Equine Encounters
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy | Equine Assisted Learning
These sessions involve a dynamic partnership between the participant, the horse, and an equine specialist. Equine Encounters is not a riding class, but instead a safe place for the participant to experience personal growth and self-discovery. Equine Encounters provides a nontraditional and effective method to help participants to observe and develop relationship skills. The focus is on interacting with horses and learning to interpret the feedback they provide to us. These classes are empowering and life-changing for all individuals who participate. There are two programs offered under Equine Encounters.
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Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy
Have you or your loved one struggled to find connection or support in traditional talk therapy? You’re not alone.
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) is rapidly becoming a favored alternative treatment for individuals who seek a healing experience outside of the traditional clinical setting. EFP is focused not on gaining horsemanship skills or riding but on providing a safe setting for individuals to develop skills to better regulate emotions, establish healthy boundaries, process feelings, and look at behaviors that may be impeding their overall health and wellness. EFP has shown to effectively treat:
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Mental and emotional health concerns stemming from trauma
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Children/Adolescents focused on relational healing
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Individuals experiencing significant life transitions
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Substance Use Recovery, Domestic Violence Survivors, Grief & Loss
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Each session is facilitated by a Licensed Mental Health Provider and a Certified Equine Specialist. While the Mental Health Provider is there to support you in reaching your therapeutic goals, the Equine Specialist helps navigate the feedback provided by your horse partner. Horses have a heightened sensitivity to our emotions, which makes them highly suitable in responding to what is brought into the session. Horses provide us a unique glimpse into our emotional selves that can typically be missed in a traditional therapeutic session, providing space for deeper insight and healing.
$55 - $110 per session (varies by session length)
Scholarships Available
Equine Encounters
Similar to those who offer “life coaching”, Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) lessons veer away from deeper therapeutic processing and instead focus on broader life skills. Skills that are enhanced in an EAL session are maximized due to the healing setting it is experienced in. Some individuals seek this experience simply to enjoy an outdoor activity with a horse partner.
There are multiple benefits to be gained from partnering with horses in this way. Those who seek this experience can expect some of the following outcomes:
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Building confidence
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A better understanding of oneself and others
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Reconnecting to nature and natural healing
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Engaging in following sequences, directions, and social norms
EAL lessons are conducted by a Certified Equine Specialist and a trained volunteer. These sessions can be done individually or in a group setting. EAL has been seen to effectively engage youth and adolescents who have shown risky behavior, but do not require a more intensive therapeutic intervention. It also is popular with school groups, elderly individuals, and individuals who simply seek to reconnect in a different way.