Online Program Offers Introduction to Equine Facilitated Activities & Therapy

By Karen Berg

Many parents of children with Autism are looking for more. More help. More answers. More information. More knowledge.

Children with Autism often struggle to communicate, causing frustration not only for the child, but for the parent yearning to understand. Those individuals with cognitive and sensory, physical, emotional, or psychological challenges, are benefitted by being engaged through Equine Facilitated Activities and Therapy (EFAT); emerging fields of recreational opportunities and therapy for Autism.

Equine Facilitated Activities offer a child with Autism, the chance to learn horsemanship skills through a safe environment with trained, certified riding instructors. Through this experience, the child may improve social and cognitive skills, have an increase in confidence and enjoy an overall enhanced quality of life. Secondary gains are often wonderful, however, the focus of these programs is the acquisition of horsemanship skills.

Equine Facilitated Therapy (EFT) is provided by licensed clinicians in the fields of physical, occupational, speech/language therapy (hippotherapy), as well as practitioners in the field of mental health (psychotherapy). As a medical intervention and treatment strategy, the focus of EFT is the improvement of daily functional skills, off the horse. The horse and the equine environment provide the necessary tools for effective treatment for those with Autism.

Leslie Moreau, LCSW, is author of Equine Facilitated Mental Health, A Field Guide for Practice – and is the Instructor of the Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy online program. Moreau states, “EFT is about mind, body, spirit. One of the children I worked with was selectively mute; but after watching some of the other kids on the horse, she decided to talk to a horse after not talking for over a year.”

From a profession standpoint, a variety of skill sets are required in today’s equine facilitated activities, therapy, and horse management operations. As one of the leaders in its field, Texas A&M University offers Equine Facilitated Activities & Therapy (EFAT), an online program flexible for a wide spectrum of professional career paths, from individuals with a genuine desire to know more about these emerging fields, to those needing practitioner-based skills or advanced research to improve their knowledge. As each track is completed, participants build professional development while earning continuing education in an area of interest. But what makes EFAT at Texas A&M stand out as a leader, when compared to other programs? Lili Kellogg, an Instructor for Texas A&M’s Therapeutic Riding online program, says it’s about reputation. “It’s offered at such a respected university. People from around the world are taking these online programs. They don’t have to be accepted as a student at Texas A&M. It’s one way to gain more knowledge without having to go back to school. The program instructors are recognized for their expertise in their respective disciplines.”

EFAT is the first online continuing education available for, and specifically tailored to, individuals and specialists who want to become more knowledgeable about these benefits. Through self-paced programs, the world of teaching, learning, and understanding through the instincts and senses of the horse are available for those interested in learning about proven activities and therapy options. Parents, volunteers, educators, and clinicians can explore from home or on the go.

The experience of seeing a child grow under the guidance of equine facilitated activities or therapy is what makes it all worth it for those in these fields. “We’ve already had participants say their first words and one child walked for the first time after a few sessions. The parents of a four-year-old child with cerebral palsy used to put him in an apparatus to take baths. After a few sessions, he’s developed enough trunk strength to sit up in the bathtub on his own. Things like that are huge for a family, in addition to the confidence, bonding, and interpersonal skills,” says Kellogg.

Roxanne Trent, a participant in the Texas A&M online program, had this to say about it; “I was very impressed at the depth and caliber of the curriculum. I knew this program was a good fit for me. It being Texas A&M, I quit looking at other programs and knew I’d found the right program.”

Texas A&M launched EFAT in 2007 with four tracks:

Therapy

1. Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy
   1. A unique way to look at relationships
   2. An effective way to invite behavioral change

2. Hippotherapy- (simply put means treatment with the help of the horse)
   1. Ability to recommend individuals for hippotherapy
   2. Facilitate interest in using hippotherapy for clinical practice

Activities

3. Horse Care (of partnering horse)
   1. Improved confidence for a safer working environment with horses
   2. Better conditioned horses with improved performance

4. Therapeutic Riding
   1. A greater understanding of the industry
   2. A foundational professional knowledge base upon which to build

For details, visit: http://equinefacilitated.tamu.edu.

Donald L. Houston Center 200 Discovery Drive Suite 101 4460 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-4460 Tel. 979.845.6036 Fax 979.845.6407 capso@tamu.edu http://capso.tamu.edu