Equine Assisted Counseling can be so effective for a number of reasons.
The greatest cause of it's effectiveness is the bond factor that is right there at the core of us all. We
need to bond and feel connected to others including nature and animals. When we
learn to connect safely to an animal the ability to have safe human connections follows.
The horse is a non-judgmental,
feedback provider. They respond to our emotions, especially our strong ones like
fear and anxiety and doubt. The
therapist uses this information from the horse to get to the bottom of what is
going on with in the child. Feelings are sometimes hard to describe; the horse
takes what is felt, but not stated verbally and expresses it for a person
through it’s behavior.
In this work we also find
metaphors and people love metaphors! The horse is big; so are our problems, the
horse ignores us, people sometimes ignore us, the horse needs a lot of care,
people need a lot of care. These parallels are being recognized constantly in
Equine Counseling.
Let’s not underestimate the
power of fun and adventure. Being with the horse is enjoyable, it is even
magical for a lot of people. It is also a perfect vehicle for increasing the
ability to stay calm and regulate our anxiety quickly. We learn to be calm for
the horse; what a powerful motivator.
Learning to manage and direct
a horse is an incredible confidence booster.
In a traditional Cognitive
Behavioral Approach Model a client who is struggling with believing in herself
may be asked to list reasons she should have more confidence. In Equine
Assisted Counseling the client would be asked to say these reasons out loud
while leading a horse around a ring. The horse won’t follow the client if they
don’t really believe what they are saying. As soon as the client truly believes
in herself the horse will respond differently.
These
are different ways to interact with and relate to a horse according to Dr. Kay Trotter author of “Equine Assisted
Counseling” :
- Tactile and touching: Includes grooming or giving the horse a massage. Interacting with such large animals empowers the client while increasing self-esteem and self-confidence. The rhythmic motion of grooming can also be soothing and calming for both the horse and client.
- Verbal: The way the client speaks to the horse can reveal how the individual relates to other people.
- Riding and groundwork: Leading the horse from the ground or in the saddle can provide insight into a client’s sense of power or helplessness.
Equine assisted therapy offers kids
with emotional and behavioral issues a safe environment in which to work
through issues of fear, anxiety, depression, self-doubt, poor communication and
much more. By teaching the child how to work with and communicate with the
horse, the therapist will be directly and indirectly teaching the child how to
apply these same skills in inter-personal relationships and build upon their
relationship with the “Self”.
For more information on Equine Assisted Counseling contact Tanya at tanya@newlevelcounseling.com