Course Description: This course will provide both didactic and experiential approaches to give the participants the opportunity to fully experience the method and benefits of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. Participants will engage and partner with horses during the training. Instructors Information: Samantha Balcezak grew up on a ranch in Arizona where horses have been a part of her entire life. Sam sought out others doing this work and connected with the founders of EAGALA where she joined the inaugural class certified in 1999 and became certified as an Equine Specialist. Sam also holds certifications with the Certified Horse Association (CHA), Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH), and as a life coach. Sam has served Reins of Hope as Program Director and Executive Director, and was instrumental in ROH becoming a distinguished EAGALA site. Susan Perry, MA, LMFT, grew up with horses, became Eagala (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) certified as a Licensed Mental Health Provider in 2022, and volunteered for Reins of Hope until joining the team in 2024. She holds master’s degrees in Spiritual Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Spiritual Science, is fluent in Spanish, and specializes in using mindfulness practices in her life and work. She was drawn to Eagala due to the partnership with horses and the unique attributes of the model that facilitate insight, change, and deep healing using a heart-centered, experiential, and Solution-Focused approach. Educational Goals: To educate and expand clinician’s understanding of an equine-assisted, team based, solution-focused, and experiential approach to psychotherapy that integrates horses and is used with multiple populations specifically to address trauma, recovery from addiction, and multiple attachment and mental health issues
To provide the opportunity for clinicians to observe the role of the horses as social animals with unique intelligence in the clinical setting providing opportunities for clients to engage relationally (including co-regulation with the horse in nervous system reciprocity and utilizing horse as reflection resulting in revelation of behavioral patterns, attunement to emotions, shift in human perspective, and greater self-awareness)
To experience the integration of theories and utilization of story and symbol within the Eagala model in a creative and collaborative process in a team approach to facilitating an EAP session
