Equine Assisted Psychotherapy & Learning
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted Learning: Description of Service
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, (EAP) is an effective, solution oriented method of helping children, teens, adults, and families gain new insights about themselves and others. As the name suggests, EAP focuses on mental and emotional health objectives, and is facilitated by a licensed mental health professional, a trained equine assistant, and one or more horses.
How horses help Since horses are highly sensitive and intuitive by design, they have a special ability to detect and reflect human emotions and issues. Their unique responses during sessions provide living, breathing metaphors through which clients often see life from a whole new perspective. Though sessions do not involve riding, valuable learning takes place when participants interact with horses on the same level; this simply doesn’t happen in the same way during riding. Initially, some people may be intimidated by the size and strength of horses, however, EAP provides opportunities to overcome fear, develop confidence, and find solutions to their most challenging issues. If large horses are a problem for a particular client, we have miniature horses and ponies that are equally effective in our sessions.
How does EAP work? EAP can be very effective in addressing issues including, but not limited to, relationships, anger, conflict, grief, loss, fear, anxiety, self-worth, trauma, abuse (emotional, physical, sexual), and self regulation. After working through carefully chosen activities, clients process and discuss their thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and patterns with the facilitator team. While EAP sessions can be a lot of fun for clients, they may also involve intense emotional responses, which often lead to increased awareness and desired growth. Healing and positive change are the ultimate goals of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
How does EAL work? Equine Assisted Learning, (EAL) focuses on personal growth and development goals in a group setting.
FaithWorks offers EAL learning series groups to;
- Parents to develop improved parenting skills and to build a new awareness of personal perspectives that may be inhibiting that development.
- Couples to enrich their marriage.
- Children and adults can develop improved social skills for school, home, or work environments.
Call and request a customized group that meets your needs! We are here to serve you!
EAP Session Length: First session is 1.5 hours and includes an animal therapy orientation, which includes introductions to professionals and horses, a brief explanation of EAP, as well as the first arena session. All other sessions are 1 hour.
Number of Sessions: This is up to the individual or family, and can vary according to need. A minimum of 6 sessions is generally recommended to process most issues, however, more or less may be appropriate. This treatment method is designed to be solution oriented and gives individuals and families the tools they need to continue working toward positive change on their own.
Scheduling: All EAP and sessions are scheduled according to individual needs and availability of the staff. We do our best to accommodate working parents and students, but it may be necessary to leave school and/or work for an equine assisted psychotherapy in Buhler, and an excuse of absence note can be provided upon request.
EAL sessions are scheduled as requested, or as a series of events listed on the events page. Please visit the events page by clicking on the link below for the upcoming learning series groups! Feel free to contact us if you would like to request a group EAL session to be scheduled.
We will be offering two learning series for Parenting,
or Marriage enrichment. Check our events page for more information by clicking on the link below!
FaithWorks is a Christian enterprise in faith and practice, yet has an "open gate" philosophy which welcomes all individuals regardless of race, gender, values, or religious belief. In our EAP, or EAL sessions, we have found that it is often helpful to incorporate faith principles found in the Bible, and/or offer to pray with clients as we deem appropriate. In no way, do we try to pressure, or force our beliefs on anyone. We respect our clients’ personal preferences and are willing to modify our sessions accordingly. Our mission is to help our clients discover new insights and learn new strategies to create their own best life!
Contact us at sheri@faithworkscounseling.org
We look forward to seeing you at the ranch whether you choose to use equine assisted psychotherapy, equine assisted learning, or want to counsel in the office.
We offer a sliding scale fee to those needing a reduction in the cost of any of our services.