Alpine Academy is known for offering equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) for students in individual and group sessions. Equine-assisted activities are seen as a worthwhile therapeutic approach for teens, children, families, and groups is because of many conditions and disorders respond well to it. According to Alpine Academy in Utah, abuse of substances, behavioral disorders, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and a variety of other conditions can be managed with EAP and assistance when combined with help from certified counselors. Alpine Academy realizes that many are not aware of the many ways that equine-assisted therapy can help children and teens. Here, Alpine Academy in Utah reviews just a few of its benefits.
Contributes to Stress Relief
People that are suffering from mental health problems or any of life’s obstacles may find it difficult to relax and clear their minds. Day-to-day stressors exist for us all, and it can be great for stress management to have the ability to take a step back and relax. Equine-assisted psychotherapy is cited as a process that is great for stress relief. One of the reasons for this is because riding and caring for a horse requires concentration. This means that your concentration on your horse may prevent you from dwelling on what is causing your stress or anxiety. Addressing our worries can be made easier when we can enjoy our time and find clarity.
Improves Communication Skills
Alpine Academy in Utah realizes that communication skills (verbal and non-verbal) are important to learn as they paint so many of our interactions with others. When we find it difficult to communicate, things can get lost in translation, situations can escalate, and it may limit our ability to have fruitful conversations. Equine-assisted psychotherapy is a great activity for individuals that need to hone communication skills for several reasons. Horses cannot be controlled by purely physical means, which means that riders must work on building trust through communication. Horses respond well to non-verbal cues as well, which can be helpful for people that are not up to talking or want to build skills in non-verbal communication.
Increases Self-Esteem
Teens that are experiencing low self-esteem may benefit from working with animals. This is because animals cannot criticize, mock, or accidentally make an offensive off-hand comment that may hurt feelings. Riding and caring for horses well reflect the work that you have put into it. For some individuals participating in EAP, riding boosts self-esteem because it produces a sense of pride and accomplishment. Riding a horse requires building a relationship founded on trust and respect. This can require work, and people who are willing to see it through are able to see the value of their hard work. According to Alpine Academy in Utah, complaints that we have about ourselves are often made more manageable as we take positive energy from EAP and apply it to obstacles that we face in our lives.
Builds Empathy
Empathy is an important trait to develop in our teen years because it helps us realize that there is a lasting impact to what we do or say to others. Equine therapy is seen as an excellent tool for honing empathy because of the relationship that is built with horses when we ride and care for them. As touched on before, horses cannot talk or share their feelings in a traditional verbal sense, but they are still adept at giving us clues as to what they are thinking. This may be emotions such as happiness or excitement or less than pleasant emotions such as fear, hesitancy, or anger. The rapport that we build with horses during equine assisted therapy keeps us in tune with the emotions that they are feeling throughout the process. When teens see that they can work as a team to overcome obstacles, they realize that their skills with empathy can be used to build upon other relationships in their lives as well.
