Click the photo for the full February 2016 newsletter!
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy is an experiential form of therapy that involves a therapeutic partnership between a client, therapist and a horse. Because they are prey animals, horses are extremely sensitive to the emotional states of humans. That means the horse has the ability to act like a biofeedback machine. For example, if the client arrives anxious, the horse will act and respond one way. If the client is able to reduce his/her anxiety, the horse’s behavior will also change. This treatment
approach allows clients the opportunity to work on social skills, emotion regulation skills and self-calming strategies, all in the moment, learning more about themselves and what works for them. It may be done through groundwork in the barn or round pen or while on horseback.
Popular with children, adolescents and adults, work with equines is ideal for persons
experiencing ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, social skills issues, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, self-confidence problems and behavioral issues.