Reference to the original article is made following my report on it. I accessed it through my local library data base as I assume you would also be able to do, are you interested in reading it.
The Effects of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy on Children who have experienced Family ViolenceReferences
I have chosen to explore the topic of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and its effect on children experiencing or witnessing family violence for a number of reasons. I have personally been involved in the equine industry across North America for a number of years, many of which have been spent teaching riding lessons, equestrian sessions and training horses. I have noticed a huge personal shift in my own behaviour, including heightened levels of self-esteem, confidence and an ability to handle and deal with stress on an effective level. I have seen several of my own clients, many of which are children, experience this shift of behaviour in their own lives. Many have reported to experience increased levels of contentment, happiness and stability in their own personal lives as well as an increase in ability to deal effectively with stress and difficult situations. I have also had the privilege to witness similar shifts in the horses themselves, many seeming to become more grounded, more interactive and more interested in both their human counterparts and their own personal environments. I have had the joy to experience firsthand the positive shift in herd dynamics and herd behaviours in these ‘awakened’ horses, and have slowly seen this mentality spread through entire herds.
I have taken a particular interest in EAP as I believe that horses are a very effective therapy tool. Horses have several characteristics that are similar to humans in their behavioural responses and social structures, thus providing a mirror for the client to gain insight in a unique and non-threatening environment. (Schultz, Remick-Barlow & Robbins, 2007) Horses, being prey animals, are highly adapt at reading and interpreting extremely subtle signals from their environment, including body language from other horses and people that they interact with. As a result it requires clients to truthfully and honestly review and express emotions that they are experiencing or they will mostly likely be faced with difficult interactions with their horses. With my own personal clients I ask them to recognize and express all their emotional issues and concerns as they arise throughout each session, this allows them to deal with these issues in a positive and effective manner. I have seen many instances where the client has been too embarrassed, unwilling or simply unable to identify with their emotions and for that entire session afterward the horse would perfectly mirror the client’s suppressed emotions so much to the point that the client was effectively ‘fighting themselves’ in the form of their equine partner.
Studies have suggested that 11-20% of children have a childhood incidence of witnessing family violence (Straus & Smith, 1990. Henning et al, 1996. As cited by Schultz et al, 2007). I have taken a particular interest in the effectiveness of EAP as a therapy on children witnessing or experiencing family violence as I feel, after personally working with children, that this is an extremely effective therapy method that they may be able to benefit greatly from. I have also, though personal experience, come to believe that children are less likely to be effected by cultural and societal stereotypes while working within this type therapy modality, and will be more open to the effects of interacting with horses on such a level. Overall, children seem to be more readily able to express and identify with emotions on all levels and, for the most part, are more willing than their adult counterparts to face these issues head on. I feel that for these reasons, the effectiveness of this type of therapy on children may be increased.
The authors’ goal with this study was to explore the effectiveness of EAP as a therapy tool for children witnessing and experiencing intra-family abuse. The authors assess that; it is clear from the literature and from this study that intra-family violence places children at considerable risk of mental health problems (Schultz et al, 2007) and that the environment of intra-family violence is a substrate for childhood and adolescent mental disorders (Dube et al, 2002, as cited by Schultz et al, 2007). They argue that the findings of this study have important implications for mental health promotion and that the children involved demonstrated a quick response to EAP. Overall, the children’s response to the study left little doubt that there was a rapid and highly positive effect on behaviour that appeared to be more effective in some children as in others. All the children involved in this study showed an improvement in test scores on the Children’s Global Assessment of Functioning scale (GAF) and it was shown that there was a statistically significant correlation between the percentage improvement on the GAF test scores and the number of EAP sessions completed (Schultz et al, 2007). It was shown that every child involved in the study, regardless of age and or race, showed an improvement in their GAF test scores after completing sessions of EAP. Although the long term effects of this therapy method are not documented or recorded, the immediate effects have shown that EAP is an effective treatment in dealing with behavioural and mental disorders in children arising from intra-family violence.
I believe that this research is very important as it is opening therapy doors to wider and more diverse methods of treatment. Obviously this treatment modality would be highly ineffective for persons who were adverse to or extremely frightened of horses, however I believe that it presents for us sound and effective reasoning on its success as a therapy method for people who are open to considering it. As I have mentioned previously, my own personal experiences with horses and teaching equestrian sessions, have proven to me again and again the effectiveness of this type of therapy for both myself and my clients. This study has supported my own personal findings in that EAP is highly effective as it teaches individuals, who are often unaware of their behaviour or emotions, to work with the horse to encourage the identification of these feelings. It allows one to recognize their emotions and emotional issues and therefore identify with them, begin to heal them and finally to move on from them. Positive interactions with the horses allow us to make emotional connections that are honest, strong and healthy, therefore allowing us to be vulnerable and open in a safe environment. Experiencing this type of constructive vulnerability is extremely important for clients dealing with a history of family abuse as it allows for the client and facilitator alike to build confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness, all of which are effective tools in everyday living. These tools can be especially effective for persons who have been victimized in such a way that these things have never been positively and constructively experienced before. Interactions with horses allow clients to experiment efficiently with the use and implication of building boundaries and setting limits for behaviour in themselves and in others. This again in turn allows clients, especially ones with a history of being victimized, to build confidence and feelings of self-worth that may be transmitted in to other aspects of their lives.
For use in a practical sense I feel that the information derived from this study would be highly effective in setting up a therapy program for at risk or underprivileged youth. Many individuals that fall into this category have experienced family abuse among many other hardships and I feel that a therapy program based on the principles of EAP would give these youth the tools needed to help them to move past these experiences and in to a place where they could become effective and highly functioning members of society.
Schultz, P.N, Remick-Barlow, G.A, & Robbins, L (2007). Equine assisted psychotherapy: A mental health promotion/intervention modality for children who have experienced intra-family violence. Health and Science in the Community, 15, 265-271. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2524.2006.00684.x
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