Individual Equine-Assisted Therapy

In Individual Equine-Assisted Therapy, Qualified Mental Health Associates work to assist clients recovering from PTSD, substance abuse, trauma, depression, and other psychological issues. Therapy horses bring emotional relief and insights to veterans, at-risk youth, recovering addicts, women escaping from sex trafficking, and others, helping them to grow in a safe, respectful environment.

Program Details

During Equine-Assisted Therapy sessions, clients interact with horses under the supervision of a mental health professional and an equine specialist. The horses are free and unhindered (there is no riding during these sessions), allowing them and clients to relate to one another in their own way, at their own pace.

This model creates space for clients to reflect, project, and make deep connections as they address their emotional/psychological challenges.

Horses are ideal for this kind of therapy because they live in the present, and encourage you to inhabit the present with them. They are deeply aware of their surroundings, instinctively analyzing and reacting to our body language and other nonverbal cues.

Horses’ attentive and soothing demeanor promotes self-awareness and well-being, helping clients overcome communication barriers in ways that are not always possible in traditional therapy. Additionally, the act of relating to a 1,000-pound animal provides a useful model for facing other big and overwhelming challenges in life.

At NEAT, our Qualified Mental Health Associates have undergone intensive hands-on training, assessment, and mentorship. We embrace many different training philosophies, including those promoted in EGALA, PATH, OK CORRAL and by trainers such as Pat Parelli, Montey Roberts, Warwick Schiller and more, using what we find works best for our clients.