Mental Health Treatment Programs with Equine Therapy

If you find yourself experiencing persistent or worsening mental health concerns, we want to introduce you to A Mission For Michael (AMFM). Our residential mental health treatment facilities are equipped to provide you with top-of-the-line treatment while embracing your individuality. You can experience our top-notch programs in California, Minnesota, and Virginia.

We can provide you with comprehensive care for a range of mental health and dual diagnosis conditions. This includes mood disorders, trauma-related disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Our treatment programs combine evidence-based practices like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). A feature available at many of our treatment facilities is equine therapy, which we have found to enhance our counseling services. We will spend time exploring equine-assisted therapy, and how it can be incorporated into mental health counseling programs.

What is Equine Therapy?

Mental health treatment with horses, also known as equine therapy, is an approach that can be incorporated into behavioral treatment, physical therapy, and mental health treatment programs. Your time can include structured interventions like therapeutic horse riding, grooming, and feeding. Many find that horses in therapy can improve their confidence, and communication skills, and address underlying challenges with trust.

Equine therapy sessions are guided by a trained therapist, who has experience with horses and mental health concerns. This holistic approach promotes emotional and psychological healing for a range of mental health conditions, such as anxiety, trauma, and post traumatic stress disorder. Horse therapy for mental health treatment can be an effective treatment option for individuals of varying ages.

Equine Therapy for Mental Health Treatment

Equine therapy is a holistic treatment option that focuses on the relationship between you and the horse. Horses have a deep sensitivity to their environment, rooted in their role as prey in the wild. Because of this, horses can often mirror the emotions of those around them. If you’re anxious or nervous, the horse may feel the same.

This connection allows you to deepen your awareness of thoughts and emotions, and how to manage them effectively. Animal-assisted therapy can also help your therapist learn more about your emotional experiences that may not be visible. It takes time to build trust with a horse. This experience requires patience and continued work on yourself. Ultimately, you can experience the fruits of your labor when you have that connection and trust with the horse you’ve been working with. Equestrian therapy programs can provide you with a healing experience, showing you that with continued effort, you can accomplish challenging things.

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What is The Healing Relationship Between Humans and Horses?

Horses in therapy allow you to develop a profound relationship that is grounded in behaviors and emotions. This is a non-verbal relationship, or at least one-sided. It requires you to be in tune with the horse’s body language and mood, just as they are with yours. Horses are receptive to human emotions and may mirror the emotions they see in you.

If you’re uncomfortable, or lacking confidence in yourself around horses, they will pick up on it. A piece of equine-facilitated psychotherapy is working to build your confidence and emotional resilience in yourself. Mental health treatment programs can incorporate equine therapy for PTSD, isolation, and trauma. Building a trusting relationship with an animal, especially one without verbal communication, can be a healing experience for many.

What Are the Benefits of Equine Therapy for Mental Health Treatment?

Mental health centers with equine therapy generally offer this approach in addition to talk therapy and other evidence-based approaches. Several benefits can result from holistic therapy with horses. The benefits that you experience are dependent on your current mental health symptoms, and the activities that you engage in.

Some of the benefits of horse therapy include:

Reduce stress: Animal-assisted therapy has been found to have a calming effect, lowering cortisol levels in our brains. You may find calmness in the expected routine of grooming and caring for the horses. This calmness can help you manage psychological distress.
Improve emotion regulation: Similar to a mirror, horses will show you their perception of you. This can increase your self-awareness and increase your use of emotion regulation skills.
Focus on personal responsibility: Building a trusting relationship with a horse takes time and patience. Equine residential treatment centers often encourage you to take an active role in caring for the horses, which requires continued effort on your part. Over time, you will be building trust through horse therapy which can be a rewarding experience.
Improve self-esteem and confidence: Horse-assisted mental health treatment allows you to spend time focusing on something outside yourself. Individual therapy and group therapy sessions often focus on your symptoms and challenges. Equine therapy allows you to see the connection between the effort and behaviors you engage in and their results. As an example, regularly grooming a horse can help you develop a sense of pride for caring for an animal. This can improve your self-esteem and confidence regarding horse interactions.
Enhance socialization skills: Equine-assisted counseling services encourage you to be present in the moment, and aware of non-verbal communication skills. This can include things like body language, eye contact, and non-verbal sounds. These skills translate into our interpersonal connections and can help improve relationships with others.

How To Get Into Mental Health Treatment Program with Equine Therapy

The first step of the admission process for an AMFM equine therapy program is to reach out for help. AMFM admission counselors will then schedule you for a comprehensive mental health assessment. We will focus on your current symptoms, mental health history, and overall quality of life. This helps us determine which counseling services are ideal for you.

Next, we will verify your insurance so that you are knowledgeable of the financial expenses you would be responsible for. This also helps us understand limitations, exclusions, and required authorizations that could affect your treatment. Once we complete the required paperwork, our clinical team will work to craft a personalized treatment plan. This can include psychotherapy, holistic therapy programs, trauma therapy, and behavioral health treatment. Depending on the treatment facility, it can also incorporate programming focused on emotional healing with horses.

Once we have the previous steps completed, we can then help you plan your admission. This may include planning your travel to our residential facility if you’re not in our local community. When you arrive at our facility, we will help you become familiar with our staff and your new surroundings. Once you’re settled, you’ll be encouraged to begin following your treatment session and engaging in psychotherapy. For specific questions about the admission process for our residential treatment centers with equine therapy, contact A Mission For Michael Today.

Find Mental Health Treatment Programs

A Mission For Michael (AMFM) provides treatment for adults experiencing various conditions. Mental Health support is a phone call away – call 866-478-4383 to learn about our current treatment options.

California Locations

See our residences in Southern California’s Orange County & San Diego County.

