Celebrating Children’s Awareness Month
The word June is derived from the Latin word for youth: “Ju-Ven-Is,” so it is fitting that the month of June has been designated “Children’s Awareness Month.” Originally founded to honor all of the children who died by violence in America, it has extended its focus to the nurture and protection of childhood as a stage of physical, emotional, and mental growth crucial to the development of healthy adults who can thrive and contribute to a vibrant society.
Currently, educators, mental health providers, parents and pediatricians are sounding the alarm about the global mental health crisis occurring among young people. [1] Rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self harm and suicidality have increased among all age groups and show no signs of slowing down. Young children and adolescents do not always respond well to traditional talk therapy, leading mental health providers to search for more relevant and experiential interventions to serve these vulnerable populations.
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a rapidly growing field that shows great promise for helping afflicted youth. Various partnerships have formed to study the science of human-animal interaction specifically as it relates to children’s health and overall development, including such areas as how children perceive, relate to, and think about animals; how having pets in the home can impact children’s social and emotional development and health, and whether and under what conditions animals can safely and effectively contribute to therapeutic interventions. [2]
To gain credibility both with the public and insurers, Animal Assisted Therapy must establish and maintain accepted principles and goals of psychotherapy and demonstrate that incorporating animals into the therapeutic process honors those principles and further those goals. [3] The role of both the therapist and the animal involved must be made clear, avoiding confusing terminology and messages such as “the animal is a co-therapist” which puts an unfair burden on the animal as having more knowledge or responsibility than it is capable of and releases the human therapist from the expectation that they will undertake the additional training required to facilitate the session ethically and professionally.
Horses are particularly suited to participation in Animal Assisted Therapy sessions. As herd animals, they are highly relational, seeking connection with others and displaying curiosity about their environments. When they feel safe, horses are present and genuine in their responses, and give honest feedback about what they are experiencing when interacting with humans. Horses do not know how to “pretend” and find incongruence between internal and external emotional states to be confusing and even alarming. Because of their honesty and genuineness, horses are often easier for traumatized children to trust than people, so having an equine present in the session can provide a bridge for the child to begin trusting the therapist and participating more fully in therapy, thereby speeding the healing process. [4]
This proved to be the case for 12 year old Charlotte,[5] who came to the ranch for Equine Assisted Psychotherapy while her parents were in the middle of contentious divorce proceedings. Both parents were accusing the other of abusing Charlotte and her younger brother, and suing for primary custody. She was confused about the mixed messages each parent was communicating about the other, and mistrustful that either of them could be safe enough to care for her and her little brother. She would not make eye contact with me and said little in our sessions. Her expression was hard and angry, but I saw the pain and vulnerability underneath this protective facade.
Some of her armor melted away as soon as we stepped into the pasture. She could not hide her delight when the social greeter in my herd, a quarter horse named Copper, came directly to her and nosed her hand. She giggled a bit as his breath tickled her skin. She wanted to know his name and his story. It was the first interest she had shown in engaging with me. At first, it was only about the horses, and specifically Copper. She would direct her questions and comments at him, indirectly divulging information about her difficult circumstances as she confided to him in my presence. Eventually, she started including me more directly in the conversation, sharing her hurt and confusion and allowing me to respond without withdrawing by turning away. Copper became the bridge for her to learn to trust me enough to allow me to form a relationship with her as she built her relationship with him. “He never judges me,” she said one day, then adding, “and neither do you.” It was the first time she allowed herself to cry in therapy about the pawn she had become in her parents’ power struggle to win custody in their bitter battle for control.
Research demonstrates that the cortisol levels of both counselors and clients drops and both report feeling more calm when equines are present in their sessions.[6] When the nervous system can relax out of a fight or flight survival state, both the brain and body are able to access the healing benefits offered by safe, relational connection. As respected psychiatrist Dr. Bruce Perry notes, “Recovery can take place only within the context of relationships.”[7] Animals such as horses can help us recover relational safety but we have a responsibility to ensure that their safety and well-being is also being considered and protected in these interactions.
HHRF is a leading promoter and fundraiser for research concerning ethical horse-human interactions that promote the well-being of both. To learn more about how you can become involved, please visit our website at horsesandhumans.org
[2] Sandra McCune, Peggy McCardle and James A. Griffin et al. Editorial: Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) Research: A Decade of Progress. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2020. Vol. 7. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00044
[3] Parish-Plass N. (2016). Order out of chaos revised: A call for clear and agreed-upon definitions differentiating between animal-assisted interventions. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20631.57769
[4] Bachi, K., Terkel, J., & Teichman, M. (2012). Equine-facilitated psychotherapy for at-risk adolescents: The influence on self-image, self-control and trust. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 17(2), 298-312.
[5] Names and identifying information have been altered to protect confidentiality
[6] Bachi K, Parish-Plass N. Animal-assisted psychotherapy: A unique relational therapy for children and adolescents. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2016;22(1):3-8. doi:10.1177/1359104516672549
[7] Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2007). The boy who was raised as a dog. Basic Books. P 133.