Four Circles Recovery Center, an innovative addictions, substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders treatment program for young adults ages 18-28, has announced the addition of equine therapy to their adventure program. Now their young men and women’s groups get to experience the many benefits that equine therapy has to offer, and Four Circles gets to provide another natural setting where clients have the opportunity to increase their self-confidence, reduce their fears, and bolster their self-esteem.
Positive experience of horse and rider interaction
Using equine experience as a tool for emotional growth, learning, and personal development is an effective way to assist in the recovery process.
Jack Kline, MS, LPC, LCAS, CCS, Executive Director, explains, “It’s been clinically proven that using the equine experience as a tool for emotional growth, learning, and personal development is an effective way to assist in the recovery process. Adding this piece to our program is another reinforcing factor that you can have fun in sobriety as well as learn additional coping strategies and abilities.”
Equine therapy is quite straightforward. Horses are intuitive creatures that are extremely sensitive to their surroundings and are continually watching for predators or anything that may be amiss in or around their environment. Being so keenly alert, they are able to easily respond to what clients are feeling at any given moment while spending time in the same setting.
A horse’s behavior often acts as a reflection of the person that they are with, and they mirror the emotions and feelings that are around them. Clients quickly learn that interacting with the horse can be an image of who they are at that moment and help assist them in becoming more self-aware.
Once clients become aware of what it is like to work with horses that will listen to their commands, interact with them on a level that they may not have ever experienced, and receive their unconditional love and sensitivity, they are able to communicate more effectively, work better in a team environment, and increase their problem solving skills.