User talk:Becagulxson

Nice work!
Posted automatically via sandbox guided tour. Becagulxson (talk) 17:24, 13 September 2014 (UTC)

Issues
Best Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 04:17, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
 * please read WP:MEDRS/WP:MEDMOS and [[WP:MOS
 * WP:MEDHOW can help with formatting of your refs

Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP)
EFP is a type of psychotherapy "that involves horses and takes place in and around the natural surroundings of the stables". EFP is conducted with a licensed, credentialed mental health professional that works alongside a credentialed equine professional and a patient or groups of patients. It includes creating a connection between the patient and horse through grooming and being around each other. EFP is unique because of the qualities of the horse, including (but not limited to) the horse as a mirror. This mirror gives patients instant feedback about how their emotions, behavior and physical movement are being conveyed, which is then analyzed by the group.

Studies have shown that EFP improves:


 * Sense of empowerment.
 * Ability to manage emotion.
 * Creating and maintaining healthy relationships.
 * Communication skills.
 * Recovering from physical, sexual and verbal trauma and abuse.
 * Self-confidence and self-esteem.
 * Feelings of trust.
 * Greater feeling of control.

Studies have shown that EFP decreases:


 * Recreational drug use and new police records
 * Psychological distresses such as major depressive disorder and fear and anxiety.

Unique roles of horses in EFP
This list includes characteristics of horses that make them unique for therapy.


 * Non-judgmental and unbiased: Horses react only to the patient’s behavior and emotions and are not biased by the patient’s physical appearance or past mistakes. Patients describe this as being crucial to the therapy and aids in increase of self-esteem and self-confidence.


 * Feedback and mirroring: Their nature as a prey and herd animal makes them hyper vigilant and sensitive, thus making them keen observers. This means that their feedback is provided earlier and more consistently than with a human therapist. The horse has an innate tendency to mirror the patient’s behavior, physical movements and emotions, which help the participant be more aware of him or herself. It allows patients to “feel felt”. This feedback can then be translated by the equine specialist and analyzed by the group.


 * Metaphor for real life: The ability of a psychotherapist to use the horse as a metaphor for other issues. This helps make the equine treatment applicable to real life problems.   An example of how a therapist can help the patient work out issues in their own lives through the use of the horse as a metaphor: “One child was having great difficulty discussing an upcoming move to a different foster home. She was, however, able to offer many suggestions for how to help a horse that was being sold feel more comfortable in his new environment”. Using the horse as a metaphor for his own move, the child better understood and could cope with his own move.

Good candidates for EFP

 * Adolescents – One researcher explains that EFP is an alternative for young adolescents because going to the barn and spending time with horses seems less daunting for children but can be just as effective. Additionally, “going to the barn” reduces the stigma associated with “going to the psychologist” which could be particularly beneficial for teenage clients.


 * Victims of abuse – One study interviewed five past sexual abuse survivors who participated in EFP during their recovery. Based on interview results, the participants:
 * 1) felt that they had regained control of their bodies and no longer felt powerless to their victimizers
 * 2) enjoyed that the hands-on nature of EFP as opposed to talk sessions
 * 3) benefited from the instant feedback from horses as non-judgmental mirrors
 * 4) found EFP to be more intense, focused and intimate than traditional talk therapy. One participant argued that EFP was a faster way of doing psychotherapy.

Another study found the teens of both genders that had been sexually abused displayed more positive touch behaviors after EFP. Using horses, the participants replicated healthy and unhealthy touches and received instant and unbiased feedback from the horse, thus helping them recognize the difference between unsafe and safe touches.

An added benefit to the use of touch with horses is that this sort of unsafe and safe touch practice is      not possible in the normal scope of talk psychotherapy, which allows for the exploration of important issues that would normally be off limits.


 * Physical trauma survivors – Severely injured participants interviewed explained that their human-equine bond helped them regain the trust, self-esteem and self-efficacy that they had lost after their accidents. Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are similarly helped with the use of EFP.


 * Cancer patients – One study showed that in interviews, participants said that a six week EFP program helped them take charge, overcome fear and obstacles, let go of cancer, increase self-confidence and joy, and improve their communication.

Limitations within EFP research

 * The main limitation of EFP is the lack of quantitative research. The research there is lacks statistical power because of small convenience sampling, lack of control groups and being largely interview based studies.


 * A prominent researcher in the field of EFP, Keren Bachi, calls for an EFP theory and protocol that will help unify the therapy. Additionally, some researchers worry that the lack of quantitative research may limit the acceptance of EFP in the medical community and may limit accessibility for patients.

Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
•	EQUINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY (EAP) Equine-assisted psychotherapy, (EAP) is equivalent to Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, (EFP). Both EAP and EFP involve experiential psychotherapies and work in either a group or with an individual; using sessions with horses. Both therapy types handle the horses, do grooming, some riding, lunging, and vaulting. Since EFP uses vaulting, more emphasis is placed on riding because the mental health professional uses more instruction and direction when working with the horses. On the other hand, EAP utilizes ground work with the horses, so the client does not actually have to ride the horse. The ground activities provide better opportunities for the client to grow and learn. Since the horse is used as a therapeutic tool, the primary focus is on the client to solve problems and form solutions and not on the horse. Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is starting to become a type of therapeutic intervention option in mental health. EAP is a specialized form of psychotherapy using the horse as a therapeutic tool. EAP has been applied to address a wide range of mental health and basic human development issues including mood disorders, attention deficit disorders, relationship and communication issues, behavioral disorders, substance abuse and chemical dependency, eating disorders, childhood abuse issues, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychotherapy helps bring awareness to the patient; in regards to thinking patterns, moods, behaviors, and achieving higher levels of functioning. EAP is essentially a form of integrated brief therapy. The prominent forms of brief therapy are: problem-focused, solution-focused, and strategic solution focused (integrated) brief therapy. EAP has grown out of each of these widely used and accepted forms of brief therapy. EAP treatment plans and diagnoses should be facilitated by a mental health professional and a qualified equine professional. The mental health professional and the equine professional will work together in therapy and their two roles may overlap. The mental health professional role will be to provide the therapeutic aspects of the session and the equine professional’s primary responsibility will be to ensure safety and observe the horse because the horse’s reaction to the client is just as powerful as the client’s response to the horse.

BENEFITS

The benefits of EAP include:

•	Providing insight for observation and growth;

•	Offering instant insight;

•	Fostering a healthy relationship;

•	Building trust;

•	Being able to talk things out;

•	Personal problems improve;

•	Being in a supportive environment;

•	Parent/child or husband/wife relationship improves;

•	Learning new effective coping skills;

RISKS

Some risks of EAP include:

-Cost of therapy; -Problems get worse;

-Therapy doesn’t work -Appointment times may conflict with school or work;

-Get labeled by society for having a mental illness;

-The social stigma of going to therapy;

-Exploring painful feelings and experiences resulting in feeling emotionally uncomfortable;

-Unskilled therapist;

-Use of medication, whether it is needed or not;

-Underestimation of the severity of client’s problems.

The long term effects of EAP continue after treatment because the patient learned skills that continue to improve long after treatment has been completed.

ANIMAL THERAPY

Animal therapy

AfC notification: Draft:Equine-assisted psychotherapy has a new comment
 I've left a comment on your Articles for Creation submission, which can be viewed at Draft:Equine-assisted psychotherapy. Thanks! Mahensingha (talk) 14:35, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

AfC notification: Draft:Equine-assisted psychotherapy has a new comment
 I've left a comment on your Articles for Creation submission, which can be viewed at Draft:Equine-assisted psychotherapy. Thanks! JSFarman (talk) 01:59, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

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