Equine Facilitated Counselling

In counselling at 2 Lead Change, the client and counsellor work together to support the client’s therapeutic goals of well being, building experiences of safety, tracking nervous system arousal and re-regulating. The relationship built among client, counsellor and horses develops the client’s sense of self, strengths and supports. The engagement with horses in the herd enlivens and nourishes a sense of joy of life by awakening a sense of self, being mindful and making decisions. Allowing the body to ground, slow down, relax, and build tolerance,  clients develop clear boundaries and build capacity for healthy relationships.

Clients develop awareness of body, mind and emotions through engagement with the horses. In a sense, horses mirror our own internal imbalance or disconnection. Using mindfulness techniques, body awareness and specialized equine activities, clients can learn to calm their nervous system and develop new self-soothing skills to negotiate anxiety. Learning to set a healthy boundary with a horse and experiencing the positive impact on the horse-human relationship can be quite a powerful experience.

Experiential learning in counselling sessions with horses allows people to build environmental awareness and orientation, a connected sense of presence, internal resources, and supportive regulation and relational safety. Because of the experiential nature of the modality, clients are able to practice new affective, cognitive and behavioural strategies allowing them to witness their own various responses as well as those of the horse or herd.

As a registered Social Worker, owner and counsellor of 2 Lead Change,  Tori Poe has studied therapeutic theories, Indigenous Field of Study, principles of practice, mental health,  mindfulness, trauma, neuroscience and ‘The Way of a Herd’ and is a lifelong learner participating in ongoing continuing education courses. 2 Lead Change is informed by the medicine wheel, cycle of life, a theoretical framework that supports a holistic approach by balancing spiritual, emotional, physical and mental aspects of an individual, family, partnership or community. Tori honours a strengths based and client centered approach and partners with horses, living in a herd, as co-facilitators. Working with the horses gives an opportunity to practice shifting internal states and building awareness of the external presence. This deepening of mind, body, emotional and spiritual awareness creates the foundation for transformation in behavior and relationships in the world. This process reconnects with the person’s natural ability to heal.

*Plus HST

Equine Facilitated Learning

Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) is a unique modality of experiential learning for personal growth, learning social and emotional intelligence skills, and leadership and team building skills. The sessions of EFL may be one or more sessions or offered within a workshop of one to three days. Professional development sessions can be customized for a specific profession or community group (i.e. therapists, care-givers, first responders, veterans, etc..) or to address a specific area of interpersonal dynamics and communication.

*Plus HST