EquiHuman Mental Health is founded on the vision of helping people along their mental health journey to promote quality of life and well-being. In partnership with horses, EquiHuman Mental Health endeavours to provide a welcoming, compassionate and respectful space, where participants can feel safe and supported to become curious about their lives to encourage self-discovery, learning and growth.
EquiHuman Mental Health adopts a person-centred approach to service provision. It is a service that was designed for people, and intends to be inclusive and responsive to the dynamic needs of all. Here at EquiHuman Mental Health, we value and embrace individual uniqueness, and honour the whole person for who they are. We work directly alongside the client, family and significant others to develop personalised therapeutic and learning goals, with sessions being specifically tailored to meet individual needs.
Operating on site at Wallington Park Equestrian Centre, EquiHuman Mental Health works alongside Wallington Park’s herd of approximately 25 horses who each bring unique qualities and attributes to the therapy session. Experiences with horses may include observation of horses, meeting horses at liberty, touching, grooming, and leading activities, and where appropriate led-mounted riding experiences.
EquiHuman Mental Health greatly regards the therapeutic relationship between horse, client, and practitioner as an integral component in supporting client change processes. We acknowledge all persons to have core needs hardwired for connection, trust, attunement and safety. As eloquently expressed by Meggin Kirby, founder of the Equine Psychotherapy Institute, we are inherently “born into relationships, wounded in relationships, and healed in relationships”. Given this premise, EquiHuman Mental Health is committed to trauma-informed practice, incorporating a mindful, relational, trauma sensitive approach to service delivery.
EquiHuman Mental Health is governed by evidence-based practice, including theory and principles of Gestalt therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, commitment and acceptance therapy, mindfulness practices and trauma-informed practices based on neuroscience, sensory and somatic experiencing. As an accredited Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Practitioner trained with the Equine Psychotherapy Institute of Australia, we are committed to ongoing professional development to ensure service provision is contemporary and aligns with best-practice.
