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Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

We offer individual, couple, family, and group therapy for:

  • Anxiety/OCD/PTSD
  • Depression/Bipolar Disorder
  • High Functioning Autism/Asperger’s Disorder
  • ADHD
  • Adolescence
  • Parenting Skills
  • Couples with relationship issues
  • Parent / Child relationships
  • Family relationships
  • LGBT related issues
  • People in transition from grief, divorce, empty nest

Equine Assisted Learning:

  • Teambuilding for businesses
  • Team building for educators
  • Team building for legislators

Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is an experiential treatment where individuals interact with horses in a variety of activities, including catching and leading a horse around an obstacle course. While interacting with horses many personal and relationship issues arise and will be processed with the therapists.

According to the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA), EAP is beneficial in the treatment of behavioral issues, attention deficit disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, abuse issues, depression, anxiety, relationship problems and communication needs.

Why Horses

Horses use nonverbal communication and often mirror the emotions and behaviors of the participants that surround them.  Examining what the horse is doing is often less threatening than examining our own emotions/behaviors.  Interacting with horses provides an opportunity to interact with a kind, neutral being to resolve internal challenges.

For many clients the office setting may not be the best environment for personal growth and/or healing. Working with horses involves experiential learning using nonverbal communication, assertiveness, creativity, problem-solving, leadership skills, and taking responsibility for one’s successes and failures. Because the learning is experiential internal conflicts often get resolved more quickly as well as in a more meaningful way.

“The horse is so honest…. they live in the moment. And what they do, whether they need to protect themselves or whether they need to accept you really is directly relative to how you make them feel.” – Buck Brannaman

Who benefits from Equine Assisted Therapy?

What EAP/EAL is NOT:

Another form of therapy that utilizes horses is called PATH (http://www.pathintl.org),  formerly known as NARHA. This type of therapy is used for people with physical disabilities who will ride the horses to help with balance and other physical as well as mental issues. We support this type of therapy as highly effective; however, this is for another client population.

Also, although horses are part of the treatment team, this is not about horsemanship training or horseback riding. All work is done on the ground. The horses are allowed to be themselves, and are free to come and go, and our clients interact with them to learn experientially about themselves.