Equine assisted psychotherapy is a modality of therapy that can be a great fit for teens.
Being a tween and teen is hard. Changing hormones combined with peer pressure at school, expectations to perform at school and in extracurriculars, getting along with and feeling connected to friends, making decisions, and keeping up with an often-rigorous daily schedule builds stress for adolescents in middle and high school. Like physical health, adolescent mental health needs to be priority. Therapy for teens can serve as a protective factor to help them feel supported and provide an outlet for processing stress and emotion.
Having your teen in mental health therapy can ease worry and fear for the parent. Another set of eyes and ears on your child by a clinician who is professionally trained and licensed in mental health can lower parental stress. Therapists can connect with and assess your child to improve your teen’s emotional health and overall wellbeing.
If you suspect or if your teen tells you they are feeling very sad, helpless or worthless, seeking help from a licensed therapist can help.
Horses provide an unbiased, non-judgmental connection that can feel safe and secure. This experiential based therapy is different than talk therapy in that adolescents are “doing” during the session to learn and process stressors and challenges. The horse and outdoor space create a place for the teen to express themselves through stories that represents struggles they are experiencing. The horses, space, and things in the space represent personal problems that may have been difficult to talk about. This type of therapy pulls from several therapeutic theories and interventions including experiential, solution-focused, narrative, and the process of externalization.
Working with the horses in this type of supplemental therapy can add to the progress made in traditional talk psychotherapy.
Equine assisted psychotherapy can serve as adjunct therapy to create new movement in the teen’s primary office therapy work.
Treatment goals are customized for each adolescent client who begins equine assisted psychotherapy individual sessions. Clients are assessed each session and progress is tracked over time. Like office psychotherapy, formal mental health progress notes are written by the therapist after each session.
“How do horses inspire us, open our hearts, and enliven our souls?”
~ Linda Kohanov, The Tao of Equus
Equine assisted psychotherapy can treat adolescents struggling from a variety of challenges and diagnoses.
Equine assisted psychotherapy can help with:
- School problems
- Trouble with friendships
- Low self-esteem and/ or confidence
- Problems at home
- Bullying and peer pressure
- Sadness, depression or grief
- Anger outbursts
- Daily irritability
- Feeling frozen or overwhelmed
- Stress, anxiety or worry
- Experienced a traumatic event
- Experienced emotional or physical abuse
Equine assisted psychotherapy can treat:
- Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Depressive Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Eating Disorders
- Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
- Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders
“Poor mental health in adolescence is more than feeling blue. It can effect many areas of a teen’s life.”
~ CDC.gov
Adolescents must currently be seeing a primary therapist at least every other week to be eligible for equine assisted psychotherapy.
Current equine assisted psychotherapy individual sessions are open to adults (18+) and adolescents (6th – 12th grade). We are inclusive of all genders, identities, and sexual orientation. Mental health treatment plans are customized for each client in therapy.
We strongly recommend committing to at least 8 sessions when beginning individual equine assisted psychotherapy. Research suggests that a minimum of 8-12 sessions are needed for this modality of individual therapy to be most effective. Cost is $350/ 50-minute session.
Contact us for more information and to secure a spot on our wait list.
