Hilton-based counselling psychologist, Wendy Corfe, writes about one of her passions: Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP).
What is EAP?
EAP is a powerful form of experiential therapy which uses a horse as a co-therapist. It adopts a team approach consisting of a mental health professional, a horse specialist (someone trained in understanding horse behaviour and body language) and a horse/s. Its aim is to help clients function effectively in their daily lives. Experiential therapy is a form of therapy where the client learns about their feelings, behaviours and attitudes through doing. EAP thus involves the client doing a given task with a horse/s on the ground (no riding involved). It is estimated that we remember 20% of what we hear, 50% of what we see and 80% of what we do. The experience and problem solving involved in an EAP session thus create metaphors or word pictures which can be vividly remembered and applied to life experiences and relationships.
Why horses?
All animals have therapeutic value – dogs and cats in particular have successfully been used in therapy for generations to foster connection, soothe feelings and provide a bridge for person to person interaction. While horses also provide these benefits, they offer unique therapeutic opportunities because they are prey animals. Being prey animals, horses are exquisitely sensitive to body language and mirror one another’s body language in the herd.
Because of their size and strength, horses are not able to be physically manipulated, thus accomplishing tasks with horses requires clients to build relationships and to communicate clearly with the horses. This can then lead to enhanced communication skills in achieving tasks in other areas of the client’s life.
How does EAP work?
The client is given a simple, hands-on task to do with the horse. Problems and emotions that the client might be struggling with in life often surface in the activities with the horse. The client then discusses the experience and his/her feelings about and behaviour during the task with the therapist. This can help clients learn about themselves and their patterns of interaction as well as give them and their therapist better insight into their difficulties.
What issues can be treated with EAP?
EAP can be used with just about any issue. Little people (under the age of 7) who are not yet able to think abstractly, or those with intellectual disabilities won’t be able to grasp the metaphors but can still benefit by working on issues like trust, communication, low self-esteem, boundaries and social skills.
EAP has been found to be highly successful with grief, PTSD, ADHD, substance abuse, bullying, assertiveness, behaviour problems, abuse and neglect, eating disorders, depression and anxiety. It is also used with groups and in marital and family therapy.
If you would like to know more about EAP or would like to be put in touch with a therapist in your area, Wendy can be contacted on 072 224 0782 or wendycorfepsych@gmail.com.