What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is counselling for people, with assistance from horses, a qualified Psychotherapist and an Equine Specialist. For a more detailed look into EAP, view British Director & Actor
Martin Martin Clunes’ exploration into EAP in his recent documentary:
Part2 Horsepower (continued from Part1, Martin Clunes as a client, in an EAP session).
Why use horses?
Horses mirror a person's true emotions, therefore our equine friends give us wonderful learning opportunities… educating us about ourselves. There is no horse back riding involved.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy can help a range of people:
- Individuals
- Families
- Couples
- School groups
- Businesses
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy can address a range of issues such as addiction, depression, anxiety, trauma, sexual abuse, addiction and behaviour problems.
Clients can learn that if they want to change the horse's behaviour then they have to change their own. This may turn into an insightful metaphor for how the person functions, outside the session in their own life.
The client can then take their new insights and learning, and apply this to their own life such as improved self-awareness and confidence.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy improves confidence, self-awareness, communication and social skills, problems solving, leadership qualities and much more! Check out the NZ EAP Research Project for more on it's outcomes:
“Learn about yourself and others the equine way”
