Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is offered for Creative Family Counseling clients who have their own horses or who have access to a horse through a local barn or facility by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Leslie Cashion. To learn more about this specialty, click here.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy includes many different types of service options but always begins with the initial Equine Psychotherapy Intake Session. Intakes take place in person at your barn or via telehealth and focus on establishing the therapeutic relationship between human and therapist, determining goals for the equine and owner, introducing homework for the human to begin with the equine.
Follow-up sessions are scheduled as determined by the Intake, with respect to the established goals identified and agreed upon. Some package options available include the following:
- Relationship Building Package: This program is a collaboration between therapist, equine, and human to facilitate change through focused, intentional work. Our work can focus on your own anxiety, depression, trauma, or other mental health symptoms. It can also incorporate work to deepen relationship between human and equine. Sessions will incorporate groundwork, herd observance, establishing connection before haltering, consent to halter, mindfulness practices, guided meditations, and journaling among other interventions. Humans and equines will be encouraged to practice self-care for bio breaks including snacks, meals, and hydration. It would take between 2-3 hours and would be an enlightening time for horses and humans to connect moving toward mutual goals in a connected relationship, not hard intense horse work. You can expect the Relationship Building package to include 6-8 sessions that are 2-3 hours each including the intake session. There is a possibility to schedule a 6-hour session or an all-day retreat, including lunch together.
- Competition Preparation Package: Utilizing coping skills, connection, and compassion, the therapist, equine, and human will set goals for the competition season. Whether you are a seasoned competitor who wants to fine tune their competition skill, or you are new to competing in equine sports, we can work toward your individual goals for you and equine.
- Relationship Transitions Package: This package would be helpful to help human and equine process through grief from the death of an equine or other animal or any other changes in the human or equine life can interrupt connection. It would also be helpful for transitions such as adding a new horse to the herd or needing to retire a long-time competition partner.
All practices are trauma informed and can be tailored to fit both human and equine needs. We hope to eventually offer TI-EAP with other horses, opening the services to those who cannot afford their own equine. Please contact Leslie at Therapistleslie@protonmail.com or 502-684-2183 to schedule your intake session or for more information.
