Who? Clients This form of equine-assisted counseling is designed for children ages 4-10. Providers Services are provided by licensed mental health professionals (or graduate student interns supervised by a licensed professional) who are trained in EACP. Qualified equine professionals co-facilitate with the counselors to maintain a safe environment for all involved. Equine professionals have extensive experience with equine behavior, herd management, and safe equine interaction practices. Some counselors are dually-qualified and can serve as both counselor and equine specialist. What? Equine-Partnered Play Therapy is an approach to counseling for young children that utilizes play (the natural language for children) to express themselves as well as process feelings and emotions. Equines are partnered into each session creating a sense of calm and well-being which provides emotional security for the child. In doing so clients can establish a therapeutic relationship with the equine and counselor where they can feel full acceptance and understanding. Through these interactions and play, children can develop social skills, impulse control, empathy, and self-awareness. Where? Play Therapy sessions take place in our tranquil pasture in an enclosed space designated as our "play area". The play area includes a safe space for children to express themselves with a variety of toys and developmental instruments. As partners in play, our two miniature ponies will be free to move about the space and interact with them as they desire. This allows for both equine and child to develop a relationship mutually beneficial to one another. Why? Many children have an innate interest in and desire to interact with animals. Children are able to facilitate interactions with animals in ways that they are unable to do with toys or adults. Through these interactions equines enable children to receive nurturing, cope with stress, express feelings, and facilitate qualities such as impulse control, self-regulation, or positive adjustment.  What?
Equine-assisted counseling and psychotherapy (EACP) is a form of professional counseling facilitated by a licensed mental health professional in which clients work to achieve specific mental health treatment goals through interaction with equines. Who? Clients There are many types of people who may benefit from equine-assisted counseling and psychotherapy! At STEPS, we serve clients as young as 4 years old. Many individuals seeking EACP are experiencing struggles related to depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, trauma, anger, grief, life adjustment, relationship problems, social skills, work/school problems, or other behavior issues. Providers Services are provided by licensed mental health professionals (or graduate student interns supervised by a licensed professional) who are trained in EACP. Qualified equine professionals co-facilitate with the counselors to maintain a safe environment for all involved. Equine professionals have extensive experience with equine behavior, herd management, and safe equine interaction practices. Some counselors are dually-qualified and can serve as both counselor and equine specialist. Where? All sessions take place on the ground - there is no riding involved. At STEPS, services take place in our tranquil pasture, where our herd is free to move around. Working with the equines in their natural environment, and without attempting to exert control over them, allows the equines to respond to you in a natural manner, as if you were part of the herd. Why? Equines notice many cues indicative of a person’s emotional state such as breathing rate, heart rate, body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and even scent. The feedback they provide will assist you in gaining insight into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as they are happening in the moment. Your counselor will help you connect these experiences to challenges you may be facing. In addition, you will have the opportunity to practice different skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, calming skills, and communication skills that can be generalized and applied to increasing satisfaction in your relationships and daily life.  The story of STEPS Co-Founder, Paul Ziehe DooDad was not a gentle horse. He wasn’t mean, but he was large, strong, and clearly had a mind of his own. When I first met him, after a few rides he intimidated me and I would- well, not dread riding him, but would definitely be trepidatious when saddling up. He had the best trot in the world, but his lope would break your spine, and he would buck out of (I thought) the blue. Strong as he was, even a little crow-hop was enough to unseat you. Then one day I listened- really listened- to him. He bucked when he knew I wasn’t paying attention- to him, to our surroundings, (sometimes) even myself. He was telling me we were out to work, and if he was going to give me all he had, I had damn well give him my best. From that point on, he became my favorite ride and I knew we could do ANYthing. Even, at one point, face down a herd of buffalo (although fortunately I was able to convince him that discretion was the better part of valor and maybe we should just vacate the area). He demanded more from me, and when I realized that and gave it to him he went from being a horse I preferred not to ride to being a trusted friend that could handle anything. Except for strange noises coming from thickets- but that’s a story for another day. Inspired by this story? You can make a difference by supporting these relationships with our clients! Give the gift of healing and horses by clicking the Seen Through Horses below!  Horses don't just have the power to help our clients. They help our counselors too, read how one horse changed Kelsey's life! 
 Welcome back to our blog! Read the origin story of STEPS: Dr. Hallie Sheade and Cowman  I grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I fell in love with horses at age 2, begging to ride a pony at a local carnival without my mother holding my hand. When I was 9, I groomed horses and did barn chores in exchange for free riding time, but the journey that led me to start S.T.E.P.S. With Horses really began the day Cowman arrived at the barn. He was a former rodeo horse that had a reputation for being strong willed and uncooperative. I believed he was just misunderstood. At the time, I often felt very misunderstood by my parents, so Cowman and I had something in common. Every day, I would sit in Cowman's stall and groom him for hours as I told him all my troubles.Cowman and I soon bonded. When I would leave the stall, he would often grab the back of my shirt and pull me back in. Over the next few months, some interesting things started to happen. My relationship with my parents began to improve and Cowman started to cooperate with other riders. Cowman and I had formed a mutually beneficial bond that improved the quality of life for both of us. Dr. Sheade's relationship with Cowman is what inspired the establishment of STEPS. Now our clients have the opportunity to connect with and heal with horses, just as Dr. Sheade did with Cowman. Inspired by this story? You can make a difference by supporting these relationships with our clients! Give the gift of healing and horses by clicking the Seen Through Horses below!   Equines are naturally empathetic, recognize human emotional states to understand what someone is feeling or experiencing, and respond accordingly! Feedback from equines is non-judgmental and authentic. Their inability to deceive allows for a natural connection between client and equine. How do equines recognize human emotions? Clients and equines communicate in ways beyond talking - together they co-create a relationship based on touch and body language. Equines perceive and respond to human emotion by reading a person's tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, and scent. How do interactions with equines help clients? Interactions with equines lead to positive outcomes for humans. These interactions may reduce blood pressure and heart rate while increasing social connection hormones like oxytocin and decreasing stress hormones like cortisol.
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