Equine Assisted Therapy

Equine assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is one of the most effective forms of experiential therapy available. With EAP, rather than talking to a therapist, you and others interact with a horse in a series of exercises designed to strengthen and develop non-verbal and verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking, problem solving, leadership, trust, responsibility, confidence and relationship skills. Equine therapy has been shown to be successful in helping our clients with numerous issues, including substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, anger management, conflict resolution, and relationship problems.


The unique experience of bonding with a horse offers several advantages. Working with an animal of such enormous size allows our clients to overcome fear and develop confidence, creating a powerful metaphor for dealing with other intimidating and stressful situations we often face in day to day life. In addition, horses are incredibly social “herd” animals with high levels of emotional intelligence and clearly individual dispositions, attitudes and moods.  Horses have the unique ability to mirror exactly what human body language is telling them; your reaction to the horse and the horse's reaction to you will help highlight the aspects of your behavior, feelings and relationships that have caused you pain and fed your addiction.


Equine Assisted Therapy is just one of the many non-traditional, cutting-edge treatments we employ at Passages Malibu to ensure a complete, well-rounded and total recovery.  There is no actual horseback riding involved in EAP, and all sessions are led by trained Marriage and Family Therapists as well as an equine specialist.