Innovative Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy Intervention for Adolescent Addiction Treatment: A Pilot Study

Background: Adolescent substance use continues to rise in the United States, and innovative interventions are needed to increase treatment outcomes. The need for innovative, complementary approaches to adolescent addiction treatment is felt. Equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP) has demonstrated to be an innovative intervention. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the impact of an innovative EFP intervention on psychosocial and behavioral outcomes of adolescents with addiction. Patients and Methods: Ten adolescents diagnosed with substance use disorder referred from local providers participated in a six-session EFP group intervention. The study utilized a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design. The study used the Adolescent Behavior survey, Patient Health questionnaire 9, and generalized anxiety disorder 7 scales that were completed by the participants at baseline and upon completion of the six sessions. Paired t-tests were conducted to compare the pretest and posttest scores. Results: The results demonstrated a significant increase in adolescent behaviors associated with Glasser’s connecting habits, including listening, trusting, supporting, encouraging, respecting and accepting, and negotiating differences. The results also demonstrated a significant reduction in depressive and anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated the potential efficacy of the innovative EFP intervention integrated into a choice theory-driven treatment strategy for improving psychosocial and behavioral concerns related to adolescent addiction. Future studies should consider research design alterations to increase the generalizability and interpretation of results. Further, future studies should include a qualitative or mixed-method design to elucidate the participants’ perception of the role of the equine as part of the intervention process.

Attachment Theory and Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy for Vietnam Veterans

The persistence of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans of the Vietnam War warrants an exploration of new treatment approaches, such as equine-facilitated psychotherapy (EFP). The purpose of this study was to use open-ended interviews to explore five Vietnam veterans’ perceptions of their bond with an equine partner duringEFPand how it influences their behavior andPTSDsymptoms. Questions addressed their relationships with their equine partners, including its development and impact on their interpersonal relationships. Attachment Theory provided a framework for understanding the four main themes that emerged from analysis of the responses: positive changes in thoughts and behaviors, veterans’ beliefs about horses’ cognitions and emotions, emotions and emotional regulation, and interpersonal and interspecies relationships. The authors concluded thatEFPmay support personal growth and healing because horses serve as attachment figures, provide a secure base for emotional exploration, and encourage non-verbal communication.

Amy’s Story: An Existential-Integrative Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy Approach to Anorexia Nervosa

This article offers an existential-integrative framework to working with anorexia nervosa within an equine-facilitated psychotherapy setting. The discussion provides an overview of how existential-integrative theories can be blended into equine-facilitated psychotherapy and offers an existential-integrative perspective of anorexia nervosa. A case study illustrates the theories behind this blended approach in praxis.