New WA approach to equine-assisted therapy education

A national registered training organisation specialising in equine-assisted therapy is expanding into WA for the first time with plans to hold its inaugural equine-assisted mental health education course at Gidgegannup later this month.

Queensland-based Equine Assisted Therapy Australia, established in 2016 and regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority, will conduct its first 19-month course at Quenda Glade Equine in Gidgegannup from February 17.

It offers specialised and Australia Counselling Association-accredited training in counselling and equine-assisted mental health to teach students on how to become equine-assisted mental health practitioners.

Capel-based clinical psychologist Nina Fischer, who completed her PhD at Curtin University on the topic of equine-assisted therapies, said she commended the industry on its approach to formalising training.

“Equine-assisted therapy in Australia has been unregulated, which makes it important for both aspiring equine-assisted therapists and consumers to educate themselves on what a training provider is offering and whether formal qualifications are involved,” she said.

EATA director and founder Jane Faulkner developed the RTO program to offer nationally recognised ACA-accredited training education.

After expanding into NSW and Victoria, she discovered a strong interest for equine-assisted therapy in WA.

“We decided to bring EATA to WA because the demand is genuine, the need is strong,” Ms Faulkner said.

“We want to make sure local practitioners don’t have to travel interstate to access the learning and support they deserve.”

Ms Faulkner hopes an EATA training program in WA would strengthen capability and confidence across the equine-assisted-therapy sector.

“It will give people practical tools they can use immediately to build a shared approach to best practice and create an ongoing network of support,” Ms Faulkner said.

“Ultimately, it’s about better outcomes for individuals and families, and a stronger, more connected workforce across the State.”

Ms Faulkner said equine-assisted therapy had continued to grow in popularity as more people turn towards complementary and alternative medicines for a wide range of mental health conditions.

She said 70 per cent of Australians that experienced anxiety, trauma or difficultly trusting others, used complementary and alternative medicine therapies.

Ms Faulkner said research had shown that horses can detect the emotions of humans and even fine-tune their own emotional state with that of others.

She said there were many reasons why horses work so well in therapy.

“Horses are curious, they respond to us in the moment, and for some people horses provide a safer way to be in a relationship than people do,” Ms Faulkner said.

“They don’t need you to talk, they don’t need you to perform — they meet you exactly where you are.

“Horses are incredibly sensitive to our body language, breathing and emotional energy, and they give immediate feedback without judgment.”

Ms Faulkner said equine-assisted therapy aimed to create a space to practise calm communication, boundaries and self-regulation in a way that helped a person feel natural and supportive.

“Students learn how to safely and ethically incorporate horses into the therapy space during our courses,” she said.

“This includes a strong understanding of equine ethology — from how a horse communicates through its body language to understanding their physiological responses.

“All our students complete supervised hands-on practice with horses and clients, which includes the facilitation of individual and group equine-assisted therapy sessions.”

Ms Faulkner said the students would study basic neuroscience, equine ethology, trauma theory and trauma-informed practice, and different counselling modalities.

They would participate in close to 300 hours of responsible and responsive equine interactions during practical workshops.

This included learning how horses communicate with their body language and the similarities between the human and horses’ nervous system.

All interactions with the horses would take place on the ground, with no riding involved.

“This approach prioritises the horses’s natural behaviours, choice and wellbeing,” Ms Faulkner said.

EATA will conduct two course options including an entry-level course titled counselling with equine-assisted mental health, which would include a nationally recognised diploma of counselling.

The postgraduate course titled equine-assisted mental health is designed for already qualified mental health practitioners.

To find out more, view equineassistedtherapyaustralia.com.au