Healing in relationships, the power of equine-assisted mental health interventions.
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| Title: | Healing in relationships, the power of equine-assisted mental health interventions. |
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| Authors: | Stacy, Morgyn (AUTHOR), Shabbar, Fatin (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Social Work Practice. Mar2026, Vol. 40 Issue 1, p151-167. 17p. |
| Subjects: | Mental illness treatment, Treatment of emotional trauma, Empathy, Social constructionism, Psychotherapy, Health services accessibility, Equine-assisted therapy, Qualitative research, Patient safety, Nature, Social services, Interviewing, Medical care, Mindfulness, Statistical sampling, Treatment effectiveness, Social worker attitudes, Self-control, Confidence, Systems theory, Judgment sampling, Emotions, Children's accident prevention, Psychological well-being, Descriptive statistics, Social case work, Thematic analysis, Social context, Creative ability, Patient-centered care, Research methodology, Research, Interpersonal relations, Social support, Counseling, Self-perception, Patient participation, Children |
| Geographic Terms: | Australia |
| Abstract: | Children's mental health in Australia is a prominent social issue requiring new and innovative approaches to treatment. The limitations in effectiveness and accessibility of common interventions leave room for alternatives to gain popularity. Equine-assisted intervention (EAI) is one alternative addressing the barriers to child mental health support. EAI is considered experiential, enabling a child-centred and trauma-informed approach with greater levels of flexibility and adaptability that supports personal growth in areas like self-regulation, confidence, self-esteem and empathy. Despite its growing popularity, the advancement of EAI within the social work profession has been considerably slow. Through a qualitative research method, this study explores the experiences of practitioners providing EAI to children in Australia through semi-structured interviews. Practitioner perspectives help shape this emerging profession and offer a deeper insight into EAI as an effective intervention. A social constructionist approach underpinned the study and thematic analysis was applied to analyse the themes within the data. This study explores two primary themes relevant to the experiences of practitioners. The first theme focuses on the opportunities facilitated through this modality. The second theme focuses on the challenges encountered by practitioners. By comprehensively examining these two themes, the study provides insights into the implications for social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Children's mental health in Australia is a prominent social issue requiring new and innovative approaches to treatment. The limitations in effectiveness and accessibility of common interventions leave room for alternatives to gain popularity. Equine-assisted intervention (EAI) is one alternative addressing the barriers to child mental health support. EAI is considered experiential, enabling a child-centred and trauma-informed approach with greater levels of flexibility and adaptability that supports personal growth in areas like self-regulation, confidence, self-esteem and empathy. Despite its growing popularity, the advancement of EAI within the social work profession has been considerably slow. Through a qualitative research method, this study explores the experiences of practitioners providing EAI to children in Australia through semi-structured interviews. Practitioner perspectives help shape this emerging profession and offer a deeper insight into EAI as an effective intervention. A social constructionist approach underpinned the study and thematic analysis was applied to analyse the themes within the data. This study explores two primary themes relevant to the experiences of practitioners. The first theme focuses on the opportunities facilitated through this modality. The second theme focuses on the challenges encountered by practitioners. By comprehensively examining these two themes, the study provides insights into the implications for social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 02650533 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/02650533.2025.2495741 |
