Healing and Hope Reins will be hosting Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) at Discovery Park of America this summer. The group sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 5-7 p.m. from May 14 through July 9, 2024. The parent information session will take place in the LEC Room inside Discovery Park, and the group sessions will take place behind Discovery Park in a fenced-in, spacious lot. Horses will be provided by the Springer Family of Medina, Tennessee.

The sessions will be led by Emma Shoaf, a licensed professional counselor–mental health service provider (LPC-MHSP) in the State of Tennessee, and Kyle Springer, an equine professional and lifetime horseman.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is a particular model of psychotherapy that involves horses or equines in the treatment. If an individual has trouble feeling safe in human relationships, that individual might feel safer connecting with a horse initially, who is nonjudgmental and accepting.

Healing and Hope Reins utilizes an approach called Natural Lifemanship, which teaches a foundational principle that healing occurs in the context of genuine relationships. Informed by both neurobiology and attachment theory, there is great emphasis on trauma-informed care, the development of healthy relationships and utilizing rhythm for regulation.

The equine-assisted psychotherapy group sessions will be held for children ages 9 to 12 and is an eight-week-long course.

To register for the classes, or ask questions, contact Emma Shoaf by emailing hhr@healinghopereins.com or calling 662-469-5970.