Equine-assisted psychotherapy at Rakitna, Slovenia
Rakitna Youth Sanatorium is a public health care institution with mainly public funding, specialised in the treatment and rehabilitation of children and youths suffering from chronic respiratory problems and a range of psychological disorders.
In 2008 we have started a three-year project of implementing equine-assisted psychotherapy into our programs as an essential part of the two Rakitna programs for prevention and rehabilitation of emotional disorders and eating disorders.
Our aim is to develop and implement therapeutic program with professionally educated team and trained horses, to involve as many parents as possible, to develop a system of evaluating therapies to present the program to mental health professionals and wider public.
Preventive program for children and youth at risk for developing emotional disorders and eating disorders. Target group: 8-17 year olds not yet having developed any kind or disorders, therapy session per patient: 1.5 hours/4 times per week, over a 2 week period.
Rehabilitative program for children and youth that have completed some form of psychiatric treatment for emotional/eating disorders. Target group: 18-25 year olds who have completed treatment for mental or eating disorders, therapy session per patient: app. 10-15/ per 2 months.
In summary, covering both programs, app. 500 therapy session will be offered. Per therapy session, 2 horses are available, allowing 6 patients to participate at a time. In presentation it will be shown how our expert team is formed, how we work with horses, how each session is formed, what is main purpose and benefits of each program and what goals we have set for the project.
The two programs will apply a selection of the following therapeutic approaches:
- First sessions usually start with warming up sessions in the sense of using conversational means and observing the horses running freely and interacting competitively with other horses. The observed group dynamics allow children to make their own experience more understandable. Conversation at beginning provides room for the expression of feelings, expectations, goals, wishes.
- As a second step, grooming, saddling and making the horse ready for other activities are initiated. During this time, children directly interact with the horses which allows them to become aware of it’s natural reactions, reduce their fear of contact. Gradually, as therapy sessions take place, they are given the responsibility to take care of the horses themselves, whereby responsibilities are shared between group.
- The outside activities include longeing, lying on an unsaddled horse, riding when being led and independent riding. The experience of lying on the horse allows a close contact with it which also requires a sense of letting go and reliance and creates awareness of one’s own emotions. The benefits related to experiencing a step by step approach to ride a horse allows children to experience a sense of development and personal achievement.
- A wrap-up session of 20 minutes is also planned in the form of group talks using elements of groups psychotherapy and art therapy. Again emotions, expectations, goals, wishes, new experiences etc. are discussed in a group. The gained experience and feelings allow the patients to apply them to everyday life situations.
- The individual or group therapy sessions will in some occasions be combined with art therapy or other methodological strategies such as group approaches where several patients have the common task to make a horse jump over obstacles without verbal input. Such exercises require a strong group dynamics and intercommunication. The benefits include an improvement of social and communication skills and self-respect.
