Meet the Horse Counsellors. Survivors of trauma, loss, illness, abuse, stress, and depression can face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. However, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that horses play a crucial role in therapy for those struggling with significant psychological and emotional challenges.
Horses respond to angry, inhibited, heartbroken, defiant, and terrified clients in many different ways, often breaking through defensive barriers via their physical presence, or by pointing to areas of psychological distress not immediately apparent. The horse’s response guides the treatment team, as well as the client, through the healing process.
Influenced by her own childhood trauma - where she spent seven days in a coma, awakened to a severely compromised body and brain, and rebuilt her life with the help of a horse - Michelle Holling-Brooks founded Unbridled Change, a non-profit equine-partnered therapy organisation which partners horses with individuals in need. It’s within the pages of this book that she shares the inspiring stories of the horses that play active roles in counselling sessions.