed that people are
contacting teletherapy services, like the one I took Robbie's call on, to
obtain virtually (pun intended) immediate certification to have their ERAs in
dorms, pet-unfriendly apartments and on airplanes.
