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Enoch Ministries at Big Bear Farm
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| Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) EAP is an experiential modality of mental health treatment that involves setting up activities with intent and purpose. Verbal and Non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking and problem-solving, leadership, work, taking responsibility, teamwork, relationships, confidence, and attitude, are several examples of the tools utilized and developed in EAP sessions. EAP is an effective therapeutic approach that impacts individuals, youth, families, and groups with a variety of mental health and human development needs, such as behavioral issues, ADD, substance abuse, eating disorders, abuse issues, depression, anxiety, relationship problems and communication needs. It is a collaborative treatment team of a mental health professional, horse professional, and the horse. Together they provide an emotionally and physically safe environment wherein a client can grow, learn, and heal experientially in the process. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) done through the EAGALA modal incorporates horses experientially for emotional growth and learning. It is a collaborative effort between a licensed therapist and a horse professional working with the clients and horses to address treatment goals. EAP is an experiential modality in which participants learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses, and then processing thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and patterns. Experiential learning occurs when carefully chosen experiences are supported by reflection, critical analysis and synthesis. They are structured to require the client to take initiative, make decisions and be accountable for results. Throughout the experiential learning process, the client is actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative, and constructing meaning. Clients are engaged intellectually, emotionally, socially, soulfully, and physically to produce a perception that the learning task is authentic. The results are personal and form a basis for future experience and learning. Relationships such as client to self, and client to the world are developed and nurtured. Through the process the client may experience success, failure, adventure, risk-taking, and uncertainty due to outcomes of experiences being individual and not always predictable. Through the process the client has the opportunity to explore and examine personal values and beliefs. The primary roles of facilitators includes setting suitable experiences, posing problems, setting boundaries, supporting clients, ensuring physical and emotional safety, and facilitating the learning process. The facilitator needs to recognize and encourage spontaneous opportunities for learning while being aware of their biases, judgments, and pre-conceptions, and how these influence the client. The design of this learning experience includes the possibility to learn from natural consequences, mistakes, and successes. EAP adds the advantage of utilizing horses, dynamic and powerful living beings that enhance the experiential process. Working with horses one recognizes the power of the horse to influence people. Horses naturally provide the benefit of the work ethic, responsibility, assertiveness, communication, and a healthy relationship. A horse being large and powerful creates a natural opportunity for some to overcome fear and develop confidence. Their size and power are naturally intimidating to many. Accomplishing a task involving this powerful animal creates confidence and provides for wonderful metaphors for life’s challenges. Horses require people to be engaged in physical and mental work to be successful. They are herd animals with defined roles in a herd. Much like people they would rather hang out with their friends, have distinct personalities, attitudes, and moods. Each horse is unique, can be stubborn or resistant, yet enjoy having fun. These and many other metaphors used in activities and discussions are effective techniques when working with the client. Horses are sensitive to non-verbal communication and respond to what messages the clients give them in the moment. These responses give clients and the treatment team information that brings awareness of current patterns and motivates change to new ones. Clients learn that by changing themselves the horse responds differently. Horses are beneficial to a person mentally, physically, and spiritually. EAP offers benefits to individuals, groups, and families that specifically address mental, emotional, and behavioral issues. The focus is on human skills and is about the client being themselves. The treatment team consists of a horse professional, and a clinician and this team ensures emotional and physical safety in the session. Specific treatment goals, objectives, and interventions are identified and documented and sessions are structured to facilitate and to address the reasons clients come into therapy. Activities are designed to best create metaphors to real life to provide for metaphorical learning while ensuring physical and emotional safety. Sessions are done 100% on the ground. Not only is it safer but ground work provides for richer therapy. Unmounted decreases the need for instruction and enables the session to be more therapeutic in nature as well as client directed. This is not a recreational activity. Though it may be fun at times serious work is going on "in the moment" with the individuals involved. It is therapy. Benefits to being on the ground extend to the horses involvement. Being on the ground allows the horses to act more naturally and be themselves. This puts them in a better position to confront and engage with clients. They can run, move away, ignore, kick, eat, or get distracted with their peers. Clients have their own best solutions if just given the opportunity to discover them. Change is uncomfortable and people tend to grow when challenged. EAP re-creates difficult life situations through the work with horses in a therapeutic environment wherein clients can work through their struggles, problem-solve, and practice experientially new ways of living. The horse task is set up for the client to work through. The facilitators focus on the process not the outcomes of the task. Using observation statements, reflective listening and questions facilitators encourage insight through metaphors. Facilitators must be able to let go of control and rescue needs by responding and trusting the process even when client is experiencing failure, frustration, discouragement, and success with the horse. Activities are designed to be experiential, incorporating the horse as an active facilitator for change, and create a parallel to the clients’ lives. Structural activities involves focusing on the treatment plan, goals, and needs, and then being deliberate, creative, and flexible in every detail of the design, set up, and facilitation of the activities to best meet those needs. Picking an exercise is done by the horse professional and mental health professional discussing the client’s issues, treatment goals, and level of readiness. There is several benefits humans experience from touching animals. These advantages include lowering blood pressure, relieving stress, and releasing endorphins. The greatest reciprocating response is the giving and receiving of love. Animals, when allowed, love unconditionally. This is a healing experience in and of itself, helping clients experience love while setting boundaries and/or limits. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy works with any theoretical orientation and with almost every psychological diagnosis. Theory aids in the processing portion as well as structuring sessions to bring about goals. |
We are currently taking appointments Please call our office at 706-881-2141 Our hours will be posted with further information regarding our EAP program. To watch the progress of the construction click our facility. To read donation opportunities available click donations. Contact: Leigh Ellen Ertle Address: 649 Butts Mill Rd. Pine Mountain Ga. 31822 Phone: (706) 881-2141 Email: lelittlebear@yahoo.com |
| Progression photos of a group EAP session. |
| Individual session photo of EAP session. |
| More photos of EAP sessions. |
| All rights reserved to Leigh Ellen Ertle. Contact: Leigh Ellen Ertle Address: 649 Butts Mill Rd. Pine Mountain Ga. 31822 Phone: (706) 881-2141 Email: lelittlebear@yahoo.com |
We will be opening our doors for the first time February 1, 2008. We are currently taking appointments Please call our office at 706-881-2141 Our hours will be posted with further information regarding our EAP program. Fees are available by Phone. Contact: Leigh Ellen Ertle Address: 649 Butts Mill Rd. Pine Mountain Ga. 31822 Phone: (706) 881-2141 Email: lerobertsembbf@bellsouth.net |