EQUINE FACILITATED PSYCHOTHERAPY

While benefits of Equine Assisted Activities overlap the physical, mental and emotional realms, the Equine Facilitated Mental Health formats specifically target people with mental and emotional health issues. Horses provide reflective opportunities that can be utilized to meet and individual, couple, or families treatment goals.

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy is defined as a form of experiential psychotherapy that includes equine(s). It may include, but is not limited to, a number of mutually beneficial equine activities such as handling, grooming, longeing, riding, driving, and vaulting. Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy is a treatment approach within the classification of Equine Assisted Therapy that provides the client with opportunities to enhance self-awareness and re-pattern maladaptive behaviors, feelings and attitudes.

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy both promotes personal exploration of feelings and behaviors, and allows for clinical interpretation of feelings and behaviors. EFP denotes an ongoing therapeutic relationship with clearly established treatment goals and objectives developed by the therapist in conjunction with the client. The therapist must be an appropriately credentialed mental health professional to legally practice psychotherapy who has additional training in EFP.

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy may be used for people with psycho-social issues and mental health needs that result in any significant variation in cognition, mood, judgment, insight, anxiety level, perception, social skills, communication, behavior, or learning. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Anxiety Disorders
• Psychotic Disorders
• Mood Disorders
• Behavioral Difficulties

Other Mental Illness, such as Schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, Receptive or Expressive Language Disorders, Personality Disorders, Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, etc. Major Life Changes such as environmental trauma, divorce, grief and loss, etc.

If you are an individual who is interested in participating in Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, please contact Nancy Beers at beers@pptrc.org to visit about this unique opportunity.

If you are a therapist and interested in bringing your clients to PPTRC for equine therapy services, please contact Jody Enget at enget@pptrc.org.



• THERAPEUTIC RIDING

• HIPPOTHERAPY

• HORSES FOR HEROES