Equine Assisted Mental Health Interventions

Written by internationally renowned equine-assisted mental health professionals, this edited collection teaches counselors how to design and implement equine-assisted mental health interventions for different populations and various challenges. Supported by ethical considerations and theoretical frameworks, chapters cover common issues including depression, anxiety, grief, ADHD, autism, eating disorders, substance abuse, self-esteem, social skills and communication, couples and family work, and professional development. Each chapter provides practical tips for implementing treatment strategies, case studies with transcript analyses, and sample session notes. This book will appeal to both the expert equine-assisted mental health counselor and the seasoned counselor who is open to partnering with an equine practitioner to help their clients in new and innovative ways.

Clinicians have long recognized that trauma therapy provides a pathway to recovery, and Equine-Assisted Mental Health for Healing Trauma provides that pathway for those who work with horses and clients together. This book demonstrates a range of equine-assisted mental health approaches and step-by-step strategies for facilitating recovery from trauma for children, adults, and families. Chapters address topics such as chronic childhood trauma, accident-related trauma, complex trauma and dissociation, posttraumatic growth in combat veterans, somatic experiencing and attachment, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), reactive attachment disorder (RAD), relational trauma, and sexual trauma. Experts also provide case studies accompanied by transcript analyses to demonstrate the process of trauma healing. Clinicians will come away from the book with a wealth of theoretical and practical skills and an in-depth, trauma-informed understanding that they can use directly in their work with clients.

Equine-Assisted Counseling and Psychotherapy offers a comprehensive guide to the practice of working with equines in a psychotherapeutic setting. Chapters provide a research-informed approach to integrating the contributions of horses and other equines into mental health services. With a focus on equine welfare, the book uses a relational approach to explore a broad range of topics, including documentation and treatment planning, work with clients across the lifespan and with diverse needs, complexities related to horses in the therapeutic relationship, as well as ethical, legal, and best-practice considerations. Mental health and equine professionals will come away from the book with a strong understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of equine-assisted counseling.

First Published in 2012. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

How Change Happens in Equine-Assisted Interventions gives clinicians and researchers an intervention theory on the mechanisms of change during psychotherapy and other interventions that incorporate horses. Chapters introduce the concept of intervention theory, present a theory of the problem (what the client comes with), theories explaining the intervention (what is done during a session), and theories of change (what happens in the mind of a client), with each theory’s function described. Using an autoethnographic approach, the authors describe, deconstruct, and analyze personal experiences as clients during an equine-assisted intervention. Then the authors present and apply a unique intervention theory by linking it to the thoughts and experiences of clients in and after a session. Practitioners will come away from this book with a unique perspective on the field and with an increased understanding of what their clients are thinking both in and out of session. Researchers will have an explanatory theory from which to draw testable hypotheses when studying interventions incorporating horses.

The Clinical Practice of Equine-Assisted Therapy bridges theory, research, and practical methods to fill a rapidly developing gap for physical, occupational, speech, and mental health professionals interested in incorporating horses in therapy. Extensively researched and citing over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, it examines core issues such as terminology, scope of practice, competency recommendations, horse care ethics, and clinical practice considerations. This book is an essential resource for professionals who wish to use a best-practices approach to equine-assisted therapy.

The Equine-Assisted Therapy Workbook gives readers the tools they need to increase professional competency and personalize the practical applications of equine-assisted therapy. Each chapter includes thought-provoking ethical questions, hands-on learning activities, self-assessments, practical scenarios, and journal assignments applicable to a diverse group of healthcare professionals. The perfect companion to The Clinical Practice of Equine-Assisted Therapy, this workbook is appropriate for both students and professionals.