What Are Equine Therapy Programs for Troubled Teen Girls From the City of St. Petersburg, FL

Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) is an Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) that has become increasingly popular with parents of troubled teens in recent years. The treatment involves feeding, grooming, taking care of, and in some cases, riding horses under the watchful eye of a therapist who incorporates horse-related activities in therapeutic sessions.

EAT programs are residential programs that apply equine therapy in their everyday treatment of troubled girls whose out-of-control behaviors and lacking mental health have caused them to lose control of their life.

So, Why Is Equine Therapy Productive?

Equine therapy, while relatively new in the arena of troubled teen behavioral health, is an ancient practice that can trace its origins back to millennia -- ancient Greece, to be exact. To say EAT is times' tested effective form of treatment is an understatement.

Today's modern usage of equine therapy (as it pertains to troubled teens) is drastically different than where it once started. Still, it is nonetheless an exciting treatment that is being retooled to revolutionize the troubled teen treatment industry.

According to numerous studies, the applications of equine therapy have thus far have proven effective in treating severe and complex behavioral and mental illnesses, including:

PTSD
OCD
Reactive Attachment Disorder
Depression
Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Low-Self Esteem
Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Due to its natural healing qualities, many residential treatment centers known as Equine Therapy Programs have since gone on to use the treatment as their core mental health treatment curriculum.

Why Is Equine Therapy Effective?

There are many reasons why EAT effectively treats mental health issues in teens (including those from St. Petersburg, FL). That said, many behavioral authorities and supporters of the treatment often point to equine therapy's ability to therapeutically affect teens in a less threatening way as to why it is impactful in reaching hard-to-treat troubled youth. In other words, whereas most troubled youth may feel as though they are under a microscope during one-on-one therapy sessions, those engaging in equine therapy find the buffer of the horse between them and a counselor as refreshingly less threatening.

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 St. Petersburg, FL 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 St. Petersburg, FL today.

Equine-Assisted Interventions' Therapeutic Impact on Teenage Girls from St. Petersburg, FL

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 St. Petersburg, FL):

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 St. Petersburg, FL) 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.

Mental Health Support in St. Petersburg, FL for At-risk Adolescents

Many families from St. Petersburg, FL 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 St. Petersburg, FL 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.

Because working with highly resistant teens is challenging, most programs rely on level systems, punishments, and other behavioral techniques to manage the adolescent girl’s behavior. However, MasterNet recognizes that the personal circumstances of one at-risk child doesn’t always apply to all of our teen students. Because of this, MasterNet’s professional counselors are faithful to the management of each teens requirements; and they do this with professionalism and sympathy. At MasterNet, we involve the entire family (especially the parents) in the teen’s therapy, rehabilitation, and direction. MasterNet has served numerous at-risk adolescent girls over the years. Our track record has proven to cause life changing results for our teen students and their families.

Because we specialize in a variety of relevant residential treatment strategies (equine, life training, behavioral therapy) and deliver outdoor recreation and adventure therapy, at-risk teens can grow to be healthy adults, and MasterNet’s teen students can emerge as strong people who are motivated to succeed. MasterNet recognizes that the entire family needs the support that our licensed counselors provide; so that your child can be rehabilitated and whole. MasterNet’s admissions specialists can be reached immediately at (435) 574-4518.

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.” Psalms 40:3