ABSTRACT
In order to ethically and safely provide equine-assisted therapy, professionals should seek additional training, education, supervision, and—in some cases—certification to advance their competency. Beliefs self-assessment is designed to encourage thoughtful and honest investigation into readers own beliefs and biases as they relate to equine-assisted therapy. Typically, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, mental health professionals, nurses, and—on some occasions—medical doctors are the licensed healthcare professionals who most commonly provide some form of equine-assisted therapy. The body scan helps therapists to identify how they are feeling, and can reduce emotional reactivity and combat the effects of stress or tension. The body scan is a mindfulness-based activity that promotes a greater sense of attunement with one’s physical body while calming the mind and decreasing stress. Some of the activities can be tailored to use clinically with patients. The intention is to expose the reader to these activities firsthand before they use the activity with patients.
