Healing Hooves Psychotherapy is proud to work in conjunction with Broward and Dade's community agencies and private practitioners. Typically the role of HHP is to provide a different type of group or individual therapy experience that can compliment traditional "talk therapy". It is not uncommon for client's who have been in traditional therapy and are "stuck" to attend a few sessions of EFP to gain clarity with regard to how to turn their insight into action.

How Can EFP Compliment Traditional Therapy?
EFP activities provide an arena for clients to practice the insights they have gained in traditional therapy sessions. Many therapists have experienced the frustration of working with clients who make progress in therapy by gaining insight into their issues but do not take steps to integrate these insights in their daily life. EFP combined with traditional psychotherapy allows clients to practice what they have learned in traditional psychotherapy in a safe yet challenging environment. The activities also allow for the client to practice more healthy ways of coping, modify their behavior and experiment with different ways of interacting. The special bond that grows between the horse and the client becomes a catalyst for learning new skills and working towards improved functioning. In addition, insights gained in EFP sessions can be brought back to the primary therapist for further discussion.

Examples
One activity we use is a simple "catch and halter" exercise. For individuals with horse experience this is typically a simple task. However, for those without horse experience, it can be quite difficult, require creative problem solving and can test a person's communication skills, boundary setting, level of trust and frustration tolerance. Another activity we use is "life's little obstacles". The client must move the horse over an obstacle created with a small jump, the catch is they cannot talk, cannot touch the horse and must contend with other members of the horses herd which act as distractions. We use dozens of activities to address communication skills, boundary setting, triggers to negative behaviors and coping strategies.