Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)
In my counseling approach, horses are used as tools to help you better understand yourself and others that you are in relationship with. The reason why horses are used in the process is because they will react and respond to your behavior much in the way that people will. This is what separates them from other animals such as dogs, where acceptance tends to be unconditional.
Horses are more honest in their responses and will not give love and acceptance until you build a relationship with them that fosters love and trust. These are also the required ingredients for healthy, honest and authentic relationships with the people in your life. As you create this relationship with a horse, it enables you to see how your thoughts, actions and emotions affect your relationships with people and gives you the opportunity to make changes that will improve the quality of your life.
We are all people who have patterns with which we have learned to relate to the world around us. When you build a relationship with a horse you will re-create those familiar patterns and ways of engaging in relationship. The beauty of using horses is that they respond only to what is going on in the present. They don’t carry the memory of the past and aren’t concerned about the future, so they can give you honest feedback in the moment about how your engagement with them is effecting how they respond to you. In this way they can help you see where you may struggle with your relationship patterns and give you the space to explore how you may make changes that create a closer connection.
I believe that it’s in relationships that we are harmed; therefore it’s in relationships that we are healed. Horses provide you an opportunity to have a kind of pure and honest relationship that allows you the freedom to explore yourself in a different way.
My role as your therapist is to create a safe space and help you process what is happening in your relationship with the horse and also help you work through any difficult stories and emotions that come up as you are working with the horse. I also strive to create the kind of relationship with you where you have the space to explore your life with me, as well as with the horse.
Your time in counseling will initially entail working with horses on the ground and processing your experience with me. If in time it is beneficial, you may also do some riding as well. This type of therapy is good for anyone who is seeking to understand themselves and their relationships.
There is no one type of person that benefits more than another with regard to utilizing horses. I view them as a tool that we can use to help you reach your therapeutic and counseling goals.
Horses are more honest in their responses and will not give love and acceptance until you build a relationship with them that fosters love and trust. These are also the required ingredients for healthy, honest and authentic relationships with the people in your life. As you create this relationship with a horse, it enables you to see how your thoughts, actions and emotions affect your relationships with people and gives you the opportunity to make changes that will improve the quality of your life.
We are all people who have patterns with which we have learned to relate to the world around us. When you build a relationship with a horse you will re-create those familiar patterns and ways of engaging in relationship. The beauty of using horses is that they respond only to what is going on in the present. They don’t carry the memory of the past and aren’t concerned about the future, so they can give you honest feedback in the moment about how your engagement with them is effecting how they respond to you. In this way they can help you see where you may struggle with your relationship patterns and give you the space to explore how you may make changes that create a closer connection.
I believe that it’s in relationships that we are harmed; therefore it’s in relationships that we are healed. Horses provide you an opportunity to have a kind of pure and honest relationship that allows you the freedom to explore yourself in a different way.
My role as your therapist is to create a safe space and help you process what is happening in your relationship with the horse and also help you work through any difficult stories and emotions that come up as you are working with the horse. I also strive to create the kind of relationship with you where you have the space to explore your life with me, as well as with the horse.
Your time in counseling will initially entail working with horses on the ground and processing your experience with me. If in time it is beneficial, you may also do some riding as well. This type of therapy is good for anyone who is seeking to understand themselves and their relationships.
There is no one type of person that benefits more than another with regard to utilizing horses. I view them as a tool that we can use to help you reach your therapeutic and counseling goals.
