Her name is Kristen. She is 16 years old, vibrant, smart and beautiful. As with all growing and maturing teenagers, there were aspects of her life that she wanted to improve, things she wanted get better at doing and challenges she wanted to overcome. Children with Horses Achieving Productivity and Success Academy was created for promising children like her.
CHAPS Academy has several programs, one of which is Striving Toward Excellence, a group therapy service provided to the Appleton Area School District, coordinated by Jax Anderson. Kristen’s school counselor encouraged her to participate in it in order to improve her academic performance. “I struggle with knowing how to organize myself and manage my time,” Kristen stated to us. Also, due to difficult experiences in her past, she sometimes found it difficult to be sure of herself, sure of her boundaries or the things that were right for her, and she also felt that her assertiveness was lacking.
So what to do? Gilligan knew what to do. This powerful gelding is one of the horses CHAPS uses to mix horse-human interactions with talk therapy, what we call “equine-assisted therapy.” Like many other children and teens we’ve served, Kristen built a relationship with Gilligan, and Gilligan did the same in return – a powerful process that we in the horse community know well. But what some may not know is that such interactions help children figure out their strengths, how to become more self-aware, and how to find ways to get past hurts and tap into one’s own power. What’s learned in the stables is then transferred to real life.
Kristen had such experiences, along with group therapy. After several weeks, the healing process was under way. She explained that her experience at CHAPS has strengthened her relationship with her grandparents, who have been her legal guardians for 14 years. She reported that the program was a great way for her to begin the counseling process at CHAPS, because she was able to hear that she wasn’t the only one with problems. She realized “it could be worse” by some of the stories she was hearing from other group members. She also stated that being present in the group allowed her to analyze more deeply her own feelings and emotions. It also allowed her to overcome her fear and go deeper into her emotions. She explained that having Gilligan’s presence by her side provided her the strength and courage to explore those deeper emotions. “It was a wonderful experience talking to Gilligan about my feelings. He gave me the courage to name my fears and emotions in the presence of the other group members.”
Now Kristen’s is enjoying her growth. She is using her strengths by sharing her feelings in the group. In her case, she has nine years of riding experience that helped her more readily engage in equine-assisted therapy. Kristen’s familiarity with horses was a benefit to other children because her gifts and talents with horses provided her with increased confidence as she helped others feel safe around horses. But it is worth noting that we are successful with children who’ve never been around horses.
Kristen transitioned from group counseling to individual counseling. She explained that having the horse and counselor available for “just me” was a helpful experience. She indicated her relationship with Gilligan was so strong that she needed to continue coming to CHAPS. She has indicated that since beginning sessions at CHAPS she has seen an improvement in her assertiveness and her confidence. With Gilligan’s help, she is growing.
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