Wendy Powell MSc for all types of addiction - Call 07968 356 238 for a discreet enquiry

Why Horses?
Like humans, no two horses are the same; they require work in order to be cared for, worked with in order to get results, patience, clear instructions and a sense of trust and respect.

They are not easy to work with, they are powerful, and sometimes intimidating creatures to approach, but nothing worthwhile ever came easily did it?

Horses are by nature social animals, they take on a defined role within their herd, they have their own personalities and prefer being around their peers to being alone and they like to have fun.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is a different and very effective way of working through problems with the assistance of horses whose nature and behaviours help to challenge our own behaviours and beliefs.

How do they do that?
Horses have the ability to mirror what humans tell them via our body language, if you are angry, the horse won’t want to be near you, if you are stubborn, the horse will be stubborn. You gradually learn that if you change your behaviour the horse will change theirs towards you, as you become more approachable, so do they.

Most importantly, horses aren’t bothered about hurting your feelings, if you frighten them or seem angry, they will get as far away from you as possible and will not come back with a few soothing words; flowers and chocolates won’t do it, you have to make a physical as well as emotional change in order to get a different result – and not only that, if you revert back, so will they.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is not about riding or horse skills, these are not required in a session. EAP takes place on the ground; you won’t be riding or needing special equipment, just you (either on your own or in a group format), and the therapeutic team, consisting of the horse(s) a qualified therapist and a horse professional.

The Team
Wendy Powell qualified as an Equine Assisted Psychotherapist in 2005 and since then in her role as Counselling Manager at a residential addictions treatment centre has worked with a mixture of patients on a one to one basis, in group format and with family members who were experiencing a range of problems.

During this time Wendy was responsible for facilitating experiential and informative workshops for professionals who were interested in using this form of therapy. This included presentations to the Home Office, Criminal Justice teams, members of the press, horse professionals and therapists as well as members of the public who had expressed an interest in EAP.

Wendy has also contributed to newspaper articles on the value of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, please follow the links to view these articles.

She is a qualified and experienced practitioner of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and a member of its governing body EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association). Follow link for Code of Ethics and further details.

As well as working with clients, I am particularly interested in establishing a support network for fellow EAP therapists in the London and Surrey areas in order to facilitate a series of workshops for newer members to practice their skills and for existing therapists to increase their knowledge and training by sharing skills and experience.

Case Study – One to One Work:
Karen’s life had changed dramatically over the years through drug use, she had lost all friends and relationships, eventually finding herself in a treatment facility for addictions. She didn’t trust anyone and was highly skeptical of EAP, however after a series of one to one sessions she began to communicate with the horses and to trust them. She reflected on her sadness over the loss of family and relationships, which was more obvious to her when she observed the horses within their herd, their playfulness with each other and their roles within the group. This work helped to promote a greater level of insight into Karen’s situation and encouraged her to put in place plans for a different life after treatment. The beginning of a long journey.

Case Study – Couple Work:
Fiona and David had gradually moved further apart in their relationship, David was increasingly working longer hours and Fiona was feeling depressed and ignored which resulted in her finding comfort in food, they had ceased to communicate properly. A friend of Fiona’s had read a newspaper article on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and after several attempts to find a mutually convenient date and time they arranged a session. Although David resented the implication that there was a problem he attended the session, which rapidly became highly emotional for both of them. Several sessions later they were effectively communicating and working through their problems.

Family Group Work:
Family dynamics can become destructive over a period of time and relationships break down, communication stops as each individual feels they aren't being listened to. Family group work can help to immediately identify the roles each family member takes or has become used to and effectively challenges how members of the family feel about the roles they have found themselves in. This work gives them the opportunity to try out different roles and to create a better working dynamic fairly quickly, often repairing misunderstandings and long held resentments. The family creates a better working team in order to achieve set tasks.