Animal & Equine Assisted Therapy

I offer individual sessions with a focus on animal assisted, experiential, mindfulness-based therapy in a variety of settings because I believe it is important for clients to have a choice in selecting the session environment and format most comfortable for them.

What is animal assisted therapy (AAT)?

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) consists of goal-directed interventions in which an animal is an integral part of the treatment process, emphasizing the bond created during human-animal interactions. AAT is delivered by a health, mental health, or human service professional with specialized expertise, and within the scope of practice of their designated profession.

What does a session involve?

My current animal co-therapist is Cricket, a Jack Russell Terrier mix, who is a registered therapy dog with Pet Partners. She joins me in sessions at the office in Cary, NC and is integrated into the therapeutic treatment process in a variety of ways depending on your specific goals. Cricket is free to engage with you at will, if you are comfortable with this, and as you build a relationship with her she will engage you in play, snuggle next to you, or rest on the sofa near you. Cricket can be calm or quite sassy. Other times, you will observe or engage in a directed activity with Cricket and we will process your experiences before, during, and after the activity.

What are the benefits?

There is a growing empirical evidence-base demonstrating that AAT can provide some of the following benefits to clients:

Increased feelings of safety and trust
Decreased heart rate and blood pressure
Decreased stress and anxiety
Improved mood
Emotional regulation
Increased sense of social connection
Improved communication and social skills
Sense of empowerment

Animals also provide the opportunity for physical touch, play, and humor in the therapeutic setting.

What is equine assisted psychotherapy (EAP)?

Equine assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is an experiential therapeutic approach incorporating horses into the therapeutic process to explore a variety of client issues and to achieve many different therapeutic goals. EAP involves building a healthy, mutually consensual relationship with a horse in a safe space, exploring the psychological, emotional, and physiological responses that come up in both the client and the horse in the process.

Each session involves the client, therapist, equine specialist, and the horse working together to achieve specific, tailored therapeutic goals. Clients often gain unique awareness and insights working in this type of session format, which can facilitate change and growth more quickly and sustainably.

I am trained in Natural Lifemanship, a trauma-informed equine assisted psychotherapy (TF-EAP) model, focusing on building connected relationships as the vehicle for change. If you are interested, here is more information on Natural Lifemanship’s approach to EAP: https://naturallifemanship.com/our-processes/

What is the role of an equine specialist? Who do I work with?

The Equine Specialist’s primary responsibility is for the physical safety of the horse and the client. During EAP sessions the Equine Specialist is hyperaware, scanning for potential stressors and safety issues in the surrounding environment, such as inclement weather, loud noises, cars, farm equipment, feeding time, etc. As the EAP session progresses the Equine specialist is evaluating and mitigating the horse’s stress levels, and providing guidance on horsemanship or husbandry (e.g. how to groom, lead the horse, etc.) as appropriate to the therapeutic goals. The therapist and equine specialist communicate and collaborate before and after EAP sessions to help coordinate and implement specific equine-based interventions.

Jackie Shapaker is the equine specialist I work with for EAP sessions. She has always had a love for horses and began riding at the age of 8. Over the last 20 years she has also studied natural horsemanship focusing on horse behavior. Jackie has taught riding lessons, been a session leader at Hope Reins supporting children in crisis, and is certified in the Essentials of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Coaching from Operation Centaur in London, England. She is also a certified PATH Intl Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. Jackie is currently working as a therapeutic riding instructor and partnering with mental health therapists, such as myself, to conduct EAP sessions at Helping Horse Therapeutic Riding Program. Jackie believes strongly in the horses’ ability to help people heal and grow and is passionate about helping create a safe space with horses where this can happen.

Do I need to have experience with horses to do an EAP session?

Absolutely not! No horse experience is necessary to participate in an EAP session. It is possible to start with herd observation and build up to working directly with a specific horse when it feels comfortable for you.

Benefits of EAP

There is a growing empirical evidence-base demonstrating that EAP can provide some of the following benefits to clients:

Reduce anxiety
Decrease feelings of depression and isolation
Improve emotional awareness and regulation
Increase self-esteem and confidence
Develop social skills
Learn problem-solving skills
Improve communication skills, with a particular focus on non-verbal communication
Build trusting, connected relationships

Horses also provide the opportunity for physical touch, play, and humor in the therapeutic setting.