 Thanks for stopping by! I hope to shed some light on how therapy with horses can be a really helpful way to treat trauma for kids. It isn't just "playing with horses" or a healing hobby for your child. It is real therapy and really effective! If you took a look at my blog post from last week you got a glimpse of how equine-assisted psychotherapy helped me grow personally. This blog post is for those wondering how this process can help your child who has gone through trauma. Since my specialty is foster care and adoption, though I do work with other trauma as well, you might be a mama reading this who has a child in their home that you aren't sure if their struggles are related to adoption or "just being a kid." All children who have joined a family though adoption have been traumatized. Even if they were placed in your arms at the hospital. There is trauma that occurs in utero and at birth. Not only possible exposure to substances, but even those moms who have chosen adoption from the start have to undergo the stress of that decision which the baby takes in as well. Then factor in losing the only connection you have had for nine months with no way to process it verbally. Memories we have as a baby stay with us in our bodies. Pre-verbal trauma can often be harder to deal with because it had set up the way your brain and body work from there out with no way to explain it to yourself when you are triggered. On top of that early trauma, many of our children also come home to us with abuse and neglect. All trauma can deeply impact a child’s brain, body, behaviors, biology, and beliefs about themselves and the world.*  Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? A child who can go from happy to throwing chairs without any notice. A teen who can’t seem to make or keep friends. A child who seems to reject your love and makes it hard for you to like them most days. These are all impacts of trauma! The Early Child Mental Health Consultation has laid out the trauma signs and symptoms for infants and young children really well in this article. Also see the image below for other signs that your child or teen is struggle with their trauma history.   Having a child in your home with any of these symptoms is extremely challenging. A parent needs all the help they can get! Equine-assisted psychotherapy may be just the thing your child needs to work through their history and replace trauma behaviors with connection. It is experiential so it will get to the body-stored trauma. Connecting with a horse can often be easier for a child with relationship trauma as well so there is often more engagement. Not to mention the horse can walk away when our kiddos are not regulated leaving them to realize how their behavior impacts others.
What would the benefits of treatment with horses look like for child and teen with trauma?
If you have any questions about your child and how Wholehearted Herd Counseling can help give me a call! 715-200-3838 Wholehearted Herd Counseling, LLC provides trauma therapy for children and teens and family therapy focused on attachment for adoptive and foster families with the help of horses. Wholehearted Herd Counseling, LLC is an equine-assisted therapy service in the central Wisconsin, Wausau, and Antigo areas. * https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.E6PUSFgK.mG8E8tyv.dpbs Image “Impact of Childhood Trauma”: https://www.theedadvocate.org/the-impact-of-childhood-trauma/
0 Comments
I thought I would share a little bit about the model of equine-assisted therapy I choose to use in my practice and my own experience of it working for me. It is called Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy from the Natural Lifemanship Institute. It’s hands on, attachment-based, and powerful! I discovered Natural Lifemanship (NL) through a search of a different horse therapy models. The ones I knew about were based on metaphor work and little contact with the horses. I myself struggle with understanding abstract things sometimes and I know kids need more playing and doing than talking... so, I was looking for something different. I was already doing in-home family therapy and NL seemed to be the TBRI (Trust-Based relational Intervention) of horse therapies. It is about relationships, attachment, and trauma where you actually get to be with the horses. I jumped right in and signed up for a training! I wanted to see if this was something I could see myself doing and if one day I could meld my passions of therapy and horses as my own business.  