Live Therapy

Live Therapy
“So what is EAP”, this is a question I have heard often since starting Painted Horses LLC in 2005. Simply put, it is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. I call it “Live therapy”. It seems “live” to me (as a clinician) as we use horses as a therapeutic tool in the counseling process. Therefore, we get to observe people’s communication patterns, problem solving ability, how well they regulate emotions, how responsive they are to themselves (i.e. their level of confidence, their self-esteem), to their family, how responsive they are to the horses, how well they keep themselves safe. It is the reflection of these types of observations to participants who are experiencing this type of therapy that promotes emotional growth and learning to occur in a prompt effective manner. This type of therapy does not include riding, and is not therapeutic-riding; all the interactions/tasks with the horses are preformed on the ground. The therapeutic treatment team consists of a clinician, an equine specialist, and a horse.