Emotional Support Animals with Daniel Maigler, LCSW, Mental Health Advisor for Paws for Patrick

“[Pets] are empathy machines, and they can sense how we’re doing without us having to say anything. Often our pets will know how we’re doing before we do, and they’ll connect in that way.” This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie's Fund. In this episode, Stacy chats with Daniel Maigler, a licensed clinical social worker, who also serves as the Mental Health Advisor for Paws for Patrick, which is a nonprofit organization that connects young people with mental health issues to animals. Daniel provides insight into his role with Paws for Patrick, the array of services that the organization provides, and the inspiration behind this organization’s creation. Daniel discusses the benefits of emotional support animals, and clarifies the differences between a service animal, a therapy animal, and an emotional support animal (“ESA”). He talks about the process of obtaining an ESA letter, as well as the benefits and limitations that this letter has. Daniels touches on some of the trends involving ESAs, including their presence on college campuses, and clarifies some of the misconceptions surrounding these trends. Daniel and Stacy also talk about his podcast, Not Allowed to Die, where he discusses mental health and answers any questions that listeners have related to the field. He also discusses mindfulness and provides some useful mental health tips. To learn more about Paws for Patrick, visit their website. You can also check out their Instagram and Facebook pages. Daniel’s podcast can be listened to through Google Podcasts or Apple Podcasts. Listener Notes During his interview, Daniel mentioned the following studies/works by these individuals:   Janet Hoy-Gerlach, PhD;   Alfred Adler; and   The Courage to be Disliked (written by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi). If you enjoyed this episode, check out our interview with Kristen Hassen, Maddie’s® American Pets Alive! Director overseeing Human Animal Support Services (HASS) in episode 424.