How Change Happens in Equine-Assisted Interventions

Noreen W. Esposito, EdD, PMHNP, FAANP, is an Associate Professor Emerita at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Nurse Psychotherapist, and the Founder of Knowing Horse. Angela K. Fournier, PhD, LP, is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Bemidji State University, a licensed Psychologist, and the Director of the Humanimal Interaction Laboratory.

• Section 1: Why Theory for Equine-Assisted Intervention? 1. Why Theory? 2. What is Equine-Assisted Intervention? 3. The Horse Section 2: Equine-Assisted Story Transformation (EAST) 4. Introduction to EAST 5. Theory of the Problem 6. Theory of the Intervention 7. Theory of Change 8. Integrating the Theories: EAST Section 3: Application 9. Seeking the Client’s Perspective 10. It’s A Problem: Autoethnography 1 11. Finding Strong: Autoethnography 2 12. Analysis and Interpretation 13. Bringing it All Together

"Esposito and Fournier do a beautiful job of elucidating the lived experiences of equine-assisted therapists and educators while masterfully pulling from disparate theories. Their intervention theory is a groundbreaking step toward increasing understanding of horse/human interaction made accessible to researchers and practitioners alike." Deborah Eaker-Rich, PhD, clinical full professor (retired), School of Education, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"EAST is the brilliant and creative syncretism of mind-body science, humanistic psychology, and leading-edge learning theories that provides the first formal framework for understanding the transformative, numinous quality of the horse-human encounter in equine-assisted therapies." Beverley Kane, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Stanford University and founder of Equine-imity Somatic Horsemanship"This book provides important thought processes to consider and evaluate when incorporating horses into psychotherapy and other interventions. I highly recommend this book and appreciate the authors adding an important analysis and contribution in the world of equine-assisted services." Lynn Thomas, LCSW, founder/CEO of Arenas for Change (ARCH), board president of Horses for Mental Health, and founder/former CEO of Eagala