First off, the training host site at Soulful Prairies in Woodstock IL was an absolute dream (see the included pictures). I was drooling and daring to let myself dream of my own business plans. This made me even more excited to see what this work was about and how it would fit in my dreams. As I sat in sessions learning at the training, I was slightly skeptical of how all this would come together working with the horses. The model is building real relationships with horses and thus rewiring the brain impacted by trauma and attachment wounds. It sounded too fun to get at the deep emotional stuff a client has. It was then our turn in the training to get a taste of the work and do it with the horses. I stepped into the round pen very nervous but I was thrilled that the horse I picked connected with me and even followed me right away! After the first day I went back to my hotel and told my husband that I was really good at this! (I did say that much to my embarrassment now). Little did I know the next day I would learn just how this model get at your own “stuff.” I walked into the round pen the next day and nothing was working. Every attempt to get the horse to come to me was ignored or resisted. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I thought that I was not in fact cut out for this. The trainer caught scent of my near-tears, as any therapist has a sixth sense for (see the top photo for proof). I was trying to hide my emotional "issue" and much to my annoyance she asked me what was going on in my relationship with the horse. I said “he isn’t letting me be good at this!” Then it dawned on me that I wasn’t in the round pen working on the relationship with the horse as I was supposed to, I was trying to be perfect so I could prove to myself I was good enough to do this as my career. Well then the tears came more... the trainers were amazing and helped me though this. When I turned around after wiping my tears to try again to actually connect with the horse... he was already there! I went to the training wondering if I would be “good” enough to do this. Should I start this business? Am I good enough for this dream? Perfectionism and the quest of being “good enough” has been a life long struggle for me and the horses brought that out! It was the exact thing I needed to deal with in order to feel confident that no matter what difficulty comes my way I can rest in the fact that this isn’t about me being “good enough.” Relationships are work and hard. If I show up, be myself, do the work I am good enough. I also had the realization that whatever I am lacking Jesus promises to be there with me to use my weaknesses to make things perfect. I can’t be perfect on my own. Hopefully you can understand a little glimpse of how this kind of therapy can work. Maybe you just needed to hear that you are good enough too. This parenting journey of foster care and adoption is no easy task. There is surely no perfect way to do it besides showing up, being yourself, and doing the work. If you don’t know where to start, the horses and I are waiting to help! Call or email me to set up an appointment! 715-200-3838 | contact@wholeheartedherdcounseling.com Wholehearted Herd Counseling, LLC provides trauma therapy for children and teens and family therapy focused on attachment for adoptive and foster families with the help of horses. Wholehearted Herd Counseling, LLC is an equine-assisted therapy service in the central Wisconsin, Wausau, and Antigo areas.  Hello again! I shared this quote by Jane Goodall on the Instagram page to highlight the value we have at Wholehearted Herd Counseling of respecting all living things. This shows up in how we value the horses as equal participants who can communicate their desires and needs to us. We value all people as precious individuals created in God's image. We do our best to make choices that care for the Earth. We see the worth of extending dignity to all creation as best we can. We also believe that we should treat ourselves with loving regard, connection, and care. I don't do this perfectly. But I feel so much better when I try.  I would like to share one of my favorite recipes that cares for our bodies, the environment, and our animal friends. It's one that our two year old loves to help make too! Veggie Burgers! She gets to form her own personal patty "all by myself" that she is proud to eat.  Beet Bean Burger Recipe (Vegan and gluten free) Ingredients: 1 15oz can of beets 4 cups of black beans 1 medium onion chopped 1 TBS chopped garlic Olive oil 3/4 cup masa corn flour 2TBS ground flax seed 1 tsp smoked paprika 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp garlic powder 2 TBS soy sauce 2 TBS Worcestershire sauce (use vegan if desired) Handful of dark leafy greens (optional) Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sauté the onion and garlic with oil in a pan. When they are done to your liking (I like the caramelized flavor) add them and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until incorporated. Form them into patties and bake for around 30-40 minutes until pretty firm to the touch. Let set for 5-10 minutes before serving to firm a little more. I like to freeze these when cooled between wax paper to have ready when needed! Makes 13 medium patties. Wholehearted Herd Counseling, LLC provides trauma therapy for children and teens and family therapy focused on attachment for adoptive and foster families with the help of horses. Wholehearted Herd Counseling, LLC is an equine-assisted therapy service in the central Wisconsin, Wausau, and Antigo areas. |
RSS Feed
