What is it? | Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is experiential in nature and can be done as a “stand-alone” therapeutic intervention or as an adjunct to traditional therapy. The EAP team consists of a licensed therapist, a horse professional and horses. Individuals, couples, and families, as well as groups, corporations, and organizations can experience emotional growth and learning, team-building, and leadership training through EAP activities.
An EAP activity is when the client uses personal skills such as problem-solving,
creative thinking, or assertiveness to accomplish a task with the horse, such as
catch and halter, or getting the horse to do a task, such as a low jump. EAP
activities are done almost exclusively on the ground, and do not include riding or
horsemanship. EAP does not require any prior formal or informal experience with
horses. Anyone can experience growth and learning through EAP! |
Why Horses? | "Horses are large and powerful, which creates a natural opportunity for some to
overcome fear and develop confidence. The size and power of the horse are naturally
intimidating to many people. Accomplishing a task involving the horse, in spite of
those fears, creates confidence and provides for wonderful metaphors when dealing
with other intimidating and challenging situations in life." -EAP Training Manual
Horses are animals of prey. Their survival requires them to be very acutely aware of
their environment, be ever present in the moment, and read the body language of
their equine herd members. These attributes make them very powerful sources of
information about our authentic selves and the inauthentic selves we typically
present to the world.
As we all know, body language speaks louder than words and is more telling or
truthful than the words we speak. "Body language is the primary mode of
communication in all EAP techniques. The purpose of the horse is to read the
client’s non-verbal communication and react to it - the horse acts as a mirror
for the client. If you have a better understanding of your body language, you have
a better understanding of yourself."-EAP Training Manual
Because of their survival instincts, horses have a sense about what is really going
on inside people, and that is what they react or respond to in humans. If a client
has difficulty identifying his or her own feelings or is unaware of how their
behavior effects others, we ask them [instead] "What’s going on with the horse?"
or "What do you think the horse is feeling?" to help them gain personal insight.
We let nature take its course within the EAP activities and go with whatever
dynamics come up for the client. Because we focus on the process and not on a
specific goal to achieve during the session, it may take several EAP sessions to
accomplish a task with the horse, but the outcome is very powerful. |
Therapeutic Benefits | | Behavior Modification - Horses don’t judge or discriminate, but experience emotions simply as information which creates an environment of acceptance and empowerment as a person works through various issues, i.e., anger management, uncertainty, passivity, etc.
Assertiveness - Working as a partner with the horse provides clients opportunities
to take the lead, set and maintain personal boundaries, and ask for what they need.
Problem-Solving - Equine-assisted psychotherapy helps clients develop skills
applicable to real-life problems, to better understand and cope with difficulties
in their daily lives, and cooperate with others to find solutions.
Leadership - Clients learn about themselves and others by participating in
activities with the horse, a dynamic and powerful living being, using skills to
bring the client to self-acceptance and honoring the true self. Horses validate
the true self, promoting exploration of feelings and behaviors.
Teamwork - Clients learn how to work together as a team to accomplish a task. When
the team experiences difficulty, they must rethink their approach, communicate more
effectively, and cooperate with each other to achieve success.
Positive Attitude - Horses provide unconditional positive regard. They are
unencumbered by ego issues and do not care if you are small for your age, have
crooked teeth, have no friends, have messy hair, or failed your spelling test.
Trust - Learning to trust an animal, such as a horse, aides in the development or
restoration of trust for those whose ability to trust has been violated by difficult
life experiences such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse, abandonment, neglect,
etc.
Confidence - The learning and mastery of a new skill - horsemanship - enhances
clients’ confidence in their ability to achieve goals such as desired behavioral,
educational, or relational goals, and leads to improved self-esteem.
Self-Efficacy - Learning to communicate and achieve harmony with a large animal
promotes renewed feelings of efficacy. A motivated "I can do it!" replaces feelings
of helplessness and amotivation, empowering the client to take on challenges in
other areas of their life.
Self-Acceptance - Because horses are non-judgmental, clients quickly learn that
horses accept them as they are "in the moment." Unconditional acceptance clears
the way for clients to accept themselves and others, just as they are, at that
moment. "I can accept that you are mad at me."
Impulse Modulation - Particularly for those clients whose issues involve the
experience of lost control over impulses, the need to communicate with a horse
calmly and non-reactively promotes the skills of emotional awareness, emotion
regulation, self-control, and impulse modulation. Research clearly indicates that
animal-assisted therapy reduces patient agitation and aggressiveness and increases
cooperativeness and behavioral control.
Social Skills - When clients learn how to build relationships and successfully
communicate with horses, they understand that they can use those same skills to
build relationships and successfully communicate with people.
Boundaries - Many clients have experienced prior relationships as controlling or
abusive. Healing takes place as clients discover that interaction occurs within
the context of a respectful relationship between themselves and the horse, and
that, although physically powerful, each horse typically operates within the
boundaries of this mutually respectful relationship.
Spiritual Growth - Through equine-assisted therapy, clients have an opportunity to
encounter the horses and nature from a new perspective. Feelings of joy and
spiritual connection are often discovered or revived as clients experience creation
in a unique way. |
About Us | Gail Logemann and kp counseling, inc. have partnered with Kiki Marske and Hope
Reigns Ranch to provide our clients an opportunity to experience equine-assisted
psychotherapy.
Kiki is a Certified Horse Professional by EAGALA, a Certified Therapeutic Riding
Instructor by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA), is
certified by the OK Corral Series - Family Therapy, and Certified by the National
Horsemanship Safety Association. She has worked with several groups of students
from residential and therapeutic day programs in animal-assisted programs, and
therapeutic riding. Kiki is a realtor and broker for Re/Max Property Source in
Rockford. To learn more about Hope Reigns Ranch, please visit
www.hopereignsranch.org.
"The elders were wise. They knew that man’s heart, away from nature,
becomes hard; they knew that lack of respect for growing, living things, soon led
to lack of respect for humans, too."
- Chief Luther Standing Bear, Lakota Sioux
"Learning about our horses is learning about ourselves."
- Linda Tellington-Jones
"If you want to get close to the horse, you have to get close to yourself.
Then the horse can come to you."
- Carol Nichols |
Foundational Principles | The client has the best solutions for him/herself - if we allow them to be
themselves. We offer assistance through the art of asking questions and providing
opportunities to problem-solve and discover their own solutions.
Philosophies of change:
People do not change unless they are uncomfortable
People don’t grow unless challenged
The most effective change occurs when people discover their own solutions
through experiential learning.
Principles:
Focus on the process, not performing the task correctly. The goal is for the
client to learn about themselves.
Team approach - working together to help facilitate, not teach a skill.
Challenge beliefs and definitions.
Focus on thoughts and behaviors, rather than on emotions.
Safety instruction will primarily be through the use of questions and
encouraging clients.
The client observes their environment and is aware of their perceptions.
Focus on dos not don’ts.
The purpose of the horse:
Read the client’s non-verbal communication and react to it. The horse is a
mirror for the client. They have greater ability to observe and respond to
non-verbal communication.
Confront the client - they are always honest, but are without judgment.
Act as a metaphor for relationships - provide opportunities to see what
works and what doesn’t. Clients must focus on changing themselves rather than others.
Disclose problem ownership; necessitate taking responsibility for how ones own
personal actions affect others.
They teach the basics of respect. |
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