This book describes how to facilitate an 8-week Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program for at-risk youth. Volume 1 covers ground work activities that will challenge clients to confront self-esteem, boundaries, and control. This book is intended for mental health professionals trained in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy methods.
This book provides an overview of the field of Equine-Assisted Therapy and Learning and gives a powerful account of a research study charting the experiences of seven 'at-risk' young people attending a pioneering Therapeutic Horsemanship centre in the UK. The book includes a foreword from Leif Hallberg, author of Walking the Way of the Horse .
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is a specialized form of psychotherapy using the horse as a therapeutic tool to generate positive engagement with clients utilizing an experimental and animal-based treatment modality. Latino youth in the United States face unique challenges that place them at risk for developing mental health and behavioral symptoms. The aim of the current project was to analyze the effectiveness of EAP when treating at-risk youth, specifically Latino youth; to identify the specific challenges Latino youth face in the United States; and to determine whether EAP is an effective intervention for Latino youth in the United States. This literature review closely examined 22 articles that assessed the effectiveness of EAP with at-risk youth. Findings indicate that EAP can reduce internalizing, externalizing, and PTSD symptoms in at-risk youth, and re-engage previously disengaged youth into therapy. Given the overlap between the presenting problems experienced by at-risk Latino youth and the benefit of EAP, this appears to be an appropriate treatment modality for this population.
The Clinical Practice of Equine-Assisted Therapy bridges theory, research, and practical methods to fill a rapidly developing gap for physical, occupational, speech, and mental health professionals interested in incorporating horses in therapy. Extensively researched and citing over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, it examines core issues such as terminology, scope of practice, competency recommendations, horse care ethics, and clinical practice considerations. This book is an essential resource for professionals who wish to use a best-practices approach to equine-assisted therapy.
Tara Carlsen wanted to help at-risk students learn without relying on stale, clinical teaching methods. Instead of trying to find solutions in the classroom, the mathematics teacher transplanted failing students from an alternative high school to a horse ranch. There, she encouraged them to reach for the reins, and she witnessed dramatic results. Students who could not relate to their peers or teachers could relate to horsesand suddenly their futures looked a whole lot brighter. Carlsen and her students proceeded to take an inspiring journey, learning the basics of horsemanship through equine-assisted learninga therapeutic approach to interpersonal development using horse-related activities. After learning the basics, the students taught peers with special needs what theyd learned, drawing upon their own struggles and triumphs to help them achieve success. Punctuated with humor, heartbreak, and hard-won triumph, Reaching for the Reins chronicles the struggles and successes of these students over five years.
Counseling in Nature with At-Risk Adolescents is an 8-week group therapy program outline for mental health counselors. This program describes how to incorporate Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and low ropes techniques into a group counseling session for at-risk adolescents. The manual covers a summary of each session followed by processing questions and group therapy goals.
Equine-Assisted Counseling and Psychotherapy offers a comprehensive guide to the practice of working with equines in a psychotherapeutic setting. Chapters provide a research-informed approach to integrating the contributions of horses and other equines into mental health services. With a focus on equine welfare, the book uses a relational approach to explore a broad range of topics, including documentation and treatment planning, work with clients across the lifespan and with diverse needs, complexities related to horses in the therapeutic relationship, as well as ethical, legal, and best-practice considerations. Mental health and equine professionals will come away from the book with a strong understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of equine-assisted counseling.
The Equine-Assisted Therapy Workbook gives readers the tools they need to increase professional competency and personalize the practical applications of equine-assisted therapy. Each chapter includes thought-provoking ethical questions, hands-on learning activities, self-assessments, practical scenarios, and journal assignments applicable to a diverse group of healthcare professionals. The perfect companion to The Clinical Practice of Equine-Assisted Therapy, this workbook is appropriate for both students and professionals.
Riding Home:The Power of Horses to Heal, Horse Nation's must read book of 2016, is the first and only book to scientifically and experientially explain why horses have the extraordinary ability to emotionally transform the lives of thousands of men, women and children, whether they are horse lovers, or suffering from deep psychological wounds. It is a book for anyone who wants to experience the joy, wonder, self-awareness and peace of mind that comes from creating a horse/human relationship, and it puts forth and clarifies the principles of today's Natural Horsemanship (or what was once referred to as "Horse Whispering") Everyone knows someone who needs help: a husband, a wife, a partner, a child, a friend, a troubled teenager, a war veteran with PTSD, someone with autism, an addiction, anyone in emotional pain or who has lost their way. Riding Home provides riveting examples of how Equine Therapy has become one of today's most effective cutting-edge methods of healing. Horses help us discover hidden parts of ourselves, whether we're seven or seventy. They model relationships that demonstrate acceptance, kindness, honesty, tolerance, patience, justice, compassion, and forgiveness. Horses cause all of us to become better people, better parents, better partners, and better friends. A horse can be our greatest teacher, for horses have no egos, they never lie, they're never wrong and they manifest unparalleled compassion. It is this amazing power of horses to heal and teach us about ourselves that is accessible to anyone and found in the pages of Tim Hayes's Riding Home. The information and lists of therapeutic and non-therapeutic equine programs, which are contained in the book, are also available at the book's website.
