Animals have become popular tools in the mental health field. Most commonly, therapists use dogs to help clients work through issues and identify areas of exploration throughout counseling sessions. At Healthy Strides located in Argenta, Illinois, we incorporate horses into each therapy session. Healthy Strides has grown to a multi-service Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) program offering individual, family, and group therapy covering a wide range of issues such as anxiety, PTSD, depression, family communication, veteran family support and more. EAP uses the power of herd behavior to teach, educate, and treat a variety of life stressors and mental illness through the genuine and honest nature of the horse. EAP is an efficient method that uses the horse's nonverbal communication to mirror our own struggles and triumphs.
Speaker: Brittney McVey, LCSW
