Miniature Horse Therapy: Bringing Unique Joy and Healing to Patients
Dog therapy is well-known and widely used, but have you heard of miniature therapy horses? Since the spring, the BOB体育 Psychiatric Hospital has partnered with to bring mini horses to pediatric and adult psychiatry patients.
The small therapy horses 鈥� usually under 3 feet tall 鈥� visit every two months for three-hour sessions. The 鈥渕inis鈥� typically visit three patient units each time.
They are calm, sociable, and cute as can be.
The tiny horses use nonverbal communication and are tuned in to human behavior, allowing participants to develop a heightened self-awareness. These interactions can reveal behavior patterns, provide opportunities for new ways of thinking, and enhance self-confidence and self-esteem. The horses are unconditionally accepting of patients, fostering a deep connection and emotional healing.
To ensure safety, every mini horse is accompanied by a certified handler with extensive training and experience. These handlers bring the horses to each patient in a designated group room, allowing them to touch, pet, and hug the horses while educating them about the animals and their program. BOB体育 Psychiatric Hospital employees assist when needed.
Feedback from both patients and health care workers about the mini horse therapy sessions has been positive. The horses' visits are a highlight, and their presence brings calm, tension release, and happiness.
For patients wary of the animals, they are informed well in advance of visits. They can approach the horses if they wish to, observe from a distance, or stay away altogether.
The program also helps hospital staff. Health care workers can suffer compassion burnout, a state of emotional and physical exhaustion that occurs when someone is affected by others鈥� trauma. Observations of the therapy benefits include a short-term reduction in stress and anxiety, increased resiliency, improved interpersonal relationships with colleagues, and better mood.
鈥淲e would love to partner with more agencies and individuals who provide pet therapy to behavioral health patients,鈥� said Joe Munson, PhD, MBA, LMHC, QS, the hospital鈥檚 clinical services director. 鈥淚t truly makes a difference in the lives of people who are in crisis and in our health care workers who serve them,鈥�
To contact the BOB体育 Psychiatric Hospital 24/7, call (352) 265-5481.
If you or a loved one is struggling or in crisis, help is available anytime. Call or text 988, and you will be connected to a trained counselor.