Top 3 Benefits of an Emotional Support Animal on ADHD by 14 Renowned Experts
Anthony Douglas Williams once stated that when he looked into an animal’s eyes, he did not see an animal. He instead saw a living being as well as a friend.
Nothing will match up to the happiness you get when you come home into the arms of a faithful companion. A pet’s unconditional love will often do more than offer you simple companionship. Having a pet has been shown to decrease your stress while improving your heart health. It will also help kids to improve their social and emotional skills.
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People suffering from mental health conditions experience multiple emotions that change through the day daily. Support animals for them are meant to help their owners keep their emotions in check and remain calm. It helps if the animal you choose to support you is cuddly and cute. ADHD is among the most severe mental health conditions. It affects a patient’s brain and progresses to affect different areas of his/her life in tangible ways when struggling to keep its symptoms in check.
One of the ways that experts have come up to deal with some of the symptoms of ADHD is by having an emotional support animal {ESA}. A few people are nonetheless still unconvinced about the impact of the same on the control of their ADHD symptoms.
We asked fifteen experts; ‘’if you had to list the benefits of an ESA for patients who have ADHD, what are the three leading answers that you will qualify in your list?’’ Here are tidbits on the experts we chose to answer this question.
Table of Contents
1. Dr. Peter Charles Doherty
Introduction:
The Brisbane area in Queensland Australia is the birthplace of Dr Peter Charles Doherty as well as where he grew up. He attended the University of Queensland for his bachelor’s and then master’s degree before joining the University of Edinburgh for a PhD in pathology. The following are some of his achievements and positions:
- Research fellow at the JCSMR {John Curtis School of Medical Research} at the Canberra-based Australian National University.
- Associate professor in 1975 at the Philadelphia-based Wistar Institute in the U.S.
- Named a Laureate Professor in the Microbiology and Immunology Department at the University of Melbourne in 2002.
- Won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1996 for his role in the discovery of the part that T cells play in an animal’s immunity. In so doing, he became the first and sole veterinarian recipient of the prize.
- Named 1997 Australian of the year.
- He is the patron of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity based in the University of Melbourne.
- Has published six lay books on scientific life and science, including one entitled ‘Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know’.
- Now writes 800-word weekly essays on COVID-19 for his website.
Benefits:
With Australia in COVID-19 lockdown under rules that allow us to walk outside and get some exercise, it’s clear that being a dog owner has been of immense benefit when it comes to seizing the moment and getting out there in the fresh air. Anyone who has to deal with that standard doggy-demand is likely to come out of this in better shape.
Cat owners benefit in a different way that, if they are on social media, they often share with the rest of us. Cat and dog YouTube clips delight.
At this time of great vulnerability, animals help us all to connect with life.
Connect with Dr. Peter Charles Doherty –
You can consult with licensed doctors at ESA Care to get your ESA letter.
2. Dennis Simsek
Read Bio Theanxietyguy.com Apple.co/3087E27
Introduction:
Here are some of his achievements and qualities that set him apart in the mental health field:
- A passionate CBT {cognitive behavioral therapy} practitioner who uses his six-year battle with general anxiety and proven CBT techniques to help people overcome their struggles.
- The health podcast host. This podcast has won Best of iTunes and ranked number one in the category of health podcasts.
- NLP {Neuro-linguistic programming} coach
Benefits:
- In my humble opinion, the top three benefits of an emotional support animal for ADHD would firstly be connected to the benefit of strengthening the skill of attention. I do believe attention and focus to be a skill that needs to be developed by us all, and an ESA would greatly improve this.
- Secondly, since so much care goes into having an animal companion, more thought would go into a decision rather than allowing instinct to dominate each situation. This would strengthen the prefrontal cortex area of the brain therefore logic and critical thinking would be strengthened in general.
- Finally, I believe over time the person would find themselves being less connected to over-activeness and more balanced in their day to day routines.
Connect with Dennis Simsek –
To get your ESA letter, you can get in touch with licensed medical practitioners at ESA Care.
