Equine Assisted Counselling and Psychotherapy (EAC/P)
Why horses?
Horses provide unique experiential opportunities as well as model important skills through their:
Horses provide experiential learning opportunities and are able to assist clients as they learn relaxation skills, mindfulness practices, enhance self-awareness, develop emotional and behavioural self-regulation and experiment with new problem-solving and relationship skills. Horses offer meaningful connection without fear of judgement, shame or the need for words.
EAC offers clients a counselling experience that takes place outside in the presence of horses. I support clients to interact and connect with my horses as they intuitively respond to human emotions and body language, teach us about relationships and deepen our understanding of who we are. The horses assist clients with motivation and engagement in the counselling process.
No prior experience with horses is needed to participate. Sessions may include structured activities or unstructured experiences with the horses depending on an individual client’s needs.
Horses can offer an emotionally safer, less threatening option for clients to experiment with different relationship skills and re-establish closeness or intimacy with another non-human emotional being. Clients often report feeling seen and understood by a horse and this supports them to feel calm, connected and in control.
In working with trauma clients, I am particularly passionate about the neurobiology of trauma, somatic processing and sensorimotor approaches to psychotherapy, and the integration of implicit and explicit memory to support healing. Horses support the process of helping clients to become aware of their bodies and patterns of behaviour/responding, track and develop tolerance to bodily sensations and implement physical actions that promote empowerment and competency. Horses may respond to changes in human heart rates, body posture and muscle tension (including facial and eye muscles) and so can provide valuable opportunities for feedback about physiological arousal and support reduction in arousal. They can also support psychosocial rehabilitation and working with interpersonal aspects of trauma.
Horses provide unique experiential opportunities as well as model important skills through their:
- size, strength, beauty,
- awareness and responsiveness to human feelings, intentions and movement,
- relationships and behaviour within the herd,
- nonverbal communication system,
- embodied mindfulness – they live ‘in their body’ in the present moment,
- congruence – their internal experience matches their ‘external’ expression, and
- self-regulation.
Horses provide experiential learning opportunities and are able to assist clients as they learn relaxation skills, mindfulness practices, enhance self-awareness, develop emotional and behavioural self-regulation and experiment with new problem-solving and relationship skills. Horses offer meaningful connection without fear of judgement, shame or the need for words.
EAC offers clients a counselling experience that takes place outside in the presence of horses. I support clients to interact and connect with my horses as they intuitively respond to human emotions and body language, teach us about relationships and deepen our understanding of who we are. The horses assist clients with motivation and engagement in the counselling process.
No prior experience with horses is needed to participate. Sessions may include structured activities or unstructured experiences with the horses depending on an individual client’s needs.
Horses can offer an emotionally safer, less threatening option for clients to experiment with different relationship skills and re-establish closeness or intimacy with another non-human emotional being. Clients often report feeling seen and understood by a horse and this supports them to feel calm, connected and in control.
In working with trauma clients, I am particularly passionate about the neurobiology of trauma, somatic processing and sensorimotor approaches to psychotherapy, and the integration of implicit and explicit memory to support healing. Horses support the process of helping clients to become aware of their bodies and patterns of behaviour/responding, track and develop tolerance to bodily sensations and implement physical actions that promote empowerment and competency. Horses may respond to changes in human heart rates, body posture and muscle tension (including facial and eye muscles) and so can provide valuable opportunities for feedback about physiological arousal and support reduction in arousal. They can also support psychosocial rehabilitation and working with interpersonal aspects of trauma.
Animal assisted therapy
Anthrozoology is the study of human-animal relationships and there has been substantial research into how animals can benefit and support our health. Equine assisted counselling sits within the field of animal-assisted therapy. For all of our medical and technological evolution, we are currently facing some of the most challenging health issues yet - both physical and psychological. Today's medical professionals acknowledge the need for new and innovative approaches to prevent and treat these health issues.
The ancient Greeks understood the healing power of horses as far back as 400 BC, when horses were included as part of the rehabilitation of wounded warriors. The therapeutic benefits of equine assisted counselling and therapy are much more widely recognised and accepted in Europe and the US. In Australia this work has been traditionally in the realm of physical and riding therapy for people with disabilities. The Sydney Morning Herald published an article that acknowledges the healing power of horses for clients with mental health issues, trauma and emotional distress.
The ancient Greeks understood the healing power of horses as far back as 400 BC, when horses were included as part of the rehabilitation of wounded warriors. The therapeutic benefits of equine assisted counselling and therapy are much more widely recognised and accepted in Europe and the US. In Australia this work has been traditionally in the realm of physical and riding therapy for people with disabilities. The Sydney Morning Herald published an article that acknowledges the healing power of horses for clients with mental health issues, trauma and emotional distress.