Equine Therapy for Children and Teens From the State of West Virginia

Equine-assisted therapy is particularly efficient in tackling the underlying issues of at-risk teenage girls from West Virginia who suffer from trauma, clinical stress, depressive ailments, PTSD, and other severe mental health-related problems.

Equine therapy effectively treats troubled teens because teens feel less threatened and put on the spot as they would with traditional one-on-one talk therapy. This is particularly valuable because teens - whose frontal lobe is not yet entirely developed - regularly find it frightening and immensely difficult to communicate emotional pain and underlying issues.

Troubled teens generally find it challenging to loosen up and show well-hidden painful emotions and events. Equine-assisted psychotherapy enables teenage girls from West Virginia to work on issues like:

Self-reliance
Cultivating and maintaining relationships or connections with others
Emotional IQ
Compassion
Impulse control
Problem-solving abilities
Social skills
Establish trust in others
Trust in self
Benefits of Equine Therapy for Troubled Girls from West Virginia

Although numerous animals can be used in experiential, animal-assisted therapy, horses offer unparalleled characteristics that have made them a top selection for animal-assisted treatments. According to anxiety expert Dr. Robin Zasio, horses bring unique components to the therapy process for troubled teenage girls from the West Virginia.

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Non-Judgmental and Unbiased - Promoting Work Ethics and Trust With Others

Horses are great motivators. For example, they force teens to wake up early and feed and water them. Girls from West Virginia participate in myriad equine-related activities at an equine therapeutic program, including cleaning stalls. Some programs even allow their students to earn wages to buy additional provisions that help maintain horse properties. Moreover, horses must be brushed, walked, and closely attended to.

It is the same in the human world. Most of us have to work. Whether parenting children, going to the office, factory or running a business, many of us have no choice but to wake up early and handle business.

Awaken and see what is not so obvious, learning to discern and understand through the eyes of your heart.

At an EAT program, teenage girls from the West Virginia area participate in activities that are not always easy or pleasant in any way.

While at such a program, teens tend to the daily needs of others (horses).

What's more, teens at an equine-assisted therapy program learn how to work to maintain their relationships. By interacting and taking care of horses, teens learn to take care of something other than themselves. However, these skills can be applied to human relationships by participating and immersing themselves in equine therapy.

As much as humans, especially therapists, do our best to offer a safe space for clients to explore deep emotional hurts and painful experiences, it can be uncomfortable for clients to share their thoughts openly.

Building therapeutic rapport can take time as participants work toward building trust and practicing vulnerability in session.

Having the horse present may offer a sense of peace, as they only will react to the client's behavior and emotions with no threat of bias or any judgment of their emotional experience.

Feedback and Mirroring

Horses are keen observers and are vigilant and sensitive to movement and emotion. As a result, they often mirror a client's behavior or feelings, conveying an understanding and connection that allows them to feel safe.

This also allows patients to have a sense of self-awareness, using the horse's behavior and communications for feedback and opportunities to check in and manner what is happening at the moment.

Managing Vulnerability

As clients might find themselves vulnerable when trying to open up about emotional challenges, past experiences, or life transitions, the horse can offer a reference point to use for processing.

If something feels too painful to speak of, it can feel a bit easier for clients to process using the horse as an example or to align their experience with the horse's experiences at the moment. But, again, externalizing the content in this way can make things easier to approach and process.

Other Benefits

Some other potential benefits of equine therapy include increased:
Adaptability
Distress tolerance
Emotional awareness
Independence
Impulse control
Self-esteem
Social awareness
Social relationships

Horses also require work. They must be fed, watered, exercised, and groomed. Providing this type of care can often be therapeutic. It helps establish routines and structure, and the act of caring and nurturing something else can help build empathy.

West Virginia Resources for Parents and Struggling Teenage Girls

Families from West Virginia have made MasterNet their first choice for child remediation and direction. Parents, exploring support for their child, can expect a team of compassionate, experienced clinicians and leaders here at MasterNet. MasterNet operates from the understanding that "remediation" must come from the inside-out, not from the outside-in. We are dedicated to the life skills development and experiential education for all teen girls, who may be suffering from eating disorder, internet addiction (social media, porn, YouTube), or sexual abuse dilemmas, but also the entire family; with the direction they need for lasting remediation.

Because working with highly resistant teenage girls is challenging, most programs rely on level systems, punishments, and other behavioral techniques to manage the teen girl’s behavior. However, MasterNet recognizes that the personal circumstances of one troubled child doesn’t always apply to all of our young clients. Because of this, MasterNet’s experienced clinicians are dedicated to the management of each teenagers requirements; and they do this with professionalism and sympathy. At MasterNet, we involve the entire family (especially the parents) in the teenager’s therapy, remediation, and support. MasterNet has served numerous troubled teen girls over the years. Our track record has proven to cause life changing results for our young clients and their families.

Our purpose is to see your struggling child make a successful transition into adulthood, while living independently as a dignified young adult. Don’t hesitate to contact MasterNet’s family consultants for more information regarding enrollment, tuition, and insurance options. For testimonials from current and past MasterNet families, reach out to our team; call one of our experienced family consultants at (435) 574-4518, and discover how we can deliver a variety of relevant residential treatment strategies (equine, life training, behavioral therapy) for your troubled child today!

“For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name. You will prolong the king’s life; His years will be as many generations. He will abide before God forever; Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him. So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may pay my vows day by day.” Psalms 61:5-8