New York ESA LetterLicensed New York clinicians

Medical disclaimer

What this site is, what it is not, and where to turn if you need help that we are not built to give.

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If you are in crisis, stop reading and get help now. Call or text 988 for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, free and available every hour of every day. In New York City you can also reach NYC 988 for local crisis support. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. This service is scheduled and non-urgent; we cannot respond to emergencies.

Three things this website is not

It is not medical advice. The pages here describe how emotional support animals, psychiatric service dogs and New York housing rules generally work. Reading them creates no provider-patient relationship with anyone on our team. That relationship begins only when a licensed clinician evaluates you in a scheduled consultation, and even then it is limited to that evaluation.

It is not legal advice. We explain the New York State Human Rights Law, the NYC Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law Article 4-B in general terms. We cannot tell you how any of it applies to your lease, your building, your board or your dispute. For that, speak to an attorney, or contact the New York State Division of Human Rights or the NYC Commission on Human Rights.

It is not a substitute for treatment. An assistance animal supports a person; it does not treat a condition. If you are living with anxiety, depression, PTSD or anything else, please also work with a treating provider. Our clinicians will say so during your consultation where it applies.

What a consultation is

A focused clinical evaluation to determine whether you meet the criteria for an emotional support animal or psychiatric service dog letter. It is not ongoing therapy, psychiatric care or medication management, and it does not make us your regular provider.

Outcomes nobody can promise

A clinician may decide you do not meet the criteria, and that decision is theirs. Even with an approved letter, a landlord, managing agent, co-op board, airline, employer or university may still refuse. We do not control those decisions and will not pretend to.

On the accuracy of what you read here

Housing and disability rules move, sometimes quickly. HUD's May 2026 enforcement memorandum is a recent example, and a good illustration of why a page written two years ago can quietly become wrong. We update these pages when the law changes, and Andrew Patel, LCSW reviews them for clinical accuracy. Even so, verify anything that matters against the primary sources linked at the foot of every page. If you spot an error, write to support@newyorkesaletter.org and a person will read it.

Where to go for help we do not provide

Immediate crisis

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, by call or text, anywhere in the United States. NYC 988 for city residents.

Treatment referrals

SAMHSA's National Helpline, free and confidential, 24 hours a day, in English and Spanish.

Ongoing care in New York

Your primary care provider, your health plan's behavioural health directory, or the New York State Office of Mental Health.

Housing discrimination

New York State Division of Human Rights statewide; NYC Commission on Human Rights within the five boroughs.

Official sources for this page

Nothing legal on this page is asserted without a source behind it. Open them and read the originals rather than taking our summary on trust.

  1. 988 Suicide and Crisis LifelineFree, confidential crisis support 24 hours a day. Call or text 988 anywhere in the United States.
  2. SAMHSA National HelplineFree, confidential treatment referral and information, around the clock, in English and Spanish.
  3. New York State Office of Mental HealthState mental health services, programs and local provider directories.
  4. National Institute of Mental Health — Health TopicsGovernment-published information on the conditions our clinicians most often assess.
  5. MedlinePlus — Mental Health and BehaviorPlain-language health information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
  6. HHS Telehealth — Information for patientsWhat telehealth can and cannot do, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  7. New York State Division of Human RightsThe statewide route for a housing discrimination complaint.