Therapy & Mental Health Services
Equine assisted psychotherapy has been in practice for the past 25 years and has been shown to benefit people dealing with a variety of conditions, ranging from anxiety, depression and trauma, to learning healthy socio-emotional development for children and adolescents.
Project Horse provides custom equine assisted therapy services to individuals, families, couples and groups. We offer both adjunct and primary care treatment options.
Unhealthy patterns and behaviors can be quickly discovered in the paddock, with help from one or more therapy horses, a licensed therapist and a certified equine specialist. Our therapy horses can offer intuitive insights and a keen understanding of the range of human emotions. The horses also immediately detect incongruencies in people, such as when a teenage client states that they “feel fine” yet on the inside, they are feeling hurt, isolated and in despair. Unlike traditional office or “talk” therapy, incredible progress can be quickly made in equine assisted therapy, where we do not need to rely upon the amount of information or insight offered or articulated by clients. This makes our approach extremely helpful and effective for a wide variety of individuals, such as:
children with poor verbal skills,
adolescents who are defiant, oppositional and unwilling to cooperate, and
adult Veterans who cannot tolerate re-living past traumatic events.
New skills, behaviors and thought patterns can all be put into practice in our safe, private, and nurturing environment. The horses provide thought-provoking, instant feedback and are always "in the moment".
No prior horse experience is necessary and our sessions do not include any riding. All activities and interactions occur "on the ground", where the benefit of the horse as a therapist-partner is the most powerful.
Therapy services may be eligible for full or partial reimbursement. Learn more on our FAQ page.
Check out this video from the Impact Club of Northern Virginia, where our Executive Director Darcy Woessner talks about how she has witnessed the power and impact of equine assisted therapy first hand!
““I am a clinical psychologist who has been accompanying residential groups to Project Horse since July 2011. Our groups consist of teenagers who present with a variety of issues, including Mood Disorders, substance abuse problems, trauma, Attachment Disorders, and attention problems. Many of our kids have never interacted with horses before and are intimidated by their size. [Project Horse] does an excellent job of reinforcing simple safety precautions while allowing the clients to approach the horses at a pace that is comfortable for them. Once the teens get over their initial fears, their interactions with the horses have been a powerful addition to traditional therapy. Several clients in our groups have developed a strong attachment to the horses. Through this bond, they have learned empathy skills and have also begun to take some healthy risks in trusting people. The group activities at Project Horse provide a more relaxed atmosphere to examine their issues than in traditional therapy, which enables the teens to open up about some issues they may struggle with in their treatment. The environment is relaxed, safe, and fun, and is the highlight of the week for many of our clients.”
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SERVICES For Individuals, Families and Couples
Therapy is tailored to an individual's, family's or couple's treatment goals, in coordination with your primary therapist. If there is no primary, our therapist will do an intake assessment where you will help formulate treatment goals.
Equine therapy is beneficial for a wide variety of challenges:
PTS and trauma recovery
substance abuse
depression and anxiety
Autism Spectrum Disorders
ADD, AD/HD
eating disorders
self harm
emotional and behavioral modification
assertiveness and boundary setting
social skills / peer relations
family reunification and reintegration
transitioning to civilian life (for warriors and their families)
Group Therapy Programs
Individuals with similar goals and challenges enjoy the supportive environment provided by our wellness and therapy groups that are offered throughout the year. Therapy groups are led by a therapist, and the group meets weekly at a designated time.
Groups are designed to focus on issues such as:
social skills for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders
teens with eating disorders
trauma recovery
parenting kids with Reactive Attachment Disorder
