Equine Assisted Clinical Counselling

Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities is launching Equine Assisted Clinical Counselling (EACC) in March 2023!

Our EACC program is designed to combine the benefits of psychotherapy with the power of equine assisted therapy. This program is designed to help individuals overcome a wide range of emotional and behavioural challenges, through a belief that healing takes place when individuals connect with themselves, others, and the natural world.   

Clinical Counselling

Clinical counselling on its own, is proven to be extremely beneficial for individuals coping with emotional or mental health challenges, and can also help provide relief to those struggling with trauma in their lives. Our clinical counsellor, Derian Julihn, has over 20 years of experience in the field. His approach to therapeutic counselling is described as being integrative, person-centered, and trauma-informed. Derian’s previous experience working with horses and understanding the role that horses can play in the healing process, made him very excited to team up with PRDA to create the EACC program. 

Equine Assisted Therapy Specialist

Casey Woronuik is our Equine Assisted Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. She is also one of our therapeutic riding instructors at PRDA, and was one of our Volunteer Coordinators during the spring and summer of 2022. Casey’s passion for the power of horses to help facilitate healing, as well as her in depth knowledge of PRDA’s therapy horses will ensure that our EACC program utilizes every aspect to its fullest potential. 

 

What to Expect in an EACC Session

In every confidential session, individuals will be matched with one of our incredible therapy horses and will have Derian and Casey there to help facilitate their therapeutic experience.  

PRDA’s use of a registered Clinical Counsellor as well as an Equine Assisted Specialist in Mental Health and Learning, make for a unique opportunity for healing and growth. We are proud to begin offering this new service to our community, and are excited at the possibility of reaching new individuals who may not have been able to participate in our mounted therapeutic services. EACC is an unmounted program, which alleviates some of the physical restrictions that have been necessary for safety in our riding services.  

Interested in Learning More?

Check out our EACC page to learn more about this exciting new program, our EACC team, and the rates associated. There are options for using funding towards this type of therapy for certain individuals, please see the rates section and ask your funding provider if EACC qualifies for your funding situation.  

To book an EACC appointment, or to see if EACC is right for you, give us a call at 604-530-8717.

Select 3 for Therapeutic Services, then select Equine Assisted Clinical Counseling.