ABSTRACT
Equine-assisted counseling (EAC) is the incorporation of horses into the counseling process to facilitate therapeutic outcome. With EAC, both individuals and groups interact with horses to facilitate the prevention or resolution of emotional and behavioral difficulties with themselves and others. EAC programs may involve a mixture of both equine-based and non-equine-based activities. Clinical processing after every EAC activity, whether it is with or without direct horse involvement, is critical to the counseling experience. There are a number of activities utilized in EAC but early in the treatment process it is always important to establish participants’ expectations and discuss ways to be safe around horses. EAC treatment programs often incorporate some complementary team-building, challenge-based activities that do not directly involve a horse. In this EAC program, multiple opportunities occurred for adolescents to enhance self-awareness, gain personal insights, boost self-confidence, strengthen self-concept, and make important attitudinal and interpersonal adjustments.
