Prairie River Counseling is partnering with STARS Inc to offer a 5-week High School Girls Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Group called HERd Sense.
This group is designed for high school girls entering the 2025-2026 school year. We plan to run the group starting July 21st on Mondays from 7:00pm – 8:00pm. The purpose of this group is to increase confidence and self-esteem, healthy communication, boundaries, and connection. This is a great group to complete right before the new school year!
Group Schedule:
July 21st – Introduction and skills to learning how to build healthy relationships
July 28th – Healthy communication
August 4th – Obstacles and problem solving
August 11th – Positive body image and self-esteem
August 18th – Connection and bringing these skills into the world
What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy:
Equine assisted psychotherapy/EAGALA involves equine in the therapeutic process. This therapeutic modality is amazing for those who feel “stuck” in therapy, who tend to be “resistant” to traditional talk therapy, for those who prefer to get out of the office and move, or for those who simple enjoy being around equine.
Many wonder, why horses? Horses are herd animals which means they are very in-tuned with others around them. They have very strong mirror neurons which quite literally means they become a mirror during the therapeutic process.
Not only is their role to be a mirror, but they are essentially the co-therapist during therapy. The STARS equine team and I fully trust these co-therapists and are always in awe and the healing powers they hold.
Lastly, what to expect a session to look like? An STARS equine specialist and I will always be present when working directly with horses. These sessions are all ground-based, meaning there is no horseback riding. Each session will look different and is dependent on the group’s goals that day. Sessions may involve grooming the horses, observing the horses, storytelling, creating with them, or doing an activity with them.
No matter what the session looks like, just know these horses are powerful space holders and trust that the client will experience such a unique gift of therapy from them.
Referral Process:
Please contact Prairie River Counseling to set up an appointment. An intake must be completed first if it has not been done so already. Most insurance are accepted.
Note: This is a closed group, meaning once week one begins, no new referrals will be accepted.
IMPORTANT: To allow adequate time for scheduling new client intakes, if you are not an established client with Prairie River Counseling, PLEASE CALL TO SCHEDULE AN INTAKE BEFORE JULY 14TH. This will ensure all intakes are completed before week one begins on July 21st.
Contact Information:
Prairie River Counseling PLLC
Becky Simoni-Ryan LMHC, IMHP, IADC, EAGALA, AAT, Eco-therapist
33148 K22 Sioux City IA, 51108
712-301-7411
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Prairie-river-counseling.com
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