3. Dr. Pete Wedderburn
Introduction:
Dr. Pete Wedderburn is a renowned veterinary surgeon based in Ireland. He also runs a busy practice in the Bray locality while working on Ireland AM on Virgin Media One as the resident vet. He has held this position for the past fifteen years. His other mission is the delivery of quality information to pet owners. He does this in ways that people find it engaging and entertaining. The following are the ways through which he achieves this mission:
- Regularly contributes to international and local radio content.
- Writes for a weekly column that features in the UK’s Sunday Telegraph.
- Frequently contributes to the Ireland-based Own magazine and UK’s Veterinary Times and Veterinary Practice magazines that are vet publications.
- He has written so far four books.
- Posts enlightening and interesting blogs regularly on his website.
Benefits:
1. Pets offer a sense of completely unconditional love for the human who cares for them, which is reassuring and empowering.
2. Pets love a set routine, with everything happening in a regular, organized fashion, making them reliable and dependable companions.
3. Pets live in the present moment, bringing back us all to an immediate sense of mindfulness, which is a helpful way of distracting their human companions from worries and troubling thoughts.
Connect with Dr. Pete Wedderburn –
Get in touch with licensed practitioners at ESA Care for your ESA letter.
4. Caroline Maguire
Read Bio carolinemaguireauthor.com
Introduction:
Caroline Maguire PCC, ACCG, M.Ed. has helped many adults struggling with ADHD who find it hard to fit into social circles. She earned her PCC {professional certified coach} accreditation from the ICF {International Coach Federation}. Her efforts, passion and dedication to her work are direct results of her battle with ADHD and dyslexia as a child. The following are some of the achievements and works that Caroline Maguire is involved in to actualize her objectives:
- Resource person for ADHD organizations and journalists researching ADHD.
- Personal coach for children with ADHD as well as the families supporting them.
- Appears in publications like the U.S News & World Report, ADDitude, WebMD, Attention Magazine and the Huffington Post.
- Founder of an innovative and new training curriculum to be used in the ADD Coaching Academy.
Benefits:
1. Reminds you to Pause. – I have ADHD and my dogs automatically make me pause, think, and self-regulate in a way that is natural and doesn’t require effort. This innate ability to make me stop and think – which is essentially self-regulation – automatically engages my ability to self-regulate. Working, playing, and living with an ESA helps all family members, especially those with ADHD, to pause and think effortlessly.
2. Anchors you in mindfulness. When you see and pet her – you subconsciously remove yourself from a potentially stressed or over-scheduled pattern. Your breathing slows and other natural grounding exercises automatically take place.
3. Great conversation starter. Your ESA will offer companionship and a conversation starter to reduce social anxiety. One great trick for people with social anxiety is to have your ESA accompany you to your job, class, or trip to the park. Just having your companion at your side allows people to notice your pet and engage in small talk. This bridge to conversation provides you with a role – that of the pet owner and a new friend!
Connect with Caroline Maguire –
Our licensed doctors at ESA Care are available to guide you to help you get an ESA letter.
5. Dr. Sharon Saline
Downloadables: drsharonsaline.com/downloadables
Introduction:
Dr. Sharon Saline Psy.D. has over thirty years’ experience as a licensed clinical psychologist. She graduated magna cum laude from Brown University before proceeding to the New College of California for her master’s degree. She then proceeded to the California School of Professional Psychology for a doctorate. Dr. Saline is an expert on anxiety disorders, mental health issues and ADHD along with their effects on family and school dynamics. Here are the other works and achievements of Dr. Saline:
- She has conducted several training sessions abroad and around the U.S for students, psychologists, educators and parents covering different topics in her role as a workshop facilitator and lecturer.
- Written a book detailing what kids with ADHD would want their parents to know and how they can be helped. The book is entitled ‘What Your ADHD Child Wish You Knew’. This book has won the Gold Medal by Mom’s Choice Award and the Best Books Award from American Book Fest; two highly-acclaimed awards in the writing world.
- Made the ADHD Solutions Card Deck that contains information centered on ADHD in children.
