When your clinician declines to write a letter

The reasons, and what each means

• Practice or employer policy. Many organisations prohibit clinicians from writing these at all, usually over liability. Nothing to do with you, and they should say so plainly.
• Scope. Some clinicians take the view that a housing recommendation is outside what they do. A professional position, and not a judgement about your condition.
• Clinical judgement. They do not think the standard is met, or think the animal is not helping. This is the one that is about your case, and it deserves a conversation rather than a second opinion sought immediately.
• Relationship length. In the five relationship-rule states they may be declining because the statute does not let them yet.

Ask which one it is

A policy refusal and a clinical refusal look identical from the outside and mean completely different things. If it is policy, another clinician will reach their own view. If it is clinical judgement from someone who knows you well, that is information worth taking seriously before paying anybody else.

Going elsewhere

Entirely legitimate where the refusal was about policy or scope. What you should not do is shop until somebody says yes without assessing you, because a letter obtained that way is exactly the kind a housing provider is entitled to treat as unreliable.