Horses that heal- Equine therapy and mental health

Did you know horses can sense what we’re feeling, sometimes better than we do?
With a few well-chosen words and a forced smile, we may be able to hide our real feelings from another person. We may even hide our own deeper feelings from ourselves. But we cannot fool a horse. Horses can sense emotions that lurk beneath the surface of our awareness and mirror them back to us, showing us what we have been avoiding...

My name is Ivana Vugrek and I'm a psychologist. For the past seven years I've worked as a special education teaching associate doing individual and group work with minors with behavioral disorders in the Department of counseling, help and treatment. The majority of teens I work with are between the ages of 13 to 19 and they often find it difficult to open up and process painful emotions and experiences.

For years now, children and teens with a range of issues, including ADHD, autism, eating disorders, abuse, depression, and anxiety, have benefited from equine- assisted therapy. Through equine- assisted activities, teens gain confidence, build trust, and form healthier boundaries. Moreover, learning how to work with and take care of a horse, with the guidance of an equine therapist, helps clients practice empathy and develop authentic connections.

For being able to provide equine- assisted therapy, I will have to finish a 10-module interdisciplinary program in Slovenia that combines theory and practice, finishing off with a final exam. It's a 600 hours long program and it costs 2300 euros. My plan is to finish the program and implement my new found knowledge in everyday work with children and teens with behavioral and other difficulties, building awareness, compassion, understanding, respect, empathy and acceptance toward themselves and others.

Join me in integrating these beautiful animals in mental health treatment to help children and teens who need it the most!

Thank you! :)