Our Approach:

Our therapeutic approach is rooted in Aware Therapy™️, a specialised equine, animal, and nature-assisted therapy approach developed by Meg Kirby of the Equine Psychotherapy Institute. This approach combines the ‘theory of change’ (how and why change happens) with practical methodologies to create impactful therapeutic experiences. It is also underpinned by Emotion-Focussed-Therapy (EFT), Gestalt-Therapy and Person-Centred Therapy. Additional to cognitive functioning and our ‘thinking ability’, we always include somatic practises to better understand and draw on what’s happening in our bodies.

Including our horses in the therapeutic process, we offer a combination of talk therapy and experiential learning. Clients can observe horses in their natural habitat and participate in specific activities such as brushing, leading, and navigating obstacles. With the horse as assistant, co-facilitator, and teacher, we support humans in addressing various therapeutic goals, including emotional, cognitive, behavioral, relational, and spiritual issues, as well as mental health conditions.

What Do Horses Offer?

Horses are graceful, intelligent, and sensitive beings to which humans have felt drawn for millennia. When living in a nurturing environment where their unique needs are met, horses express their emotions freely and model a healthier, more sustainable way of being for us.

Being prey animals, horses re-regulate their nervous systems without storing tension like humans tend to do, which can lead to stress-related symptoms. When horses encounter a frightening situation, their sympathetic nervous system activates as they prepare to run from danger. If the situation isn’t deemed dangerous, they take a big out-breath, relax their muscles, and return to grazing.

Specific areas of support:

• Anxiety and depression

• Burn-out and exhaustion

• Life transitions

• Parenting

• School issues

• Trauma

• Grief

• ADHD and autism

• Clients looking for alternatives to room-based or online therapy.