Unbridled Hearts Equine Assisted Bereavement (EAB) For Grieving Families

New Song Center for Grieving Children  Founded in 1989  Joined Hospice of the Valley in 2009  Provides year around, bi-weekly peer-to-peer grief support for children, teens, young adults & their caregivers  Provides grief education for caregivers, community groups, clergy, medical and mental health professionals

What are We Going to Do Today?  Summarize Basics of New Song’s Equine Assisted Bereavement Program  Identify the Challenges & Rewards of Collaboration  Examine the Development of Grief Activities used with Horses  Review 5 Equine Assisted Bereavement Activities

Basics

Approached by an Equine Therapy program Researched Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) and Equine Assisted Growth And Learning Association (EAGALA) model We made stuff up! How Did We Come Up With Our Program?

What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy?  Incorporates horses experientially for emotional growth and learning  A collaboration between a therapist, a horse and a horse professional, working with participants to address treatment goals  Participants learn about themselves and others by engaging in activities with horses, then processing feelings, behaviors and patterns

What is Equine Assisted Learning?  Incorporates horses experientially for emotional growth and learning  A collaboration between a therapist and a horse professional working with participants and horses to address educational goals  The focus is on learning specific skills such as leadership, team building and resiliency training for our military warriors.

What is EAGALA?  Offers a standard framework of practice and ethics for providing EAP and EAL  Utilizes a team approach: Horse, Mental Health Professional and Equine Specialist  Focus is on ground work  Solution oriented

What is New Song’s Unbridled Hearts Program?  Combination of EAP/EAL, Worden’s ‘Four Tasks of Mourning’ and New Song’s Program Format  Team Approach: Professionals and Volunteers  Activities are Family and/or Team Based  Serves Families (with children ages 5-17) and Young Adults  3 Components: Family Day, Peer Night, Grief Camp

How Did We Combine EAB with New Song’s Group Format?  We Designed the Program to Include Our Volunteer Facilitators 1.1 Facilitator per horse 2.Provides support and encouragement during the tasks 3.Helps participants of different ages understand the metaphors/meanings of the activities

How Did We Combine EAB with New Song’s Group Format? (cont.)  We Created a ‘Look’ to the Equine Program that is Similar to the ‘Look’ of a Support Group Night 1.Sharing Circles, Ice Breakers, Main Activities, Closing 2.Food! 3.Coordinator, Facilitators

Tell Me More About the Team Members  Mental Health Professional  Horse Specialist  New Song Facilitator  Horse

Why Family and/or Team Based Activities?  Help bereaved participants identify and understand changes in roles and responsibilities  Encourage families to re-establish and/or strengthen bonds  Re-introduce ‘Family Fun Time’ into the lives of grieving families. (ASU- Family Bereavement Program)

Tell Me More About the 3 Components of Unbridled Hearts Ice Breaker: Getting to Know You

Original Component  Family Day 1.Open to families currently enrolled in New Song 2.Small group size (8 families) 3.Utilizes 5 ground activities 4.Fee based

1st Activity: Once Upon a Horse (Accept Reality of Loss, Find an Enduring Connection)

Next Component  Peer Night 1.Open to families currently enrolled in New Song 2.Set-up in stations (ground activities) 3.Participants rotate through stations in age groups 4.Replaces a ‘regular’ group night 5.No Fee

2 nd Activity: New Beginnings (Accept Reality of Loss, Process Pain of Grief, Adjust to a World without the Deceased)

In Development  Grief Camp 1.Open to any grieving family with children ages Set up in stations (includes riding) 3.Participants rotate through stations as a family, with several families per group 4.2 day, non-residential camp 5.Fee based

3rd Activity: Grief Box (Accept Reality of Loss, Process Pain of Grief, Adjust to a World without the Deceased)

Collaboration

Collaboration: Challenges Things to Consider:  What’s the Vision for Our Program?  Finding the Right Equine Therapy Program  Distribution of Responsibilities  Distribution of Costs

Collaboration: Rewards Things to Consider:  Convenience  Expertise  Connections  Cost Effective

4th Activity: Painted Pony (Accept Reality of Loss, Process Pain of Grief, Find an Enduring Connection)

Development of Grief Activities with horses

How Did We Develop Grief Activities to Use with Horses? 1.Used existing EAP/EAL activities specific to grief 2.Adapted non-grief EAP/EAL activities to grief 3.Drew on existing New Song activities 4.Created new activities from scratch

5th Activity: Extended Appendages (Accept Reality of Loss, Adjust to a World without the Deceased) Let’s Go Have Some Fun!

Resources We Found Helpful Websites: eagala.org (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) Books: ‘Introduction to Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy’ by Patti J. Mandrell, M.Ed., LPC Articles: Horses as healers: Equine facilitated therapy for grieving children. Strom, L., & Wilson, J. (2009, March). Paper based on a program presented at the American Counseling Association Annual Conference and Exposition, Charlotte, NC. Assorted Articles:

Thank You! Contact Information  New Song Center New Song:  Elle Schlagenhaft, MA, EAGALA Elle’s Cell: