Working with Anxiety & Depression

Understanding and Working with Anxiety & Depression IN EAP / EAL practice

This four-day workshop (2 days on anxiety and 2 days on depression) will provide an overview of working with depression and anxiety in the context of the EPI model of equine assisted psychotherapy and equine assisted personal development (learning).

Who is this training for?

This training is for you if you have already completed our EAL or EAP training, and you personally or professionally wish to deepen your understanding and practice in working with clients with anxiety and depression.

How is the training delivered?

The program is delivered LIVE Online, via Zoom from our EPI HQ near Daylesford in Victoria.

This 4-day intensive will use a mixture of didactic teaching, discussion, demonstrations, equine experiential exercises to make the concepts and methods more intimate.

What are the Learning Objectives?

• Learn relevant Trauma, Neuroscience, Cognitive Behavioural, Internal Family Systems and Experiential theory and practice in working with clients with anxiety and depression, in the context of equine assisted practice.

• Understanding the five main anxiety diagnoses – PTSD, Panic, generalized anxiety, Social Phobia and OCD.

• Understand the common underlying aetiology and drivers of anxiety and depression that often live in the ground behind the figure of anxiety and depression. This may include identifying the shame dynamics, trauma, fixed meaning making and identities, and unresolved attachment issues that can fuel the development of anxiety and depression.

• Utilise polyvagal theory to understand, treat and identify a client’s nervous system/ state and how this often underpins clients’ symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• Use ‘parts of self’ language as a map and treatment tool to effectively work with and heal protective and disowned parts of self.

• Understand how to help clients re-frame and de-pathologize their relationship to anxiety and depression in a way that reduces its perpetuation.

• Learn a helpful 5-step process to help clients learn to regulate, resource, accept and deepen their understanding of their symptoms in a way that supports change.

• Understand how horses and the horse-human bond can support and transform stuck and dysregulated moods and nervous system states that drive depression and anxiety.

• Learn Equine Assisted experiments and practices that support these therapeutic goals.

What is the Investment?

3 Days Training $900 plus GST

Why Train with Us?

We are uniquely placed as the first comprehensive Australian model of equine assisted practice - EAP (psychotherapy) and EAL (experiential learning) - since 2011. Our sister branch Animal Assisted Psychotherapy International has set a high bar for Animal Assisted Treatment - psychotherapy (AAP) and Animal Assisted Education - psycho-social learning (AAL) education and Training. Founder Meg Kirby is co-author of a recent peer-reviewed published article on best practice terminology recommendations for the international Animal Assisted Services sector of research and practice.

Celebrating our 13th year of training in equine assisted practice, animal assisted therapy and ecotherapy, we are an established private training organisation with an international reputation for excellence, high professional standards, and advocates for animal welfare, wellbeing and enrichment protocols.