Carlsbad - Goldenbush

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, & covered seating in backyard.

Carlsbad - Hoover

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms for our clients with ocean views and large rooms.

Dana Point - Blue Lantern

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, & pool.

Dana Point - Crystal Lantern

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Includes large rooms, updated interior, & private treatment rooms.

Fallbrook - North Ridge

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features a tennis court, pool, and game area.

Fallbrook - Peony

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Secluded area with library, large backyard, and pool.

Laguna Hills - Waterwheel

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, & large backyard.

Laguna Niguel - Campeon

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, & covered seating in backyard.

Lake Forest - Grayston

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, & covered seating in backyard.

Lake Forest - Sunnybrook

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Newly remodeled interior with large rooms and backyard with garden.

San Juan Capistrano - Banderas

Male identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Updated interior, & covered seating in backyard.

San Juan Capistrano - Valencia

Female identifying house with double occupancy rooms. Features large rooms, updated interior, & covered seating in backyard.

Minnesota Locations

Take a look at our homes on the east side of the Metro area in Washington County.

Stillwater - Arcola

Male mental health residential house with double and single occupancy rooms. Secluded area with large backyard many dedicated spaces for therapy.

Stillwater - Dellwood

Female mental health residential house with double and single occupancy rooms. Beautifully appointed, relaxing atmosphere for healing.

Virginia Locations

View our facilities in Fairfax County, VA within the DC metro area.

Annandale - Rebel Rose

Female identifying house with single and double occupancy rooms. Secluded area with movie theater, on a large property.

Fairfax Station - Derbyshire

Male only house with double occupancy rooms. Secluded area with large rooms, gorgeous interior, and music/game room.

Great Falls - Kellie Jean

Gender Inclusive house with double and single occupancy rooms. Secluded area with movie theater, game room, and large property.

Vienna - Browns Mill

Gender Inclusive property, Restoring hope and well-being, AMFM Mental Health Treatment provides compassionate care in a peaceful setting in Vienna, Virginia.

Vienna - Corsica

Gender Inclusive house with double and single occupancy rooms. Secluded area with large backyard, movie theater, and dedicated spaces for therapy.

Vienna - Lawyers

Male identifying house with double and single occupancy rooms. Secluded area with large backyard many dedicated spaces for therapy.

How Much Does Equine Therapy Cost With Health Insurance Support?

When your insurance coverage includes some, or most, of the cost associated with equine-facilitated psychotherapy, you can expect lower treatment costs. Your policy may have set deductibles or copay that you would be responsible for, which are generally significantly less than the full cost of treatment.

Your insurance plan may have session limits, restrictions, and required prior authorizations. Contact AMFM to learn more about the scope of your insurance coverage.

How Much Does Equine Therapy Cost Without Health Insurance Coverage?

The cost of equine therapy can vary based on the services you engage in, and the duration of treatment. Equine therapy can cost between $100 and $300 per session. Residential treatment centers with equine therapy generally incorporate the cost of these services in their total treatment costs, which range from $500 to $2,000 per day.

Contact AMFM today by dialing (866)478-4383 to receive a personalized quote for equine therapy within our residential treatment centers. We can review payment plan options for those who are not using insurance, to introduce various ways to pay for treatment.

See If Treatment Is Covered

Insurance can be complicated but we are here to help. AMFM has over a decade of experience in the mental health field and is in-network with many large insurance providers.

By using our form, we can quickly determine if you are in-network at one of our facilities. Insurance benefits vary greatly depending on the policy you have, so we obtain a detailed quote of your coverage.

It usually takes between sixty to ninety minutes depending on the time of day.

Our team will check insurance coverage and determine the benefits available to you for mental health services.

We also have private pay options available.

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How To Find Equine Therapy for Mental Health Treatment Near Me

If you have been struggling with your mental health, you may benefit from equine therapy for mental health treatment. These programs can focus on recovery with horses, trauma-related disorders, and other psychological concerns. We encourage you to try using the following steps to find local equine residential treatment centers:

Online Search: Start with an online search, using specific keywords like “Equine-assisted learning in Orange County,” “Equine therapy for mental health treatment in Seattle,” or “Therapeutic horse riding near me”. This should provide you with a generated list of related providers.
Consult Local Rehabilitation Centers: Reach out to local rehab facilities and inquire about available equine therapy services. If they do not offer equine-assisted therapy, they may know of reputable providers who do.
Verify Credentials and Accreditation: Look into the credentials of the facilities you’re considering to ensure they’re accredited by recognized organizations. You can use resources like The Joint Commission during this step in your search.
Assess Program Suitability: Contact the facilities that offer animal-assisted therapy and ask about their available horse-assisted mental health treatment options. They can tell you about commonly used approaches, techniques, and related services.
Review Insurance Coverage: Next, verify your insurance to learn about available coverage for equine therapy. This can let you know of limitations, exclusions, and required authorizations for this service.
Seek Testimonials and Reviews: Once you have narrowed down your list of providers, spend time reading reviews from former patients to learn about the effectiveness and quality of the available equine-facilitated psychotherapy.

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Equine Therapy Statistics and Information in the United States

Therapeutic horseback riding can reduce the presence and intensity of PTSD symptoms including insomnia, flashbacks, and panic attacks.
In 2019, there were an estimated 881 therapeutic equine riding centers around the world, with out-of-pocket costs totaling over $30 billion on a global scale.
Research has indicated that equine therapy can reduce anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and trauma-related symptoms.
Equine-assisted treatment has been found to affect other areas of functioning in addition to mental health challenges. This includes social interactions, which can improve relationships and have a positive impact on work performance.
Veterans who engage in equine therapy showed an 84% success rate in reaching their goals regarding communication skills and confidence in social situations.

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