Equine Assisted Counseling for Teens and Adolescents

Relational Equine-Partnered Counseling

For many teens and adolescents, going to counseling can feel like an uncomfortable or even scary experience. The thought of talking to an adult stranger can make it hard for many adolescents to feel safe to open up and talk about the struggles they're facing.

The presence of the equines can make oftentimes make the counseling process feel less like "therapy" and more like hanging out with trusted friends who won't judge or tell you what to do. Being able to see how the treatment team relates to the equines can often help build trust between the adolescent and the treatment team as well.

By forming a relationship with their chosen equine, the adolescent will have an ally and support when talking about difficult topics, processing challenges that arise during the session, and trying out new coping skills. This approach can be especially beneficial for adolescents who are less comfortable talking about their problems or stressors as much of the session is experiential through activities with and feedback from the equines. Oftentimes, these interactions can reveal patterns related to challenges the adolescent is facing in other areas of their life such as school, family, friends, or work. The treatment team can help the adolescent find ways to generalize insight gained and skills learned to improving all areas of life.

REPC can help you address concerns such as:

Sadness, depression, and other mood disorders
Excessive worry, anxiety, and panic disorder
Trauma, abuse, and neglect
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Adjustment to significant life changes such as divorce, moving, and grief
Social skills, bullying, and other relationship problems with family, friends, or teachers
Stress management and work or school-related concerns
Anger issues and low frustration tolerance
Low self-esteem and self-confidence

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