Transformative Therapy with Horses
Equine-assisted therapy incorporates experiential learning by involving horses in each counseling session. This approach includes observation, grooming, groundwork, and other hands-on activities, supporting individuals as they work through their challenges. It is particularly effective for those with ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and behavioral issues. This therapy increases awareness of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors, while guiding the development and practice of skills necessary for positive change.
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Our programs are suitable for children (5+), adolescents, and adults, offering individual, couple, sibling, social group, and family participation.
Equine Assisted Therapy
Equine Assisted Therapy is an experiential model that incorporates horses as co-therapists to support therapeutic goals. Horses are highly sensitive to their environments and can detect subtle physical, emotional, and mental states. Through corresponding changes in their behavior, they mirror this information back to the participant. This unique process helps individuals work through their concerns and challenges by increasing awareness of their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors. Participants can then develop and practice the necessary skills to promote positive change and achieve their therapeutic goals.
It offers a unique and enriching therapeutic experience, combining the healing qualities of nature with the benefits of animal-assisted interventions. This therapy can address various mental health concerns, including ADHD, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Our farm, with its open spaces, fresh air, and natural serenity, provides a calming backdrop for self-reflection and emotional exploration. Engaging with animals offers opportunities to develop meaningful relationships and practice behavioral regulation, communication, emotional awareness, emotional regulation, self-expression, and relationship skills. Additionally, participating in farm activities, such as caring for animals, collecting eggs, or helping at feeding time, fosters a sense of responsibility and accomplishment.
Equine assisted therapy can be an effective therapy approach for the following:​
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ADHD: Enhances focus, self-control, and behavioral regulation. Interacting with horses helps improve attention span and impulse control, teaching children and adolescents how to manage their behaviors more effectively.
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Anxiety: Reduces anxiety levels and promotes relaxation. The calming presence of horses and the serene environment of the farm help individuals feel more at ease, enabling them to manage their anxiety and stress better.
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Depression: Improves mood and increases engagement in activities. Building relationships with horses can boost self-esteem and provide a sense of purpose, which is particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing depression.
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Trauma/PTSD: Provides a safe space for emotional processing and healing. Horses offer non-judgmental companionship, helping individuals feel secure as they work through traumatic experiences, fostering trust and emotional healing.
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Autism Spectrum Disorder: Enhances social skills and communication. Interacting with horses helps improve non-verbal communication, social interaction, and sensory regulation, which are crucial for individuals on the autism spectrum.
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Behavioral Issues: Teaches responsibility and positive behavior. Caring for horses and participating in farm activities encourage the development of responsibility, patience, and positive behavior patterns, helping individuals learn to manage their actions and emotions effectively.
Our Therapeutic Farm
Our Therapeutic Farm offers a serene escape from the city, providing individuals and families an opportunity to reconnect with nature. Home to a variety of animals including cats, chickens, dogs, ducks, horses, miniature donkeys, miniature horses, and ponies, the farm provides a unique and enriching therapeutic experience. Combining the healing qualities of nature with animal-assisted interventions, our farm addresses mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and trauma, offering a holistic approach to emotional well-being and personal growth.
The open spaces, fresh air, and natural serenity create a calming backdrop for self-reflection and emotional exploration. Engaging with animals fosters meaningful relationships, behavioral regulation, communication, emotional awareness, self-expression, and relationship skills. Participating in farm activities, such as caring for animals, collecting eggs, or helping at feeding time, fosters a sense of responsibility and accomplishment, contributing to overall emotional and mental well-being.
Playgrounds are more than recreational spaces; they are essential for fostering childhood development. At the farm, we encourage play and self-expression for children and remind adults that connecting with their inner child can be deeply healing.
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Visitors can relax on strategically placed benches, observing horses, listening to rustling leaves, and engaging in self-reflection, mindfulness, or contemplation.
Activities like wilderness hikes, nature walks, and eco-art projects become powerful tools for experiential learning, promoting self-discovery and helping individuals translate insights from nature into meaningful, positive changes in their lives.
The Therapy4Boys Therapeutic Farm is situated on 20 acres in the foothills of Alberta, Canada. Much of the land remains undisturbed, welcoming amphibian, avian, and mammalian wildlife, including moose, deer, coyotes, foxes, beavers, and muskrats.
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The farm features a beaver dam and pond, now a vibrant wetland home to various birds like yellow-headed blackbirds, red-wing blackbirds, great blue heron, killdeer, woodpeckers, mourning doves, hummingbirds, hawks, bald eagles, and owls. Children enjoy collecting shells and spotting salamanders or frogs in the summer, while in winter, the frozen pond reveals animal tracks in the snow.
The Therapy4Boys farm is closed to the public, and operates by appointment only. Contact us today if you are interested in visiting the Therapy44Boys Farm location!
Why Horses?
Animal interactions benefit our physical, mental, and emotional health, whether with a bird, dog, cat, or even a tarantula. Horses, in particular, offer unique benefits: they are non-judgmental, genuine, and can teach responsibility and partnership. Unlike pets, horses are less accessible, and visiting a barn allows for outdoor experiences in nature. Working with horses, despite their intimidating size, helps overcome fears, build self-esteem, and foster a sense of accomplishment, providing memorable experiences to share with friends, family, and coworkers.
Unlike dogs and cats, horses are solely prey animals, making safety their primary concern. Interacting with them helps explore themes of safety, security, trust, and courage in our own lives. Both horses and humans are social animals with multiple roles and responsibilities within their communities or “herds.” Observing herd interactions allows us to reflect on similarities and differences in our own communities, often finding a member we can relate to and using those similarities to explore our relationship dynamics.
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Engaging with a herd allows interaction with various individual horses, each with distinct personalities, attitudes, fears, moods, and characteristics. This diversity encourages patience, flexibility, problem-solving, mindful communication, and empathy. Working in partnership with horses involves giving direction, receiving feedback, and learning alternative communication methods, offering ample practice opportunities. Horses mirror our body language and internal/external mood states, teaching us to be honest and sincere. They provide positive, non-judgmental feedback, making us responsible for our messages and how we deliver them, thus enhancing emotional regulation.
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Working with horses demands full attention and engagement, both physically and mentally. This experiential learning accommodates all learning styles: verbal, visual, and tactile. The skills developed in the barn are transferable to other life experiences, allowing us to apply these lessons in various settings. By working with horses, we cultivate the ability to be in the moment, attentive, and engaged, which translates to improved emotional and social skills in everyday life.
Therapy4Boys
Suite 401, 301 14th St NW
Calgary, Alberta T2N 2A1
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info@therapy4boys.com
(403) 837-1118
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