What is Equine-assisted Psychotherapy?

     Equine-assisted psychotherapy is an experiential approach that incorporates evidence-based methods of therapy like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, etc. with in-the-moment interactions with a herd of horses in a natural environment. This allows you to practice different ways of being, new behaviors, boundary setting, & exploring your internal world through a physical, externalized representation of what you are working on in your therapy sessions. This can make translating changes to your life outside of therapy easier.  It’s also a wonderful way to practice mindfulness of your internal experiences and external surroundings.

 

       Horses are prey animals with complex social systems making them very sensitive to their surroundings and interactions with others in their environment.  Their reactions, behaviors, and interactions with you can be used to illustrate in-the-moment issues and interactions that commonly also occur for you outside of session and to build metaphors and narratives that can be applied to daily life, stressors, relationships & understanding of self.  They can help us gain insight into how our emotional & behavioral responses impact the external world around us & how the external world in turn impacts our emotional & behavioral responses.

 

What Will Sessions Be Like?

        You do not have to know a thing about horses to participate in and benefit from this type of therapy. All sessions occur with all feet on the ground and there is no riding or horsemanship. Interacting with horses, up close and personal, can be a powerful experience, can take us out of our comfort zone, and can reveal a lot about ourselves. They can help you get outside of your head and into the moment.  You can choose for all your sessions to be equine-assisted, or participate in a mix of regular office based/telehealth sessions and equine-assisted sessions.

          Equine-assisted sessions are provided in partnership with Kindred Equestrian and Willow Equine in Mooresville. Sessions are held on beautiful 40+ acre working farms (location scheduling determined by referral source and availability). In addition to myself, all equine-assisted sessions include a trained equine specialist (ES) and our team of horses (and llamas, cats, dogs, or other farm creatures that may be present.)

Sessions focus on assisting you with externalizing your emotions or stressors, practicing new ways of observing and being, and creating new narratives for your life. Sessions are oriented around your mental health treatment goals and may include specific activities to externalize, practice learned skills, process emotions and perceptions, or reframe unhelpful ways of approaching yourself or your life. These sessions prioritize “being” &”doing over talking, which can feel very different from traditional talk based therapy. Myself and the ES will give you space while observing the horse’s behaviors, communication, and interactions with you and the rest of the herd. These observations are used to assist you in building metaphors, discussing relevancy and parallels to your life, and practicing behavioral and cognitive change.  We will help you move out of unhelpful black and white thinking styles and encourage you to explore, problem solve, and make mistakes to figure out what works for you. These sessions provide a safe space for trying out different behaviors and ways of responding to difficult emotions or situations in the moment while receiving feedback from us, the horses, and the environment.

I am a community member of Arenas for Change (ARCH). ARCH is a framework of facilitation supporting mental health, organizational development, and personal growth through the incorporation of horses and animals. I also have training and experience in the Eagala model of equine-assisted psychotherapy (certified & practicing from 2015-2021). Any Equine Specialist participating in our sessions also has appropriate training in one of the above models, is aware of HIPAA and confidentiality,  and more information about their bios can be found on their respective websites listed above.

What Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy Services Are Offered?

           Equine-assisted psychotherapy can be effective for many different issues and I have used this approach with all different ages and presenting concerns, including but not limited to anxiety, depression, animal care professionals, team building, autism, adoption and attachment, trauma, divorce, and grief.  I currently offer the following types of equine-assisted psychotherapy sessions:

  • Individual Sessions
  • Team Building for Animal Care Professionals
  • Mini Mindfulness Retreats
  • Divorce Recovery Groups

If you love the idea of having your therapy sessions out in nature, but prefer not to interact with horses directly, nature-based sessions (also known as ecotherapy or nature therapy) without these components is also available.

Is Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy More Expensive?

No, It is the same price to you as regular mental health office sessions. Our office happens to be outdoors, but sessions are still billable as normal mental health office sessions because our primary purpose of sessions is to address your mental health diagnosis and treatment plan goals using evidenced based practices like DBT and CBT. It is not the same as hippotherapy or therapeutic riding which are not covered and generally focus on physical health rather than mental health, among other differences. View the investment page for more information about paying for sessions.  Please note that I do charge the full session fee for any less than 24 hour cancellations of Equine-assisted sessions due to having to also pay the Equine Specialist for their time and farm facility for the use of their space, so communication and adhering to the 24 hour cancellation policy is extremely important for these sessions.

Some of the equine-assisted groups we offer may not be covered by insurance for such reasons as if it is not part of a formal plan of treatment, if the group focuses on activities/topics that are not covered by insurance, if participants are not participating in ongoing mental health services, have not participated in an initial assessment with me, and/or have not received a  diagnosis from me as required by insurance prior to attending. Groups also generally have their own cancellation policy.  We clearly reflect the price on information shared about these groups and whether or not insurance is accepted for them.

Can I Ride/Observe/Volunteer/Work/Help with the Horses?

In short, no. We know the animals are wonderful to work with and powerful connections can be made, however as with anything in life boundaries and limits are necessary.  We do not offer riding instruction. We do not offer volunteer, observation, community service, stable hand, or work opportunities. The partnering facilities of Willow Equine and Kindred Equestrian are also unable to offer these services to you if you are participating in therapy because this poses conflict of interest and what’s known as a “dual relationship” which could interfere with your privacy and progress in treatment.

Our primary purpose is to provide therapy to you and help you achieve your mental health goals. Part of our job, as with any type of therapy, is to maintain appropriate boundaries to help ensure your success.  You would not be able to go to your therapist’s office outside of your session time or help with administrative duties at the office, we apply the same rules to the farms.

We ask that you do not visit the farms or the animals outside of your scheduled session times to respect other clients and events that may be occurring at the farms or nearby residences.