Equine-Assisted Therapy
La Familia's Equine-Assisted Therapy program has been designed to teach children empathy skills using horses as agents for change. For the purpose of this program, children who have difficulty feeling empathy are identified, and referred to the equine program. Once a referral is made, the child is paired with a horse and work begins.

This work is very directive and is facilitated by a therapist who uses the interaction between horse and child as the point of discussion regarding empathy. A variety of activities are used to help the child in this way. Some examples are: brushing, washing, walking, feeding and riding the horse. The goal is to have the child think about what the horse feels during their interactions and then connect the child as the agent of these feelings. Research has shown, and this program confirms, that horses are very grounding and calming for children thereby providing a great environment for positive therapeutic work.