Animal Therapy
Pressure and Release In Action: Asheville Academy
The Pressure and Release Model is also called the Continuum of Communication or the Communication Continuum. It is a way of exploring how we interact in relationships by discussing how much pressure we’re putting on the relationship. Is there too much pressure, like yelling at someone? Or is there not enough pressure, like choosing to…
Read MoreHow Does Animal Therapy Help Engage Reluctant Students?
Girls who enter a therapeutic boarding school program may have issues effectively communicating their feelings, or bonding with peers. This discomfort may cause them to feel disengaged from a traditional therapeutic session like one on one or group therapy. Animal therapy can be an incredibly powerful and transformative tool in these cases. Helping Students Break…
Read MoreAnimal Therapy Helps Teen Girls with Anxiety
Many of the girls that we work with struggle with social anxiety and developing close relationships with peers and staff, but are uniquely skilled at connecting with animals. Relationships with animals may not involve two-sided heart-to-hearts, but are a great way for girls to learn nonverbal social skills and self-regulation when around others. At Asheville…
Read MoreBenefits of Equine Therapy for Girls with Attachment and Self-Esteem Issues
We underestimate our primal connections to other mammals, who are deeply relational creatures and have the ability to form similar attachment styles as humans do. We see animals, like horses, as things to play with and ride for fun without considering how their past experiences may impact their ability to stay present and receptive to…
Read MoreHealing with Horses: How We Use Equine Therapy to Help Our Students
Equine therapy is an integral part of our therapeutic process at Asheville Academy. Horses are not only beautiful, sweet creatures, but they also have the ability to recognize the underlying emotional state of humans. When it comes to communication–something we work on extensively with our students–horses are especially sensitive. This allows them to act as…
Read MoreBenefits of Equine Therapy: Forming Life-Long Skills through Horses
At Asheville Academy, the benefits of equine assisted therapy are clear. We use the horses as not only a way to release stress, but also a way to provide important emotional feedback to our girls. While horses are undeniably adorable and sweet, they have a special skill of detecting the underlying emotional state of humans–and…
Read MoreHorses, Goats, Rabbits, & More: Our Furry Therapeutic Family at Asheville Academy
At Asheville Academy, our therapeutic team is made up of expert clinicians, caring staff, experienced teachers, and some other unexpected helpers: animals. Think about the calm that washes over you as you come home to the love and affection of your pet–that feeling is precisely why we have so many on-campus. As the barn manager,…
Read MoreDucks, Goats, & Horses, Oh My!: Animal Therapy Goes Beyond Just Dogs
A little while ago, a story of a therapy duck on a plane went viral–bringing the world’s attention to animal therapy and the possibilities it holds. I know it sounds ridiculous, you’re probably thinking, “A duck used for therapy? That can’t be effective.” But it is. Carla Fitzgerald got into a horrible accident in 2013…
Read MoreHorses as Healers: Benefits of Hippotherapy in Youth
The New York Times recently released an article about a mother who has a three-year-old son with cerebral palsy and the benefits of Hippotherapy. Ms. Foster, the mother states: “Jack has cerebral palsy and low muscle tone. The biggest challenge is holding his head up.” The article discusses the benefits Jack received from a form…
Read MoreTherapeutic Horseback Riding Offers Multiple Benefits for Struggling Young Girls
Therapists around the country are using a form of therapy that incorporates therapeutic horseback riding. Equine therapy sometimes uses therapeutic horseback riding to treat common mental disorders, behavioral disorders, and trauma in teens and adults. It uses horse physiology and psychology to help create emotional reflection and bring relief. Therapeutic horseback riding not only helps…
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