what kind of pokémon (besides the usual togepi / blissey lines) do you think could serve as therapy or service pokémon for trainers with anxiety and depression?

autisticstevenstone:

Ooh, great question! I think Sylveon would be a superb service Pokemon – their feeler/ribbon things can wrap around their trainer’s arm and put out soothing auras, which would be fantastic for anxiety.

A Lucario (or another aura-user, like the Togekiss line or Mienshao) would be really good for reading their trainer’s auras and seeing if they’re getting anxious or depressed ahead of time – it’s similar to real-life service animals who can detect signs of seizures in advance.

Meganium can use pleasant scents to help calm a trainer down (although they’d have to steer clear of Bayleef, whose scent can cause aggression). Also related to scents, the Spritzee/Aromatisse line can produce fragrances – they could be trained to specifically produce scents with positive associations for the trainer, which can be used to ground them during panic attacks and stuff like that.

Going to turn this question over to everyone else! What service/therapy Pokemon do you think would be great for trainers with anxiety and/or depression?