Benefits:
- Emotional support animals provide tremendous comfort and support: People often talk to their pets because pets can be safe recipients of secrets and private thoughts. Cuddling and caring for a pet reduces stress, loneliness and anxiety. You no longer feel so alone in the world because there is someone who keeps you company. Developing positive feelings about an animal can also improve someone’s self-esteem and self-confidence. People feel better about themselves because they nurture another living being.
- Emotional support animals foster helpful relationship skills: Positive relationships with pets can improve how children, teens and adults create trusting connections with others and build respect for living things. Emotional Support Animals are good companions for people who struggle with social anxiety. People improve their abilities to be present and interact with others as they practice giving and receiving attention and affection for a pet. A good relationship with a pet can also help in developing non-verbal communication, compassion, and empathy. By learning to care for an animal, and treat it kindly and patiently, you gain invaluable training in learning to treat people the same way.
- Emotional support animals encourage responsibility and self-care: Having a pet means that you have to think outside of yourself and consider the needs of another being. Animals, like people, need food, water, and exercise. This helps someone get off their screen and into the world. Your animal may well need daily walks, play times or grooming. For people who struggle with mental health issues, focusing on the care, exercise and grooming of their pet assists them in expanding their perspective and stepping back from their issues. When they are engaged with their animal, they are less focused on their anxiety, depression or anger.
Connect with Dr. Sharon Saline –
You can now talk to a licensed doctor at ESA Care for your ESA letter.
6. Dr. Kirsten Milliken
Read Bio www.worldwithoutadhd.com Amazon Book
Introduction:
Dr. Kirsten Milliken is an ADHD coach and an accredited clinical psychologist. She graduated in 1988 from the SUNY Stony Brook before proceeding to the California-based Alliant University for her doctoral degree. She chose the Bronx VA for her internship and returned to the VA system about ten years ago to work in the C&P {compensation and pension} department in Togas. Having been diagnosed with an ADHD brain at birth and as a mum of a child who has ADHD, Dr. Kirsten Milliken sees herself as an ‘’expert’’ in the ADHD field and is among the renowned figures in it. Recently, she started a campaign aimed at highlighting the amazing potential of ADHD patients and how their abilities can better the world for everyone.
Benefits:
- Support animals have a very calming effect on people who have physical and/or mental hyperactivity- which is almost everyone with ADHD. You can think of them as an external prompt to relax and be mindful.
- Petting them provides the tactile input that can be soothing. The service animal can also become a point of focus that can quiet the overwhelming number of thoughts that can go through the mind of someone with ADHD. When you look into the eyes of a dog, how can you think of anything else but how amazing they are? Support animals can be trained to react to particular emotions or behaviors. They can serve to disrupt the behavior and redirect their humans. In other words, they can act as a reminder to “pause.” By doing this they can prevent the regret that can often accompany impulsive or destructive acts.
- People with ADHD typically have deficits in executive functions, such as planning, organization, and memory. Working with a service animal to train them is an ongoing process. One that requires the owner to engage many executive skills in order to have the desired outcome of an obedient and supportive animal. Getting a dog to fetch a ball can be difficult. Getting them to recognize an emotional reaction and give a specific disruptive response takes a bit more effort and planning. Of course, remembering to feed them, walk them, and care for them requires a commitment to forming habits and routines for both the owner and animal.
Keep in mind, not every ESA is a dog. If your ESA is an octopus, you might not be taking them for walks.
It’s a good idea to consult with a licensed doctor at ESA Care who will guide you to get your ESA letter.
7. Elaine Taylor-Klaus
Introduction:
The Impact ADHD website co-founder Elaine Taylor-Klaus is an international speaker writer, professional licensed coach and mother in a six-member ADHD++ family. She focuses on guiding parents of complex kids such as those with ADHD as well as learning and anxiety disorders. The coaching and training programs on the Impact website are meant to support entire families rather than the patient or caregiver. The programs also help parents to manage the complex challenges associated with their kids’ disorders calmly and confidently.
Elaine Taylor-Klaus is the co-author of a book titled Parenting ADHD Now! Easy Intervention Strategies to Empower Kids with ADHD. She also has an upcoming book entitled The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety and More. It is being published by Quarto and expected to be released in September 2020 though it is currently available for pre-order. Elaine’s expertise has also featured in international publications like Kids in the House and Attention and ADDitude magazines.
