Elk Mountain Academy for Girls... A Christian Therapeutic boarding school serving troubled girls with behavior, academic & trauma recovery issues for girls ages 13-17. Safe and secure, with equine therapy and academics.
Is "Equine Therapy" Really a Type of "Therapy"?
Equine Therapy is one of the Most Popular and Effective Therapies at Elk Mountain Academy
The team of highly qualified Equine Assisted Psychotherapists to educate, promote, and support students in the practice of authentic equine-assisted work.
Authentic equine-assisted work honors and integrates natural horse and herd behavior as a model for human mental and emotional health using the equine-assisted philosophies developed by Greg Kersten, Founder of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Our singular approach to equine therapy offers your daughter an experience not possible at other therapeutic boarding schools. Working with horses can speed healing of many emotional, behavioral and social disorders.
"Christian Therapeutic Boarding School for Struggling Girls... "May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance." 2 Thessalonians 3:5
Horses are skilled at keeping themselves safe and adept at survival; their natural behaviors are optimal for mental and physical health. In many respects, humans have lost the instinct to keep themselves safe and healthy. We entrust horses to show us the way back to health.
The Power of Equine-assisted Principles & Exercises
Work and observation in the horse world lend itself to extremely powerful metaphors into our own patterns, strengths, and the nonverbal messages we send out.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy implements the power of equine-assisted principles and exercises to introduce therapy clients to themselves in a modality that has been found to be more efficient and less threatening than traditional talk therapy.
Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) is a field of practice based on the successes of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. We have learned that everyone can benefit from equine-assisted work - not just therapy clients.
EAL uses equine-assisted principles and exercises in a variety of "arenas" from corporate retreats, to church groups, personal coaching, parenting and family dynamics and more!
Why Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?
Troubled youth commonly have trouble with anger, authority, and aggression. Studies show that forging a relationship with animals and horses releases endorphins into the body.
Endorphins help to lower the amount of stress and anxiety causing chemicals released into the body. Maintaining an optimum chemical balance results in a calm, more focused awareness and optimism about life.
Horse therapy programs also offer young women the opportunity to care for and handle horses. This teaches responsibility, compassion and communication skills vital to the future of your daughter.
Maybe of greater importance is the overwhelming sense of belonging and contribution your daughter will feel here at Elk Mountain Girls Academy.
Conditions or Disorders Treated by Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Equine therapy goes beyond just caring for and riding a horse. Horses tend to read the body language of those around them, often gravitating toward specific people.
Horses can have a calming and healing effect on those who need it.
The following are some of the conditions and disorders than are treated with Equine therapy:
- Substance Abuse
- Addiction
- Behavior Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Eating Disorders
- Learning Differences
- Grief/loss
- Trauma
- Bipolar
- Depression
- Anxiety
At Elk Mountain Girls Academy, every therapy session is overseen by a qualified therapist and professional horseman.
Observation of the interactions between your daughter and the horses will provide our therapist with vital information that will bolster her healing and personal growth.
If your daughter struggles with any of the above-mentioned disorders or conditions, Elk Mountain Girls Academy has solutions.
Key Components of the Elk Mountain Girls Academy Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Program
Particular principles and exercises (based on equine behavior) are integral to the understanding and practice of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
The Key Components of Our Equine Therapy Program for Girls
Pressure/Pain: Awareness of how our equine counterparts respond (physically or mentally) to pressure (physical or emotional) and pain (physical or emotional) can give us insight into our own responses.
Do we know when we are feeling pressure versus pain? Do we respond appropriately and healthfully? Horses teach us how to evaluate and respond to the world around us.
Attention/At-Ease: Both aspects of life are essential, but not necessarily in equal parts. Horses have mastered their individual balance between time at attention, and time at-ease.
We learn to identify our own needs and imbalances, as well as those of the people around us. This simple, yet profound principle teaches us to be more effective communicators, businesspeople, friends, and human beings.
Re-Circle Process: New and unknown circumstances elicit a notable response from horses, typically in the form of a physical response.
This physical response demonstrates a safe, measured, and therapeutic way for humans to confront the more fearsome aspects of life.
A mental metaphor can be made to signify the physical Re-Circle Process to optimize our way of perceiving and thinking about situations we encounter every day.
Push/Pull: Horses provide both physical and emotional metaphors into our own behavioral patterns. When do we push? When do we pull? Do we do one more than the other? When do we push and when do we pull? How does our pushing and pulling behavior affect others?
The Nonverbal Zones: Do you know what you are saying when you aren't saying anything? Horses make good use of their body language to convey the most basic and important messages to each other. Humans do the same.
Sometimes what our mouths say is not in alignment with what our bodies say. The three nonverbal zones identified in EAP instruct us to be more effective communicators by aligning our verbal and nonverbal messages.
At Elk Mountain Girls Academy, we utilize professional horsemen and therapists to assist your daughter in building a trusting relationship with our trained horses, learning self-awareness and gaining responsibility.
When you choose Elk Mountain Girls Academy, you choose future success for your daughter.
Elk Mountain Academy is a Joint Commission accredited therapeutic boarding school designed to help young women solve difficult emotional issues such as attachment disorders, attention deficit, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-destructive or antisocial behavior, and issues involved with their adoption.
We can help your daughter get past her emotional struggles and trauma, as we have done for so many others. Please inquire online or call us.