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Research Highlights the Utility of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Improving The Lives of Teenagers From Smithfield, VA

Equine Therapy Programs for Troubled Girls Smithfield Virginia VA 

For hundreds of years, there have been long-held beliefs that equine-assisted therapy provides physical and many psychotherapeutic benefits for those who engage in experiential treatment. However, the first studies that focus on the mental health applications of equine-assisted therapy (including therapy involving teens from Smithfield, VA) have finally been conducted. While research into the treatment is still in its infancy, the research has thus far yielded remarkable results. 


One psychiatric paper published, Cantin A. & Marshall-Lucette S., (2011) "Examining the Literature on the Efficacy of Equine Assisted Treatment for People with Psychological and Behavioural Disorders," for example, revealed promising results in the use of EAT in increasing positive and reducing self-destructive behaviors as well as in proving beneficial for those suffering from general mental health problems.

The most recent study, the Hartpury University's postgraduate research project, was a published clinical study involving over 100 teenagers and young adults and 96 therapists that used a mixed-method method centered around a quantitative questionnaire to assess equine therapy and its effect on behavioral and mental health. 

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According to their findings, participants' self-assessed wellbeing scores increased by nearly 70 percent compared to scores beforehand. 

According to one researcher, "Partakers felt they had increased in the five areas assessed: self-confidence, composure, information, flexibility, and positivity."

Seven out of ten of those who felt they had undergone a positive impact from the therapy described increased self-confidence and repaired relationships due to the equine-assisted therapy programs. 

Another example of clinical analysis is a 2017 study titled "Effects of Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy on Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Youth," which concluded that equine-assisted therapy was just as efficient in treating post-traumatic stress in teens from Smithfield, VA as psychiatric counseling.

This research, in particular, shows the potential of equine treatment. Consider it this way, simply on its own, equine therapy generated similarly confident results as traditional psychotherapy. By reasoning this statement, one can quickly elucidate how effective the treatment could be when used with standard and even intensive residential practices. 

The outcome of many psychiatric specialists looking into the mental health applications of equine therapy is more than positive. 

While various acknowledge that the analysis into the treatment is still in its early stages, they also argue that those using equine-assisted therapy are simply anticipating that additional concrete research to catch up on what many have already identified for centuries and what cutting-edge studies have thus far proven: Equine therapy is a stalwart treatment remedy that treats most mental and behavioral conditions -- the most critical and far-reaching mental illnesses currently troubling teenage girls from Smithfield, VA today.  

Equine-Assisted Interventions' Therapeutic Impact on Teenage Girls from Smithfield, VA 

While Equine-Assisted Therapy is equitably effective in healing any demographic, it is particularly efficient for adolescents. Specifically, animal-assisted intervention therapies are clinically proven to promote teens' emotional, cognitive, and social states of well-being.

A joint study from 2004 titled, 'Can Animals Support and Assist Humans in Healing? Animal-Assisted Treatments in At-Risk Teenage Mental Health' proposes that AAT, namely, horses is effective in developing the following (in teenage girls from Smithfield, VA): 

  • General anxiety disorders
  • Correspondence between patient and therapist
  • Agreement and recognition in therapy
  • Resolute social behaviors

The corresponding study found prefatory evidence that animal-assisted therapy (horses in particular) for teens" (including teens from Smithfield, VA) catalyze learning, comfort sources, and outlets for nurturance."

Similar studies have shown that animal-assisted therapy can also help treat teens who have struggled with socializing. 

It is typical for mental health-related circumstances, such as depression or stress, to negatively influence the part of a teen's brain that enables them to interact with others productively. But, interestingly, this part of the brain is unaffected when it comes to interacting with animals.

Consequently, when clinically anti-social teens are introduced to an animal during therapy sessions, they are more easily able to access that otherwise shut-off part of their brain - allowing them to successfully undergo traditional therapy with a psychiatric professional. 

Direction for Parents of At-risk Youth in Smithfield, VA

Many families from Smithfield, VA who are searching for direction, have made MasterNet their first choice for their at-risk child who may be undergoing alcohol dependence, peer conflict, or ADD/ADHD (attentional disorder) related trials. Here at MasterNet, our counselors understand the common issues that at-risk adolescent girls from Smithfield, VA are faced with every day; and we provide direction to our teen students, so they can recognize and deal with their social-related problems in a way that is both healthy and productive. Our robust outdoor recreation and adventure therapy programs rely on connection, trust, and respect; thus inspiring an internally motivated rehabilitation that lasts a lifetime.

We are proud to provide inspired support to ensure a lasting rehabilitation. We have the utmost respect for every teen student and family that we work with, and this is something that sets our therapeutic boarding school apart from the rest. MasterNet’s counselors acknowledge and appreciate the issues that adolescent girls from Smithfield, VA deal with every day. With decades of collective experience in the therapeutic boarding school industry, MasterNet’s counselors have the ability to quickly assess, identify, and provide direction to teens battling drug abuse/addiction (including marijuana) obstacles, trials related to self-harming behavior, and causes for anger.

Contact MasterNet today at (435) 574-4518; and allow our admissions specialists to answer any questions about our enrollment fees, insurance affiliations, or proximity to Smithfield, VA. Make MasterNet and their therapeutic boarding school a life-changing and memorable experience for both your family and your troubled child!

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