Benefits:
- ADHD is often accompanied by anxiety, and therapy dogs can reduce stress and release oxytocin — the happy hormones that make people feel more love and peace.
- When kids with ADHD struggle with emotional regulation, animals can provided much-needed sensory input that can create a sense of calm.
- Animals can be terrific at re-energizing someone whose energy is flagging.
Connect with Elaine Taylor-Klaus –
At ESA Care, you can contact our licensed practitioner to get your ESA letter.
8. Diann Wingert
Read Bio diannwingertcoaching.com
Introduction:
As an accredited psychotherapist with over twenty years’ experience and a certified cognitive-behavioral coach, Diann Wingert centers on assisting entrepreneurial adults struggling with ADHD. She is also ADHD-diagnosed and thus has considerable experience in the challenges that patients face. She starts her therapy by helping clients appreciate their potential and adjust the \new information they have gathered about their capabilities. Patients who undergo therapy under Diann Wingert are also taught the difference between mastering and managing their ADHD. Their therapy also covers strategies for the creation of success according to their terms and methods that will help them stop wasting their energy on perfectionism and procrastination.
Benefits:
- Emotional support animals can improve the lives of individuals with ADHD in a number of ways. Many of us have difficulty with maintaining the self-care routines that reduce our ADHD symptoms. Such as waking up at a consistent time, getting regular exercise, spending time in nature, and managing our stress. We might understand the value and have the intention of doing these things, we are far more likely to follow through when someone else holds us accountable. Here’s where the ESA, especially a dog comes in. A dog needs their human companion to wake up, take them out for a walk.
- A canine ESA also provides companionship and healthy touch, which relieves a sense of loneliness or isolation that many adults with ADHD experience, especially now. Finally, having a dog who is an ESA provides stress relief in the form of play.
- Most adults have forgotten how to play, but play for someone with ADHD increases the level of healthy neurotransmitters in our brain that make us more resilient and able to tolerate stress. Dogs, in particular, are my favorite ESA because they are typically spontaneously affectionate, playful, and often engage in behaviors that humans find funny.
Connect with Diann Wingert –
You can consult with a licensed doctor at ESA Care to get your ESA letter.
9. Dr. Susan Lasky
Introduction:
Dr. Susan Lasky has extensive training and over twenty years’ experience in dealing with the issues related to ADHD. She also has a real-life comprehension of organization, time management and ADHD from her experiences as an adult battling with ADD and a mother raising a child who has ADHD. Her approach to therapy is thus non-judgmental and creative. The following are the other achievements and titles of Dr Lasky:
- Business productivity and personal coach, professional organizer, office systems developer and master ADHD/ADD strategist.
- Trained office productivity consultant, BCC {Board Certified Coach} SCAC {senior certified ADHD coach}, Holistic Time Mastery Coach, level II chronic disorganization specialist and a student coach with Edge certification.
- Golden circle member of the National Association of Professional Organizers {NAPO}.
Benefits:
Option A – Unconditional Support
Even the most successful people with ADHD experience its challenges. They struggle with deadlines and consistent performance, unmet expectations (whether theirs or someone else’s), feelings of inadequacy despite effort, and inadequate effort despite motivation. Because this is a disorder of self-regulation, it is easy to become highly self-critical, and most of my clients suffer from SCDD – Self-Compassion Deficit Disorder (not an official diagnostic term!) An ESA provides unconditional love and approval, which buffers the frequently experienced sense of failure, or being ‘not good enough,’ An ESA boosts mood, making it easier to engage in tasks and sustain effort.
Option B – Focus
A very helpful concept, in both Coaching and Professional Organizing, is the ‘body double.’ This is when another person is present while you work at a task you’d rather avoid (a frequent challenge for people with ADHD!). They are not active participants in your work, but their presence helps to minimize distractible behavior, so you stay more focused on completing the given task. An ESA provides a calming presence that can replicate the benefits of a body double.
PS – Just petting my cats is calming!
