Groundwork Therapy is a mobile facility. A venue can be located near you, and the horses and facilitator come to you. No prior horse experience is necessary. Groundwork Therapy can cater a program specific to your individual needs and location.

TREATMENT GOALS AND OUTCOMES OF EQUINE FACILITATED LEARNING

• develop a connection with another living being, an animal

• learn to communicate with respect and empathy

• increased understanding of action-consequence effect

• feeling of acceptance

• learn to trust yourself

• learn respect for another living being and in return respect for themselves

• see appropriate means for communication

• acknowledge societal rules and expectations

• be in the present

• increased personal coping skills and strategies

• increased self-esteem

• improved inter-family relationships & communication

• increased ability to problem solve and become solution focused

• development of healthy boundary setting behaviours

PROGRAM DATA

YOUTH ON THE GROUND PILOT STUDY PROGRAM (TOOWOOMBA 2010 – 2011)

Groundwork Therapy was fortunate to receive funding in conjunction with Mission Australia Toowoomba Reconnect to investigate the effects on youth at risk undertaking a ten week Groundwork Therapy program. The Beck Youth Inventories (Beck et al, 2005) were utilized to collect data on the program. The study utilized a pre-experimental design. Participants were both males and females aged 13 – 17yrs (M = 15, SD = 1.25).

Results:

The following was found; as a result of youth working in a therapeutic space with horses the study found that self-reported measures of depression, disruptive behaviours and anger decreased between week 1 and week 10, with depression displaying the greatest increase in symptom reduction. Self-reported measure of Self-concept was seen to increase between week 1 and week 10 of the program.

THE PILBARA PROGRAM 2014

The 2014 Pilbara Program was a collaboration between Horse Power Training P/L and Groundwork Therapy P/L. It is the first of its kind in Australia linking horsemanship and equine therapy in a unique way. The 8 month program involved young people, their families, and the wider community including the service providers in the area in an attempt to create sustainable change for all involved. The pilot program also collected pre and post psychometric data.

The program was targeted at youth across communities in Western Australia (Newman and Roebourne) who were at risk of substance abuse and the aim was with the help of horses for them to get their lives back on track and choose the life they live. The program aimed to provide a community wide solution to decrease substance abuse and re-engage youth participation in learning, schools, and community. In addition to providing youth with life skills and work experience to help gain employment in the pastoral industry after schooling is completed. There were four key components to the program:  horsemanship, equine therapy, weekly follow up sessions, pathway to work experience. The psychometric data is still being analysed, watch this space for results.