Children who have been abused and neglected are at risk for developing severe emotional disorders. They can exhibit a host of psychosocial difficulties which may be carried into adulthood. These problems can be devastating to the children, their families, friends, school, and wider communities. Because of the far-reaching effects of these problems, there is a powerful rationale to often use experiential modalities in treating the bio psychosocial problems of these youth. 

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy is a powerful modality for many reasons.  One is that the horse is a sentient being, meaning, they are purely in the moment, congruent in emotions and behaviors.  This quality allows complete authenticity between the client and the horse which is often rare in human to human connections.  The client therefore can create a bond and relationship with the horse, which can be trusted to ‘tell the truth’ about what is going on in the session. 

Skills from the Trauma Model can be taught with the help of the horse.  For example, gounding skills can be taught with the use of grooming, self soothing skills can be practiced by matching the breathing between horse and client.  The skills that can be learned are endless and with the expertise of the clinician, the clients are encouraged to practice with their human connections in between sessions.