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EPIC WORKSHOP
Dr. Kay Trotter explains the benefits of Equine Assisted Counseling during an EPIC workshop.
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ATTENDEES
A group of nearly two dozen mental health professionals attended the first-ever EPIC workshop on June 6.
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HANDS-ON ACTIVITY
EPIC attendees listen as Dr. Trotter explains the Equine Assisted Counseling activity they are about to experience.
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INTRODUCTIONS
Equine Specialist Deb Bond introduces George to the EPIC attendees.
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LABELS
In the first activity, attendees placed labels on the horse's body to identify the location of key parts.
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MORE LABELS
Attendees used labels to identify the horse's flank, mane, withers, and more.
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HORSE & RIDER
Participants learn they will each play the part of a horse and the rider during the "Horse & Rider" activity.
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INSTRUCTION
The "Horse & Rider" activity focuses on communication between a rider and a horse - and how often miscommuniation occurs. After the activity, participants discussed the feelings an behaviors they exhibited during the activity.
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BITS & HALTERS
Dr. Trotter holds the halters the participants use in the "Horse & Rider" activity.
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Mendin' Fences Equine Assisted Counseling Demo Photos
Check out these photos from a Mendin' Fences counseling demo, which was held at Bridlewood Stables - the host facility for Dr. Trotter's EPIC Training for mental health professionals and her Mendin' Fences Equine Assisted Counseling for clients.
Note: To protect client confidentiality, Individuals participating in the demo were volunteers and not actual clients
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MENDIN' FENCES BANNER
A colorful new banner marks the corral where the counseling demo took place.
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SPECTATORS
A group of spectators quickly formed to watch the Mendin' Fences counseling demo.
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BBQ PICNIC
Bridlewood Stables & Equestrian Center offered a barbeque picnic at their Grand Opening celebration.
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CORRAL
The Mendin' Fences counseling demo was held in Bridlewood's main corral.
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DEMO SET-UP
Volunteers from the audience were asked to help set-up and participate in the counseling demo.
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HALTERS
Volunteers were given halters to begin the "Catch and Release" activity.
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CATCH AND RELEASE |
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DIRECTION
Participants learn they will catch and lead various horses during the "Catch and Release" activity.
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INSTRUCTION
The "Catch and Release" activity focuses on what the horse is communicating - and also what participants are communicating to the horse (both verbally and non-verbally).
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"WHAT DID I DO?"
During the equine activities, skilled therapeutic teams intuitively sense how to guide the group or individual towards awareness of "What I did” and “How I did it” in order to help them gain awareness of specific behaviors.
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GIVE AND TAKE |
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GEORGE
The therapeutic team brings "George" into the corral for a new activity.
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MODERN MODES
Our world is full of amazing lines of communication - phone, fax, email - and how we communicate is often closely related to the modes of communication we use.
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COMMUNICATION
The path to better communication begins with exploring how different lines of communication influence individual perceptions and actions - and the resulting reactions of others.
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TEAMWORK
Successful teams in the "Give and Take" activity recognize the need to constantly adapt in order to facilitate change.
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CAUSE & EFFECT
Horses act as a mirror for our behavior, so while people might think “The horse is stubborn," they soon discover if they change themselves, the horse responds differently.
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PROBLEM SOLVING
Equine Assisted Counseling helps teach healthy communication and problem-solving skills that will lead to success in life and relationships.
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SUCCESS
Equine activities help clients learn to observe and respond to behaviors of the horse instead of staying stuck in their current patterns.
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RELATIONSHIP METAPHORS
Through Equine Assisted Counseling, the horse acts as a metaphor for relationships, which provides clients the opportunity to look at what works, what doesn’t work, and to take responsibility for recognizing how personal actions affect others.
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PRODUCTIVE
The "Give and Take" activity builds productive, mindful teams as part of the on-going, long-term process woven throughout the treatment.
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HORSE AND RIDER |
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INTERACTIVE
The "Horse and Rider" activity is an effective way to learn how difficult it is for a horse and rider to communicate.
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GROWTH
Equine Assisted Counseling offers genuine personal growth and change and helps you answer life’s questions through working with horses.
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HEALTHY LIVING
It's amazing how working with horses can quickly improve self-esteem, uncover keys to building healthy relationships, and help you process feelings of anger and frustration.
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PROCESSING
Each session also involves discussion with the individual or the entire group in order to process things like "What I did" and "How I did it".
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AWARENESS
As clients gain awareness of specific behaviors they can then choose to experiment with new ways of being.
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QUESTION & ANSWER
Asking questions like "What would you have liked your partner to do differently?" or "Who took the leadership role during the activity?" helps clients learn how their behaviors affect themselves and others.
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SHARING
Clients share a little of their experience and talk about how the equine activities relate to human interactions.
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FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Equine Assisted Counseling can help you gain a fresh perspective and discover how to connect with yourself and others.
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OBSERVATION
Even those who did not participate in the counseling demo learned how our non-verbal behavior communicates just as much as our verbal.
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