Counselling sessions can seem intimidating with the thought of opening up to a stranger, but what if you could open up to someone who won't talk back?
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Try confiding in a four-legged friend, such as a horse.
Equine therapy is becoming more popular and has a much higher success rate than more traditional therapies according to Oberon ANSA Counselling's Tara Sutton.
"Most of the clients that come to us have tried multiple other therapies and treatments before coming to us, we are usually the clients last resort," she said.
She said clients were normally more resistant to talk therapies and would rather do something different and that's where the horses come into play.
"The horses do not judge, they don't care about a persons diagnosis, how they look, what they drive up in or how they dress. They are completely impartial to the judgments we make on each other and so the relationship begins with them," she said.
Tara is an undergraduate in social science counselling, has a graduate degree in psychological science, a graduate's degree in family law mediation and is a qualified equine mental health and equine specialist through EAGALA.
Most recently she has relocated to Oberon from Camden to open up a second ANSA Counselling clinic to benefit the people of Oberon with equine therapy.
"Equine therapy is at its core like any other therapy and mental health is our focus, we have one notable difference and that is our equine friends," she said.
The Oberon clinic has multiple horses and donkeys that help clients through a more experiential experience, Tara said.
"All our sessions are on the ground and there is no riding or horse experience needed. Sessions are based on the clients needs and the horses add a great element and insight for both us and clients," she said.
Tara said horses are very sensitive to their environment and those in their space.
"Their main strength is to pick up on our emotions without judgment or preconceived ideas or who we are or what we should do," she said.
"They are only interested in who we are in the moment which means we have to be more present in the moment and aware of our emotions.
"Our sessions often involve activities with the horses so clients can put in practice techniques around emotional knowledge and they are a great mirror for how we approach situations and others in the clients lives," she said.
Where do the horses used for therapy come from?
Tara said ANSA Counselling has 17 horses and nine donkeys ranging from foals to retired, with the majority living on the Oberon property and some down in Camden.
"Most of our horses have come to us through rescue organisations and some are retired race horses," she said.
"They have no training for this therapy and this is for a reason, the more the horse trusts their own instincts the more effective they are in therapy."
She said all animals were handled and tested before used in therapy except the foals.
"We use our baby horses as a talking point for family dynamics, this is particularly effective with children and adolescents but can also be very helpful with adults."
What is ANSA Counselling?
ANSA Counselling has been running for 15 years and was started by Tara's mum Kristin Maloney.
"About 10 years ago I stumbled upon equine therapy during my first degree and I joined my mum. I went on to start training in equine psychotherapy with a small business outside of Sydney, this sparked my interest greatly so I decided to get my own qualifications," she said.
Tara and Kristin then went on to train in America, New Zealand and Australia.
The relocation to Oberon made sense for Tara who has family connections and said she'd always been drawn to the country.
"I have owned horses most of my lives and have spent as much time on property as I could growing up, my husband I always planned to have acreage. We started our family in Camden and then an opportunity came up to move to Oberon and we jumped at it," she said.
Tara said she also had big plans for ANSA in Oberon.
"We are in the middle of setting up camps, couples retreat weekends, school holiday camps and in the future would like to be able to offer this therapy to offenders and those in rehabilitation," she said.
Where is ANSA in Oberon?
The Oberon clinic is situated 10 minutes out of Oberon on the O'Connell Road.
"We usually operate every second Saturday with some week days available and we're hoping to have more days available," Tara said.
To get in contact with Tara you can email info@ansacounselling.com.au or for more information visit www.ansacounselling.com.au