Grief and Horses: Putting the Pieces Together

Abstract

The effectiveness of grief counseling may be enhanced through the utilization of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP). An experiential, solution-focused, and natural approach, EAP provides clients with the opportunity to discover solutions to challenges that exist within themselves. Counselors and equine specialists team with horses to provide a unique approach based on metaphor and interaction. Horses' natural abilities allow them to be extremely beneficial components of a counseling team. When incorporated into grief counseling, horses provide many unique therapeutic options. This article discusses the integrative potential of grief counseling through EAP while incorporating humanistic and cognitive theoretical counseling concepts, as well as providing case examples to illustrate these concepts. Client names and identifying information have been changed to protect confidentiality.

Keywords:

• grief
• counseling
• equine-assisted psychotherapy
• experiential counseling
• EAGALA
• death
• loss
• creativity