Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Not your typical counseling
The second model is National Lifesmanship, which is a trauma focused model of EAP that teaches healthy relationships and sometimes also incorporates rhythmic riding for brain integration.
Sessions
Sessions are typically 50 minutes long and will include the client, therapist, horse(s), and an equine specialist (ES). The ES is part of the therapy team and is present every session to ensure safety and provide insight on horse behavior. While the ES is not necessarily a mental health therapist, he or she is held to the same privacy expectations as the therapist.
Every session will look differently depending on the client’s goals and which model the therapist is using. Typically, the client, therapy team, and the horse will be in an arena or pasture where the horse is ‘at liberty’ meaning that the horse is not tethered to a rope and encouraged to roam at will.
Sessions may include challenges such as figuring out how to put a halter on the horse or figuring out how to pick up the horse’s feet. Or, sessions may be less structured and may be more observation and reflection.