Frequently Asked Questions about Equine Assisted Therapy?
What is required to attend a session?
Bring a hat and water bottle, and dress in comfortable clothing that suits the weather on the day. Be prepared for a little dirt or horse hair on your hands, shoes or clothes, you will be able to wash your hands.
It is essential to be wearing comfortable and (flat)
closed-in shoes to protect your feet.
And Bring your Authentic Amazing self!
There is no requirement to have any prior experience with horses.
Horse safety briefs will be provided, with demonstrations and guidance provided along the way.
Will there be horse riding involved?
No - There is no horse riding involved.
This is not a riding school, there are no horse riding lessons as they are not included in my scope of practice.
All sessions and activities will only involve being firmly on the ground, standing either outside the paddock, or inside the paddock, standing at a distance, or standing beside the horse.
Always determined by your comfort level, and always supported in the presence of an experienced horse person.
Equine Assisted Therapy - is NOT horse riding,
- and is NOT horse training.
Take in the
view from the undercover area
Will there be wheelchair access?
Whilst parking will be at the entrance to the property, please advise if wheelchair access is required, and arrangements can be made to park your vehicle closer to the activity area.
There are visual references throughout this site which show a mild gravel slope to the undercover area, as well an accessible mild slope from gravel to grass to enter the paddock, and mostly flat grassed paddock areas.
What if there is bad weather?
Our sessions can still go ahead and be adjusted accordingly.
There are a few options to be under cover and protected from rain, wind or the sun, whilst still being able to overlook and/or and interact with the horses.
Is an Equine Assisted Therapist a Horse Whisperer?
No - your friendly Equine Assisted Mental Health Practitioner is a person, experienced with horses, who offers counselling, and other equine assisted services, which are designed to help other people.
Whilst also facilitating a safe environment for the horses to join the session to offer their own unique input, in a way that makes meaning to the client, based on what they are experiencing in the moment.
At Stable Surroundings, you can orient yourself to this space, take in the view and open air, feel the earth beneath your feet, be outdoors in nature and meet the horses.
Is Equine Assisted Therapy available on a Medicare Mental Health Plan?
Stable Surroundings, as a counsellor, registered Level 1 with the Australian Counselling Association, is not registered for rebates under mental health plans.
Unfortunately the medicare model only includes practitioners registered at a clinical level, such as Psychologists or Counsellors (Level 3 or above), who are registered for rebates via mental health plans.
There could be a rare practitioner qualified at that level who has expanded to be offering Equine Assisted Therapy.
However, I do urge you to consider that there are still usually ‘out of pocket costs’ when seeing a ‘rebate’ eligible practitioner, and you may find that my rate balances out to be about the same.
I am able to offer services to members of the public wishing to make private bookings, please visit our services guide to find what might suit you, and make contact through our contacts page or a call back consult, to discuss your options.
You can self-refer to access these services under your own personal arrangement. And for anyone who is self-funded, please make contact to discuss a discount.
What about Gold Card or White Card?
Similar to Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) are very specific about what is considered as approved mental health access on your Gold card and White card, which also fall under a similar clinical medical model to medicare. Therefore, it is not possible to accept payment via Gold/White card. And this service is not listed as an Open Arms provider. However, do call Open Arms for Assistance where needed.
DVA see Equine Assisted Therapy as more of a psycho-social, meaningful engagement and well-being activity, and although not supported under the ‘mental health’ (medical) category, in some instances, they are beginning to recognise the need for the benefits of well-being programs, under “well-being funding”.
It’s all in the terminology for now- until DVA make changes for the better
Whilst you could book and pay for your own sessions privately, please explore these potential funding options first:
Approach or arrange with one of the many Ex-Services Organisations to support you (individually or as a group) as it is becoming more common in recent times, that grants are being made available that are meant for “meaningful engagement and well-being programs”
Veterans with access to DVA Rehab plans, can request this service as one of your “psycho-social activities”
Some veterans may be able to ask for this type of service if when applying, if eligible, for a DVA ‘Acute Support Package’
Current serving members embarking on their discharge journey may consider requesting to attend this service as part of the Career Transition Assistance Scheme, as a “meaningful engagement activity” to work through your challenges.
Veterans, with permanent significant psycho-social disability (such as PTSD), may also be eligible for an NDIS plan, with the help of the Local Area Coordinator service (LAC) such as Uniting in the Hunter Valley area of NSW.
Ask the Psycho-social Recovery to confirm, if ‘Self-Managed’ or ‘Plan-Managed’, if your funding includes ‘Capacity Building’ (through Equine Assisted Counselling Service) .
And as a veteran myself, I am always endeavouring to find out about other available funding options.
If you think you have access to some of the above options, contact us to discuss providing a quote for a package of sessions.
If you wish to try Equine Assisted Therapy, and can’t find a funded option, please ask for a discount code.
Also see Animal Therapies Ltd for funding rounds on offer.
Animal Therapies LTD - offer funding
I will also recommend that individuals look to
Animal Therapies LTD to see what funding rounds are on offer.
It will be a matter of completing their application form, to check your eligibility, for them (ATL) to provide approval to pay the invoice covering the cost of a ‘package’ of sessions.
You nominate the practitioner of your choice (e.g. select Stable Surroundings) from their directory.
Donations to ATL:
For those in a financial position to
help others - Please consider making
a tax deductible donation to Animal Therapies LTD (ATL) this charity is a worthwhile cause, (as per above) your generosity goes directly to help fund others in need of the service.
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) clients are welcome:
As a qualified counsellor, registered with the Australian Counselling Association, our services are available to NDIS clients who are Plan-Managed or Self-Managed, where their plan includes this type of Daily Living - Capacity Building service (Counselling).
Please refer to the NDIS FAQ’s updated information and specific wording in relation what constitutes as the three worded term: Animal “Assisted” Therapy
HOOVES 2 HEALING (H2H)
Another Registered Charity, passionate about providing this service for Veterans and their families, has been designed with the aim to sponsor the cost of a few individual sessions, and maintain a network of recommended practitioners to link you up with your nearest provider of Equine Assisted Therapy for Mental Health Services.
Of course, they may have waiting lists, while they raise appropriate funding.
Look them up on Facebook, and keep them in mind for your next fundraiser event.
If your question was not answered here, please feel free to make contact to ask your questions, through our contact page or book a complimentary 15 minute call back consult.