Post&C Article

Taking strides

Patients express feelings by relating to horses

BY ROB YOUNG

The Post and Courier

They function as instruments of change - 1,200-pound intermediaries commanding of presence, but benevolent by nature.

They become anchors, supportive and reliable, affectionate and intuitive.

What's more, these horses heal.

A remarkable and relatively new model of therapy uses the animals to treat adults and children troubled by psychological, emotional or behavioral issues. The horses act as facilitators of sorts, nudging clients to better express their feelings. The way patients interact serves as a metaphor to how they approach problems.

"It's a very human kind of experience," said Dr. Julie Lipovsky, clinical director and co-founder of Lowcountry Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy.

LEAP maintains a pair of farms in Huger and on Johns Island , where the nonprofit organization conducts sessions alongside a few of their equine co-therapists, such as Bugsy, Crystal , Lili and Blue.

Unlike Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding, a well-established facility that works with disabled adults and children, LEAP's patients seldom ride horses.

They relate to horses.

"When you're riding, you're immediately in a hierarchal relationship," said Dr. Kathleen Broughan, LEAP's executive director and co-founder. "The stuff we do is eye to eye, face to face. You can do a lot more with relationship issues that way."

The clients suffer from a range of issues, including sexual and physical abuse, domestic violence, trauma, depression, anxiety and eating disorders. To date, the group has conducted more than 150 sessions, accepting referrals from such groups as Life Management Center , Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health, People Against Rape and Hospice of Charleston.

"It's just been a really good experience for each of the kids I've sent because it's just less threatening," said Jane Evers, a counselor with Palmetto Lowcountry Behavioral Health. "When you ask someone a direct question or talk about something that's difficult to talk about in a direct manner, some people just shut down.

"Through the animals, they're able to see themselves in a different way."

A typical first session involves little instruction. Broughan and Lipovsky hand the client a halter, telling him to catch a horse wandering around the arena. Without guidance, the client usually struggles.

"Many times, we don't stop to ask about feelings. It's purely experiential," Lipovsky said. "In the real world, they may have been trying the same thing over and over for years, and they don't stop to question."

The assigned tasks force clients to make decisions for themselves. Some grow frustrated, which opens discussions about problems or relationships. Broughan and Lipovsky ask suggestive questions. Who does the horse remind you of? Who's making the decisions here - you or the horse?

It can be empowering. Once clients alter their behavior or approach through a bit of prodding, they find success. It helps them cope and solve problems more quickly.

"The thing that is so great," Broughan said, "is that (clients) go from dysfunctional behavior that's tripped them up in the real world to doing something that is effective and actually works."

First encounters alone demonstrate much. If clients use an insensitive or forceful approach, the horse often ambles away. Conversely, timid clients tend to become discouraged if the horse asserts control, refusing to mind them.

"We'll say, 'What happened?' " Broughan explained. "The child will say, 'He doesn't like me,' and we'll ask why not.

"Then they'll tell us a story about them, not the horse. We'll relay that experience to how they are in the real world."

The conversation cuts to the core by discovering threads that might otherwise take several sessions of traditional therapy to uncover. Broughan usually ends her sessions with the same question, "Did you learn anything today?"

One child, after being tugged around the arena during a session, explained the horse taught her to be more assertive, a significant point of progress.

"I almost fell on the ground," Lipovsky recalled, "because that really is three to six months of therapy."

Another client watched one of the horses take care of itself, rolling around the ground to scratch its back.

"She's someone who has put her needs secondary to others, and she gets inspired by the horses," Lipovsky said.

The treatment can prove particularly effective in helping children who have been sexually or physically abused. It allows them to enjoy relationships with someone bigger than themselves, Broughan and Lipovsky said. They don't have to be intimidated or frightened.

"Some of the kids take a while to work up the confidence to walk up to a horse and stand next to it," Broughan said. "But over a period of time, they cannot only walk up to a horse, they can put a halter over it and feel they have control over anybody or anything larger."

Other sessions involve guiding the horses past obstacles, or exercises conducted with whole families. LEAP is purposefully vague regarding its sessions because Broughan and Lipovsky believe the novelty and impact could otherwise be reduced.

But they both caution this is no cure-all. It's typically a short-term therapy that serves as a primary or adjunctive treatment.

Bottom line? It's not magic.

"There are folks out there who are willing to make it this miraculous experience," Broughan said. "We are well-trained, licensed psychologists that when we're using the horses, we're doing therapy. So the horses add a really unique positive element, but they're not doing that on their own."

Broughan and Lipovsky both are certified by the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, a sanctioning group that pioneered this four-legged approach. Founded in 1999, the association requires organizations such as LEAP to employ licensed mental health professionals and qualified horse professionals.

LEAP began in 2004 after Broughan arrived from Tennessee , where she directed a similar program. She and Lipovsky, who teaches full time as a psychology professor at The Citadel, connected through a student both knew.

Together, they secured a board of directors, finding like-minded souls.

"I just have long known that horses have a healing quality about them, especially on a psychological and emotional level," said board member Mary Anne Luttrell. Luttrell and her husband contributed the farmland in Huger for use. Other friends and board members provided horses, helping keep the group's overhead low. The organization charges fees, though it offers scholarships. In addition, Broughan and Lipovsky both operate at reduced costs, giving back half their compensation to LEAP and its services.

"In traditional psychotherapy, we spend a lot of time talking about what the difficulties are, and they might change things," Broughan said. "Then they've got to take that information, go out and find a situation that fits

"This is much faster. All of it takes place in the arena."