Experience healing, emotional connection, and personal growth through therapeutic work with horses at The Heights Treatment in Houston. Our Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) program supports individuals navigating addiction, trauma, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Healing and Recovery Through Therapeutic Experiences With Horses
Equine-assisted psychotherapy helps individuals reconnect with themselves, build emotional awareness, and develop healthier communication patterns. Horses naturally respond to authenticity, emotional energy, and body language, making them powerful partners in the therapeutic process.
Equine therapy encourages self-reflection, communication, and confidence-building in ways traditional talk therapy cannot always reach.
What Happens During an Equine Therapy Session?
During an Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy session, a trained equine therapist guides the participant through structured interactions with the horse. The therapist helps the client observe the horse’s behavior, reactions, and boundaries to better understand their own emotional cues and relational patterns.
Clients learn to recognize projection, communication habits, and internal emotional states through the horse’s nonjudgmental responses. This process can reveal patterns related to trauma, avoidance, codependency, or emotional suppression.
The American Psychological Association (APA) highlights the effectiveness of experiential therapies like EAP for emotional processing and regulation.
What Conditions Does Equine Therapy Treat?
Equine therapy is used in a variety of clinical settings for adolescents and adults. It can be especially helpful for individuals who feel stuck in talk therapy or who struggle to connect with their emotions in a traditional office setting.
Research on equine-assisted services suggests benefits for mood, anxiety, trauma symptoms, and quality of life. Studies published through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) highlight improvements in emotional regulation and stress reduction for people participating in horse-assisted interventions.
At The Heights Treatment in Houston, equine therapy may be incorporated into treatment plans for:
- Substance use disorders and recovery from addiction
- Anxiety and panic symptoms
- Depression and low self-esteem
- Post traumatic stress and complex trauma
- Emotion dysregulation and impulse control challenges
- Relationship and attachment difficulties
Equine therapy is used alongside evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and trauma focused therapy to create a comprehensive and individualized plan.
What is Equine Psychotherapy (EAP)?
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is a form of experiential, animal assisted therapy. Instead of talking only in an office, clients engage in structured activities with horses while working with a licensed clinician and trained equine specialist.
Horses are highly sensitive to body language, tone, and emotional states. This makes them powerful mirrors for what a client is feeling, even when it is difficult to put into words. Interactions with the horse can bring patterns of avoidance, fear, people pleasing, or control into clear focus.
EAP sessions at The Heights Treatment do not need to include horseback riding. Much of the work happens on the ground through activities like grooming, leading, setting boundaries, and problem solving with the horse.
Professional organizations such as EAGALA and the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International outline best practices and ethical standards for equine assisted services, which inform how reputable programs operate.
At our Houston center, EAP is used to deepen insight, build trust, and practice new ways of relating that support long term recovery and mental health.
Programming at the Heights Treatment
At The Heights Treatment, we believe recovery should restore autonomy and dignity. Our outpatient and intensive programs are designed so that patients can receive robust clinical care during the day and still honor responsibilities at work, school, or home in the evenings.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is offered as a complementary experiential service within our broader continuum of care when clinically appropriate. It is integrated with therapies such as neurofeedback, EMDR, and group process work to support the whole person.
Our treatment options in Houston include:
Individualized Intensive Program (IIP)
IIP is ideal for patients transitioning from a higher level of treatment or an inpatient program. This program offers evidence-based modalities and an integrative approach, but patients still have the flexibility to balance their recovery with responsibilities at work, home, or school.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
A PHP is an intensive level of outpatient care that’s ideal for patients transitioning from a residential treatment program or IIP. Patients still have the flexibility to tend to work, home, or school but benefit from a structured environment for treatment and care in our welcoming rehab center in Houston.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Our IOP is a good fit for patients who have completed IIP or inpatient treatment but may need more rigorous care than an outpatient program. This program can help patients who have taken the first step toward recovery on their own and need more long-term support, treatment, and accountability.
Outpatient Program (OP)
Mental health treatment programs provide evidence-based behavioral health therapy and psychiatry. A positive community of peer support, family therapy sessions, and a compassionate staff with an individualized, strategic plan. Patients learn skills like positive awareness, coping skills, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness in regular therapy sessions.
Forms of Therapy at The Heights Treatment
At The Heights Treatment, we utilize only modalities that work towards holistic healing. We implement evidence-based therapies that are supported by scientific data and studies.
Our addiction treatment center combines both group therapy and individual therapy to create a whole-person approach to therapy and healing.
Our therapies include:
FAQs About Equine Therapy
Answers to some of the most common questions about Equine Assisted Therapy:
What are the Different Types of Equine Therapy?
Horses are used in multiple types of therapies to assist in the recovery process of physical, mental, and emotional disorders. There are several different types of Equine Therapies:
- Therapeutic Horseback Riding
- Hippotherapy.
- Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL)
- Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)
- Equine-Assisted activities (EAA)
Some forms of equine therapy are used in primarily occupational therapy or physical therapy settings. EAP is the most common form of horse therapy at substance abuse centers.
Note: We do not offer therapeutic horseback riding at our center.
Will My Health Insurance Cover Equine Therapy in Drug Treatment?
Most major insurance carriers, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover admission into a drug and alcohol treatment program, which can include Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy During your initial consultation, our admissions team will confirm your benefits with your health insurance company.
Does Equine Therapy Really Work?
Equine therapy is an evidence-based practice that has shown to be beneficial to those suffering from addiction and mental health issues. In conjunction with talk therapy and other therapies, patients can heal from addiction holistically.
Is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Safe?
Yes. In an Equine Assisted Psychotherapy session, the patient interacts calmly with horses who are trained and properly socialized. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy does not involve therapeutic horseback riding, so patients are not at risk for falling off the horse or other riding-related injuries.
Are There Any Side Effects of Equine Therapy?
Just as with dogs or cats, horse saliva or skin can trigger an immune response in some individuals. Those with a phobia of horses may not benefit from Equine Assisted Psychotherapy as much as others.
Does Equine Therapy Work as Well as Other Forms of Therapy?
The efficacy of a therapy depends on several factors, including the unique circumstances and personality type of the individual. Not every therapy is meant for every person in treatment. There are scientific studies that indicate the effectiveness of EAP, however, how well it works for you depends on your specific needs.
Many people find that Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is the therapy that resonates the most with them, even above talk therapy like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
Equine Therapy in Houston
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction or mental health concerns, know that help is available. You do not have to live with the pain of addiction. Call and speak with our admissions team today to learn how Equine Assisted Psychotherapy can help you overcome addiction and mental health struggles and leave you with a sense of greater well-being.
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