Equine-assisted psychotherapy (PAE) is a form of therapeutic intervention in which the company of the horse is used to work on various physical and mental disorders. It could be said that the fundamental objective of this technique is to improve the personal well-being and quality of life of the participants.
The abilities that horses have provide benefits to children with autism, hyperactivity, Down syndrome, adolescents with behavioral problems and even help in addiction rehabilitation.
Horses are a great ally for therapy since, due to their intelligence and generosity, they are able to perceive the person’s mood and non-verbal language, thus establishing a unique bond with the patient. In addition, they are a crucial tool for learning and working on values ​​and attitudes related to emotional intelligence and personal growth. We cannot overlook that if you add to all this that the therapies are carried out outdoors, it significantly favors attention and participation to achieve therapeutic objectives.
Of course, the activities carried out in equine-assisted psychotherapy They are designed, directed and supervised by a Technician specialized in Animal Assisted Therapy. This technician is always the person most responsible for the sessions and the correct handling of the animals. Therefore, everything that happens during the session will be your responsibility. In addition, he must know how to work as a team with other professionals and it is his job to understand the work of those who are part of the multidisciplinary team, such as psychologists, speech therapists, educators, nurses, physiotherapists, doctors, etc.
In today’s article, we will talk in depth about this original technique that is paying off and we will focus on the benefits it has for the patient. Keep reading to discover the answers.
Benefits of equine-assisted psychotherapy
Working with horses brings with it a series of benefits that we list below:
Who can benefit from this new technique?
Although horses are great co-therapists and equine-assisted therapy has various benefits, we want to clarify that the desire and the solution is always within oneself. Being aware of this is the first step to achieving the established therapeutic objectives.
As we mentioned at the beginning, there are various groups that can benefit from this technique. However, here we leave some of them:
What are equine-assisted therapy interventions like?
First of all, the Technician in Animal Assisted Interventions has to develop an action plan in which the therapeutic objectives to be achieved are clearly defined. This step is of utmost importance since all subsequent activities will be focused on achieving these objectives. Besides, The technician must supervise the exercises to guarantee the safety of the animal itself and of course, that of the participants.
It is worth mentioning that most of the exercises are on land, that is, without riding and are usually brief so as not to upset the horse. Likewise, they do not pose a risk to the patient nor is prior experience with horses required. Finally, the professional is in charge of taking the animal to the veterinarian to check that it has all its vaccinations up to date and that it does not suffer health problems.
For the therapy to work, the protagonists must have a series of specific characteristics:
Are you interested in benefiting from Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?
In CITA Clinics We offer a psychological intervention program with horses in our residential facilities for the treatment of addictions in Dosrius (Mataró). Contact us for more information.
