Are you a mental health professional or EAL facilitator who wants to expand your practice? Do you want to work in partnership with horses? Stay tuned for The Mane Intent’s 2023 offerings of Building Internal Resilience Through Horses Equine-Assisted Learning facilitator training.
Earlier this fall, we hosted another round of Building Internal Resilience Through Horses (BIRTH) Equine-Assisted Learning Facilitator Training at our farm. This 5-day, in-person certificate offering is intended to equip mental health professionals and EAL practitioners with practical tools and support so you’ll have the necessary skills and knowledge to offer BIRTH in your community.
Building Internal Resilience Through Horses was a research initiative representing a partnership between The Mane Intent, Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre and Trent University, originally funded by Public Health Agency of Canada. Outcome measures showed significant improvements in participants’ resiliency indicators, including:
- Increased emotional awareness and adaptability
- Stronger sense of personal mastery, and
- Improved interpersonal and relational skills
While originally developed and delivered to young women 13-18 years who have experienced trauma, the program can be adapted for other demographics. Erin Folk, a former RCMP officer and now a facilitator/investigator with Folk Consulting, participated in our fall offering. Folk says she found the program “valuable for self-reflection and self-regulation.”
Erin, her husband and her family have plans underway to launch an equine-assisted learning program in the near future to help improve the well-being of veterans. Erin shared that their new facility is located near Regina, Saskatchewan, and the program will be open to hosting veterans from any location.
In 2021, Halifax Lancers hosted an offering of BIRTH EAL facilitator training for a group of volunteers to support the launch of their own Equine-Supported Wellness offering. “This has been a powerful program for Halifax Lancers. The horses have allowed people to learn important life lessons and skills. It has been wonderful to witness how meaningful the program has been in the lives of those who have gone through it,” shared Shannon Johnson, PhD, Registered Psychologist, Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University.
If you are interest in participating in the next offering of EAL facilitator training or would like to host the training at your farm, please reach out to Jennifer Garland at jgarland@themaneintent.ca
