Creating a Therapeutic Culture in Equine Facilitated Therapy and Activity Programs

Wednesday, October 10, 2018
8:00am - 4:30pm

The Leir Retreat Center, Inc.
220 Branchville Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877

EAT Workshop at Leir Retreat Center in Ridgefield, CT

How does one create a therapeutic culture that extends to staff, clients, families, volunteers and horses?

What

The Sam and Myra Ross Institute will host a one-day symposium focused on helping equine facilities expand their therapeutic programming while maintaining both high professional standards and a culture of compassion and respect for both people and equines. How does one create a therapeutic culture that extends to staff, clients, families, volunteers and horses? Green Chimneys has specialized in animal-assisted education and therapy for over 70 years. In that time, equine-facilitated therapies have become an increasingly popular intervention for individuals with autism, physical challenges, ADHD and speech disorders. To meet demands, many equine therapy centers now offer a variety of professional services, including speech, physical therapy and psychotherapy. This exciting growth comes with challenges that must be considered in order to ensure that clients and horses receive the best and most compassionate care.

Who

We invite individuals in diverse professions who share an interest in equine therapy, therapeutic horsemanship, hippotherapy (speech pathology, physical therapy, occupational therapy) and psychotherapy.

Goals

  • Identify common challenges faced by growing equine facilities
  • Help health-services professionals transfer important ethical practices into the stable and arena
  • Draw attention to the quality of all of the interactions that occur in the therapeutic center, including those interactions with volunteers and parents to even those with horses outside of the arena
  • Provide strategies for upholding high standards of client confidentiality and professional boundaries in multidisciplinary facilities
  • Offer specialized volunteer training techniques for volunteers working in hippotherapy and psychotherapy sessions

Complete SchEDULE

Register today

This event is FREE but you must register before October 1.

Registration is now closed. 

Thanks

This meeting is made possible with generous support provided by
Henry J. and Erna D. Leir Foundation.