Connect with Dr. Susan Lasky –
Get your ESA letter after consultation with a medical doctor at ESA Care.
10. David Rickabaugh
Read Bio davidrickabaugh.coach
Introduction:
David Rickabaugh has experience spanning over thirty years as a leader in the business world. He has an educational background in coaching psychology that he applies in evidence-based approaches when working with clients. David focuses on improving a client’s productive communication, leadership development, and innovation as well as developing systems and self-awareness. Moreover, he works with leaders who have ADHD to help them maximize their potential.
David Rickabaugh currently works with several non-profit companies. He is also a board member of the Seattle counselling service while also serving on the university’s board.
Benefits:
- An ESA can help individuals experiencing “rejection sensitive dysphoria” (commonly experienced by people with ADHD) soothe their pain and upset during an RSD episode because of an ESA unconditional affection.
- An ESA relationship can also help reduce feelings of isolation that are often a part of the ADHD experience.
- Caring for an ESA can also be a place where an individual with ADHD feels capable and successful, even when they are challenged in multiple other ways.
Connect with David Rickabaugh –
You can get in touch with a licensed doctor at ESA Care to get your ESA letter.
11. Alanna Graham
Read Bio cartwheel-culture.com
Introduction:
Alanna Graham is the founder of Cartwheel Culture. This culture is designed to support vibrant moms and women by offering ADHD coaching and an authoritative guide on self-expression. For her work, Alanna partners with clients based in Vancouver and other locations worldwide. These partnerships are designed to allow women and mothers to be more of themselves, know how they can show up as their new fabulous selves and then create lives that call for cartwheels.
Benefits:
From the experience I have had, I would say the top three benefits of an Emotional Support Animal with regard to ADHD are:
- The physical touch associated with caring for an animal. The cuddles and snuggles increase positive hormones, and lower levels of stress and anxiety.
- The structure and routine of owning a pet adds responsibility and consistency without undue pressure.
- A pet can be a great social connector! An icebreaker, a topic of conversation, and an easy avenue for interactions with other people.
Connect with Alanna Graham –
At ESA Care, you can talk to a licensed medical doctor who will guide you on the process of getting an ESA letter.
12. Deshawn Wert
Introduction:
For over thirty years, Deshawn Wert has worked in the public education sector as a building administrator and classroom educator in secondary and elementary school settings. As an active member of her community, she has served ADHD entrepreneurs and adults. For them, she creates ways through which they transition to college from school to new workplaces from schools and from conventional work environments to thriving home-based businesses. Deshawn loves sharing her experiences and knowledge on ADHD/ADD, and supporting adults to find the ways through which they can lead successful lives.
Benefits:
- The love and acceptance animals give us by just being ourselves. There can be so much pressure and stress in the day to day life of an ADHDer in meeting the expectations of the world and our animals at home (or in the workplace) remind us that we are loved and accepted just as we are. My dog, Laya’s little paws galloping down the hall from the bedroom when I return home makes me smile in anticipation when I’m gone.
- Our animals need us to take care of them and this adds much-needed structure and routine to our lives. Making and following routines can be a difficult thing for ADHDers even though we push against them. The natural structure of taking care of an animal’s needs outside our own provides the needed anchors in our day. My Laya needs her morning belly rub first thing in the morning and she gets it before my coffee has been drunk!
- Animals add joy and fun to our lives. It’s important to have fun, enjoyment and play in our lives to combat stress and anxiety. Animals provide opportunities to play in spades! The amount of brain width it takes to stay on track and follow through with personal needs, job, and relationship responsibilities can be overwhelming and the chances of making mistakes weigh heavy with ADHDers. Play, imagination, and creativity are a must in getting through the day in a healthy way. Laya is my playmate. She and I have silly conversations about people and the day. She’s always up for what I’m wanting to do and is a willing companion to my neighborhood adventures.
Connect with Deshawn Wert –
You can get in touch with a licensed practitioner at ESA Care to get your ESA letter.
