Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)?
Horses are connected with humans in deep and profound ways. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) gives clients the opportunity to interact and form powerful, engaging relationships with horses and ponies and to learn from these experiences in a meaningful way, involving them physically, emotionally and mentally. At EAPA, our multidisciplinary team focuses on clients caring for and working with horses and ponies to achieve goals similar to those of traditional psychotherapy.
Lessons learnt in this holistic way are more easily absorbed and remembered, resulting in lasting positive changes that can be transferred to the world of human to human relationships. Horses are radars for incongruence, and will warmly reward us when we behave in a way that is in keeping with who we really are and what we truly feel.
EAP is a form of psychotherapy. It uses equine-facilitated activities to explore the way in which a client sees and relates to themselves and others, their patterns of behaviour and survival, as well as their gifts and strengths; it may include the exploration of past experiences and traumas.
Horses and ponies are keen observers and often mirror a client's behaviour and emotions, conveying understanding and connection that allows the client to feel safe and understood. They also require work; they must be fed, watered, exercised and groomed; providing this care within a session is therapeutic, helping establish routines and structure and building empathy.
What can I expect?
Our EAPA sessions may include any one or combination of the following equine experiences:
-
meeting members of our herd in the open-air arena
-
grooming an individual horse or pony in the stables
-
inviting a pony or horse to participate in activities – perhaps walking with a halter and lead
-
clients are invited to explore and engage with the herd at their own pace, under the guidance of our qualified and friendly team.
Skills gained include effective non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork, relationship skills, symptom management through self-care, improved self-regulation, confidence building and resilience.
We recommend a course of 6 - 10 bespoke sessions. We use an integrated approach - typically, clients will have a tailored combination of interactive EAP and office-based talking and activity sessions.