What is EAP?
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
is experiential therapy that uses horses for growth, learning, and healing. It is facilitated by a licensed therapist and a horse professional who work together with the client and the horses to achieve therapeutic goals. The clients learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses and then processing or discussing feelings, behaviors, observations, patterns and thoughts. The focus is not riding or horsemanship. EAP focuses on setting up activities on the ground that involve horses and require the clients to use certain skills. Clients learn and practice verbal and non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking, problem-solving, leadership, responsibility, teamwork, and confidence.
EAP is a powerful and effective therapeutic approach that has a powerful impact on individuals, families, and groups. EAP can address a variety of mental health and human development needs including behavioral issues, attention problems, substance abuse, eating disorders, abuse issues, trauma, depression, anxiety, anger issues, poor impulse control, relationship problems and communication difficulties.
The EAGALA Team
- The Horse: Horses have many characteristics which make them effective agents of change, including honesty, awareness, and ability to read nonverbal communication. The role of the horses in an EAGALA session is to be themselves.
- The Equine Specialist (ES): The ES chooses the horses to be used in sessions, works with the MH to develop activities, keeps an equine log to document horse behaviors in sessions, stays aware of safety and welfare of clients, horses, and team.
- The Mental Health Professional (MH): The MH is responsible for treatment planning, documentation of clients, and ensuring ethical practice. The MH builds on the ES’s horse observations, bringing in the metaphoric and therapeutic/learning relevance of the session.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) incorporates horses experientially for emotional growth and learning. it is a collaborative effort between a licensed therapist and a horse professional working with the clients and horses to address treatment goals. Because of its intensity and effectiveness, it is considered a short-term, or "brief" approach.
EAP is experiential in nature. This means that participants learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses, and then processing (or discussing) feelings, behaviors, and patterns. This approach has been compared to the ropes courses used by therapists, treatment facilities, and human development courses around the world. But EAP has the added advantage of utilizing horses, dynamic and powerful living beings.
Not all programs or individuals who use horses practice Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. For one, licensed (in the U.S.) and properly qualified (outside the U.S.) mental health professionals need to be involved. The focus of EAP is not riding or horsemanship. The focus of EAP involves setting up ground activities involving the horses which will require the client or group to apply certain skills. Non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking and problem-solving, leadership, work, taking responsibility, teamwork and relationships, confidence, and attitude are several examples of the tools utilized and developed by EAP.
EAP is a powerful and effective therapeutic approach that has an incredible impact on individuals, youth, famlies, and groups. EAP addresses a variety of mental health and human development needs including behavioral issues, attention deficit disorder, PTSD, substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, relationship problems and communication needs.
Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is similar to EAP but where the focus is on learning or educational goals. EAL still involves the team of mental health professional and horse professional working with the clients and horses. The focus however is on education and learning specific skills as defined by the individual or group, such as improved product sales for a company, leadership skills for a school group, or resiliency training for our military warriors.