13. Colleen Rutledge
Read Bio www.greendoorlifecoaching.com
Introduction:
Colleen Rutledge specialized in ADHD. Even so, she loves coaching college and high school students, geeks, gamers, LGBTQ+, and artists. Colleen was diagnosed with ADHD when she turned eighteen and then reached a point in her life where everything looked overwhelming. Becoming an adult to her seemed like it came in a continuous torrent. Thankfully, she got an ADHD coach and started thriving within six months of therapy.
Nowadays, colleen’s life has enough structure that keeps everything running as it should and just enough chaos that keeps it interesting. It revolves around Coplay, movies centered on intellect billionaire playboy philanthropists and super-soldiers and polyhedral dice. Colleen also loves TV shows based on nerdy voice actors that play demon-hunting brothers or dragons and dungeons. Furthermore, she loves books centered on songs of fire and ice and disc-shaped worlds. Colleen believes that life should be focused on the elements that make people feel alive rather than the missed guilt-ridden moments of happiness, stress and work.
Benefits:
1. Structure
Any animal’s needs to be adequately cared for requires certain tasks to be performed consistently and can create a rhythm that those with ADHD struggle to create for themselves. The motivation stemming from caring for another being is also very helpful as those with ADHD can also struggle to prioritize their own needs and find it much easier to help and care for others.
In the case of an emotional support animal, things like walking outdoors has a benefit to the human as well, so animals that require that care provide that benefit.
2. Social connection
those with ADHD can sometimes struggle socially and having pictures and stories about an animal can provide a point of connection with others. Tons of people love to see pictures of someone’s animal companion.
3. Stimulation
one of the challenges of ADHD is that of being under stimulated, which results in an impaired ability to activate to accomplish almost anything. An animal can provide positive feedback or even a pair of ears to speak to in order to gain the stimulation needed to start a task.
4. Approval
Many with ADHD also suffer from what’s known as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, which is characterized by intense emotional pain as a result of real or perceived rejection, or even a lack of explicit approval. Depending on the animal in question, typically our non-human companions radiate love and approval of us just for existing and caring for their needs. This sense of unconditional love is essential for a life often punctuated by the pain of rejection and disapproval.
Connect with Colleen Rutledge –
You can get your ESA letter after getting in touch with our licensed doctors at ESA Care.
14. Isabelle Fernandez
Read Bio IsabelleFernandez1111.com mycoachisabelle.com
Introduction:
As an international business and life coach, Isabelle emphasizes on helping people with challenges related to ADHD. In her role as an ADHD specialist, she helps her clients transform what they assume are challenges into opportunities that are irresistible. To do this, Isabelle helps them to identify the unique obstacles that they face daily then come up with concrete and highly personalized solutions that work best for them. This way, clients with ADHD can actualize their full potential. Isabelle holds an MBA from the ICHEC Business School in Brussels Belgium and an AAC from the ADD caching academy that is certified by ICF.
Benefits:
- Structure-Routine: Taking care of your animal brings a much needed structure to your day. ADDers are very often time blind, meaning they are not aware of time and its passing. Animals appreciate being fed or interacted with at regular times, so this brings a natural Opportunity to build in some time-related references into your day. You can create your schedule around feeding moments and use those breaks for self-evaluation or add on any other important habit for yourself that you know you might otherwise forget.
- Unconditional Love-Presence: Having a non-verbal relationship with an animal brings a much needed break from the stress verbal communications bring: the constant fear of being criticized. It also gets you out of your own head, as your interactions here become purely physical; mostly tactile, which helps your parasympathetic nervous system take over and allows you to relax. It is very important for ADDers to move, feel their bodies and exercise as it greatly improves their brain flow.
- Getting into Action-Obligation-Responsibility: Having an animal can also be a great incentive to get out of bed in the morning, go grocery shopping, get out for a walk, not for yourself but for your animal. Getting started and getting into motion is a hard step for ADDers, so having a loving animal who calls you into action is of great help.
It’s a good idea to consult with our licensed doctor at ESA Care who will guide you on getting your ESA letter.
At ESA Care, you have the option of getting in touch with a licensed medical healthcare professional who will duly assess your condition and will set you on your journey to getting an ESA letter.
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