Discover Healing Through Equine Therapy at Asheville Family Counseling!
At Asheville Family Counseling, we’re dedicated to providing innovative and effective therapeutic services that promote healing, growth, and well-being. As such, we are thrilled to announce we are collaborating with Hot Springs Equine Therapy to bring you a unique and transformative experience that harnesses the power of the human-horse connection to help individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
Why Choose Equine Therapy? Equine Therapy is a specialized form of therapy that integrates horses into the therapeutic process. It offers a safe and supportive environment where individuals can explore their emotions, build self-confidence, and develop essential life skills.
Here’s why you should consider our Equine Therapy services:
- Holistic Healing: Equine Therapy takes a holistic (whole body) and experiential (hands-on) approach to healing: addressing emotional, psychological, and physical well-being in an adventurous way.
- Effective Communication: Working with horses encourages improved communication, empathy, and trust- and relationship-building skills.
- Stress Reduction: Nestled in the tiny town of Hot Springs, the serene and natural mountain setting of our equine facilities promotes relaxation and stress relief. Also, with a much lower resting heart rate than ours, horses are amazing for us to unconsciously co-regulate with; our nervous system will sync with theirs!
- Absolutely Zero Bias: The horses meet the client where the client is at; they have no knowledge of the person’s belief system, gender or sex identity, trauma history, diagnoses, or any of the many labels humans use to describe themselves. Horses don’t care about this stuff; all they care about is how you meet them in the moment, how kind you are to them, and if you have any treats in your pocket!
- Personal Growth: Participants often experience increased self-esteem, self-awareness, and personal empowerment. Horses provide a mirror to the feelings and behaviors the client brings into the field. By watching how the horses interact with the client, and by listening to the metaphors and narratives the client brings into the field, we are able to help the client find their own meanings and answers to the problems they are having.
Our Equine Therapy Program:
Asheville Family Counseling and Hot Springs Equine Therapy have designed this program to cater to a wide range of needs, including but not limited to:
- Children and Adolescents: Helping young individuals build self-esteem, manage emotions, and develop social skills. We do have a minimum age of around 10 to ensure we are able to maintain safety.
- Adults: Offering a unique approach to healing trauma, reducing stress, improving self-awareness, and enhancing interpersonal relationships.
- Works well with a variety of mental health concerns, including trauma, neurodivergence, anxiety, relationship struggles, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and is very LGBTQIA+ friendly.
- If you feel you don’t fit into this list, please reach out. While we aren’t set up to meet everyone’s needs, we will try to find a way to accommodate you.
Meet Our Equine Therapy Team:
Our Equine Therapist, Tracy, and our Equine Specialist, Cris, are dedicated to your well-being. They bring a wealth of knowledge and compassion to every session, ensuring a safe and transformative experience. Our herd comprises of four horses, all of whom are rescues: Romeo, a cute little Shetland pony who loves to find treats hidden in pockets; Scout, a feral mustang, rescued from an abusive situation, who is learning how to trust; Bella, a gorgeous strawberry roan who is as sweet as she looks; and Charlie, a handsome bright bay who is also a Houdini undercover as a horse – that’s Charlie in the pic with Tracy and Cris!
What to Expect:
- Initial Session: We will go over all safety aspects, teach you some horse basics, get to know you, and assess your treatment needs, and begin to identify a treatment plan.
- Tailored Sessions: Your therapy sessions will be tailored to your specific needs and preferences, and will be flexible based on the journey you see for yourself. Much of the work is metaphoric. We believe in your ability to find your own answers when you are in a nurturing, supportive, encouraging environment. Our job is to help you on your path.
- Horse Interaction: Our horses play a vital role in the therapeutic process by just being themselves in their own space. Choice is always a priority, for horse and client, but you can expect to get hands-on with a horse each week, which can include grooming, leading, playing, building obstacle courses, or just hanging out and sharing in their amazing energy. All work is on the ground. This is Psychotherapy, so there is no riding involved.
- Safe Environment: We prioritize safety. The Equine Specialist’s primary job is to watch the horses and keep everyone safe. However, there are inherent risks when working outside and with such large animals, so we do require a signed waiver that you understand these inherent risks.
Schedule Your Equine Therapy Session:
Are you ready to embark on a journey of healing, self-discovery, and growth? Contact us today to schedule your Equine Therapy session. We currently offer appointment times on Sundays and Mondays.
Pricing and Insurance:
We accept a sliding scale of $170 – $210 per session for private pay, which includes a $60 equine facilities fee for Hot Springs Equine Therapy. We also accept all BCBS policies for therapeutic services. Please note that BCBS does not cover the equine facilities fee, which will be an additional $60 per session for BCBS clients.
We encourage you to schedule a free, 15-minute call to see how working with us may help you or your child. Please call or text (828) 761-3149.