EAGALA
Theresa Flaigle is certified with the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA). The EAGALA method offers Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL). EAGALA allows a facilitating team (Mental Health Professional, Equine Specialist and horses) an opportunity to help people by using experiential activities that incorporate metaphoric learning. Each individual involved interprets the meaning of the activities and horse behavior based on his or her own personal experiences.
EAGALA standards:
- The Team Approach – An Equine Specialist, a Mental Health professional, and horses work together with clients in all EAGALA sessions
- Focus on the ground – All EAGALA sessions are on the ground with horses (no mounted work)
- Solution-Oriented – The belief that our clients have the best solutions for themselves forms a foundation for the EAGALA approach. Rather than instructing or directing solutions, we allow our clients to experiment, problem-solve, take risks, employ creativity, and find their own solutions that work best for them.
- Code of Ethics - EAGALA has a code of ethics, and has a standard of professionalism and ethics.
The EAGALA Team
- The Horse: Horses have many characteristics which lend them to being effective agents of change, including honesty, awareness, and ability with nonverbal communication. The role of the horses in an EAGALA session is to be themselves.
- The Equine Specialist (ES): The ES chooses the horses to be used in sessions, works with the MH to develop activities, keeps an equine log to document horse behaviors in sessions, stays aware of safety and welfare of clients, horses, and team, and makes observations of horse SPUD’s (an EAGALA-developed observation framework taught in the certification training program) which can bring in potential metaphors.
The Mental Health Professional (MH): The MH is responsible for treatment planning, documentation of clients, and ensuring ethical practice. The MH builds on the ES’s horse observations, bringing in the metaphoric and therapeutic/learning relevance of the session.
Benefits of this experiential modality include: action, not talk – principles of healthy transitions are practically applied and practiced. Participation in these activities makes this treatment more interesting and appealing, therefore increasing the probability of having a greater impact. Horses respond to nonverbal communication which removes cultural barriers. The horse activities are solution-focused. Participants must find their own solutions through prepared exercises through hands on experience; they learn to rely on themselves. They learn that they can rely on their team or family members. Equine assisted therapy fosters resilience. Experiential activities re-create frustrations, stressors and relationship problems. The focus on non-verbal communication provides an awareness of how participants communicate and can promote change to healthy communication styles. Participants must respond to the unpredictability and inability to “control” the horses and thus discover ways to make relationships work.
Naturally intimidating to many, horses are large and powerful. This creates a natural opportunity for some to overcome fear and develop confidence. Working on the ground, alongside a horse, in spite of those fears, creates confidence and provides wonderful insight when dealing with other intimidating and challenging situations in life.
