Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) Foundation Training

What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)?

EAP is an innovative approach to clinical practice and psychotherapy where clients are invited into safe relational experiences with horses to address therapeutic goals. It is a fast-growing modality across Australia and the globe. EAP is engaging and effective for diverse clients including adults, children, adolescents, organisations, and specialist client groups such as Aboriginal youth, veterans, and clients with trauma, anxiety, depression, and addictions.

Who is this training for?

If you are a psychologist, counsellor, mental health worker, or social worker who love horses, then becoming an EAP practitioner might be the next step in your career.

How is the training delivered?

Once a year, we offer a 3-week, In-Person Immersion Training in Mount Prospect, VIC. This suits international students and national students who need to fly in, train, and fly home. This includes training from Monday to Friday each week, for three consecutive weeks, with weekends off in between for integration and processing. This also suits some students who learn best in this immersion-style format.

We also deliver our Training online. Again, this suits international and national students who are unable to travel and have to fit training around work, family and life commitments.

What are the Learning Objectives?

• To understand the theory and practice of the EPI Model and AWARE Therapy™.
• To understand and apply the psychotherapy, experiential and creative principles and practices underpinning the EPI Model and AWARE Therapy™.
• To understand ethical issues and professional standards of practice and safety practices with horses and clients.
• To develop assessment, process and closure skills.
• To review and apply counselling micro-skills, including somatic, emotional, cognitive, relational and behavioural interventions.
• To create appropriate and graded experiments to offer diverse clients and client groups based on assessment and client presentation, with professionalism and sensitivity.
• To understand and apply stage 1 trauma skills.
• To offer trauma-informed equine assisted practice.
• To apply a developmental lens in understanding symptoms, presenting behaviours, patterns.
• To develop skills in working with unconscious processes including working with fixed cognitive, behavioural and relational patterns.
• To understand and apply relational practice in the context of equine assisted therapy.
• To articulate clear therapeutic goals and design appropriate equine experiments to meet client need/presentation.
• To understand and be guided by self-awareness and ‘self as therapist’, understanding the impact of practitioner core themes, patterns and countertransference.
• To understand horse psychology and physiology, herd behaviour and appreciate the relational dynamics that horses bring to the process.
• To understand the relationship between practitioners and their horses and the impact on safety and efficacy of the work for clients, horses and practitioners.
• To develop core competencies in horse safety, horsemanship, therapeutic process and group process.
• To understand and practice I–Thou Horse-person-ship™.
• To understand and practice the EPI Horse Wisdom ® program.
• To identify practitioner limitations and be committed to continuing personal and professional growth and development.
• To begin your successful EAP practice with basic business orientation.

What can you expect from the training journey?

• Experiential
  It is an experiential and process-oriented training.
  
• Professional and Ethical
  Students develop professional practice and ethical boundaries to conduct safe, appropriate equine assisted practice.
  
• Personal
  Personal work is an integral part of the Foundation Training.
  
• Theoretical
  Theoretically grounded.
  
• Practice-based
  Practitioner and practice oriented.
  
• Research focused
  We encourage research and evaluation of programs.
  
• Horses as Teachers
  Including the horses as co-facilitators, assistants, teachers and supports for client change.
  
• Relational
  The model is Relational and grounded in relationship-based learning.
  
• Experimental
  Includes Liberty, Ground-based and Mounted experiences with horses for the purpose of supporting client change.

What are the 2024 Completion Requirements?

• Attend all 15 Days of Foundation Training (see Online Foundation Training for Online requirements)
• Complete at least 5 EAP/ EAL Clinical/Practice Sessions and keep case notes
• Complete 6 Phone / Online Education Support and Supervision Sessions with EPI Supervisor
• Completion of Self-Paced Virtual Equine Studies course (included in course fees)
• Includes Required Reading and active participation during training

All must be completed within 12 months of the commencement of training.

What support will you get?

After completion of training students/practitioners will:

• Join EPI Online Network Group
• Join EPI Closed Facebook Group
• Access EPI Supervision
• Access EPI Model Psychotherapy (as needed)
• Access ongoing Professional Development opportunities – Advanced / Specialist Training, Conferences, Assisting in training etc.
• Have lifetime access to the EPI Community of Practitioners

Why Train with Us?

We are uniquely placed as the first comprehensive Australian model of equine assisted practice - EAP (psychotherapy) and EAL (experiential learning) - since 2011. Our sister branch Animal Assisted Psychotherapy International has set a high bar for Animal Assisted Treatment - psychotherapy (AAP) and Animal Assisted Education - psycho-social learning (AAL) education and Training. Founder Meg Kirby is co-author of a recent peer-reviewed published article on best practice terminology recommendations for the international Animal Assisted Services sector of research and practice.

Celebrating our 13th year of training in equine assisted practice, animal assisted therapy and ecotherapy, we are an established private training organisation with an international reputation for excellence, high professional standards, and advocates for animal welfare, wellbeing and enrichment protocols.