How does it work?

· The presence of the horse and the absence of normal cues for interaction (home, school, work, etc.) makes the atmosphere non-threatening and fun for adults, adolescents, and children alike.
· Horses have personalities, attitudes and moods much like ours.
· Horses are prey animals and constantly monitor their surroundings for safety and congruence in participants.
· Horses mirror emotion, offering instant feedback to participants’ emotions and actions.
· Participants are given assigned tasks to complete with the horse.
· Participants are given opportunity for observation, reflection, and discussion of their experience with the horse.
· Participants evaluate the effectiveness of their methods of communication, interaction, and problem-solving.
· Participants then make application of what they learned with the horse to a wider range of circumstances.
· Understanding of feelings, behavior patterns and roles within relationships is accelerated and has great impact upon the individual.

Why I recommend Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning:

· Communication styles and problem solving methods are often incidentally learned or accidentally assimilated in our family of origin, peer groups, and culture.
· Equine assisted learning or psychotherapy offers a striking opportunity to recognize these styles and methods and assess their effectiveness.
· Ineffective or dysfunctional patterns can then be understood and be accessible to change.
· New skills are then discovered, learned, practiced, and integrated experientially.
· Most importantly, these new life skills may be tried out in a controlled, safe environment.
· My thirty-nine years of experience as a clinical psychologist, along with my own twelve years of research documenting the effectiveness of this work, allows me to wholeheartedly recommend Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted Learning.