Study Documents Benefits of Copper Canyon Academy's Equine Therapy Program

By Hugh C. McBride

For years, administrators, staff members, and students at Copper Canyon Academy have witnessed and experienced countless benefits as a result of the school's renowned equine therapy program. Now, a study by one of the school's counselors has provided statistical support to these observations.

George R. Davies, MC, LPC, LMFT, is the Copper Canyon counselor who has documented the degree to which equine therapy has been successful in improving the lives of students who participated in the program. According to Davies' analysis, girls who take part in the equine therapy program have shown significant improvement in categories related to personal, social, and emotional development.

"In general, the results indicate that students who participate in the equine therapy program should show greater effectiveness in daily functioning - and greater happiness with life in general - than students who didn't take part in the program," Davies said.

About the Study
Davies' study involved 38 Copper Canyon Academy students - 24 of whom participated in the Equine-Assisted Therapy program, and 14 who did not.

Students in both groups were administered the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQI) two times, Davies said, once at the beginning of the eight-week course and again at its completion. The EQI is composed of five general scales and 15 subscales that are designed to measure an individual's personal, social, and emotional skills related to self-understanding, capacity for empathy and relating to others, tolerance for stress, flexibility, motivation, and problem-solving effectiveness.

According to website of the Emotional Intelligence Consortium, the BarOn EQI assesses the following:

• Intrapersonal (self-awareness and self-expression)

  º  Self-Regard: To accurately perceive, understand, and accept oneself
  
  º   Emotional Self-Awareness: To be aware of and understand one's emotions
  
  º   Assertiveness: To effectively and constructively express one's emotions and oneself
  
  º   Independence: To be self-reliant and free of emotional dependency on others
  
  º   Self-Actualization: To strive to achieve personal goals and actualize one's potential

• Interpersonal (social awareness and interpersonal relationship)

  º   Empathy: To be aware of and understand how others feel
  
  º   Social Responsibility: To identify with one's social group and cooperate with others
  
  º   Interpersonal Relationship: To establish mutually satisfying relationships and relate well with others

• Stress Management (emotional management and regulation)

  º   Stress Tolerance: To effectively and constructively manage emotions
  
  º   Impulse Control: To effectively and constructively control emotions

• Adaptability (change management)

  º   Reality-Testing: To objectively validate one's feelings and thinking with external reality
  
  º   Flexibility: To adapt and adjust one's feelings and thinking to new situations
  
  º  Problem-Solving: To effectively solve problems of a personal and interpersonal nature

• General Mood (self-motivation)

  º   Optimism: To be positive and look at the brighter side of life
  
  º  Happiness: To feel content with oneself, others, and life in general

Significant Improvements
In comparison to the control group, the scores of the 24 Equestrian-Assisted Therapy students showed statistically significant increases on the Intrapersonal Scale, Stress Management Scale, Adaptability Scale, and Total Emotional Quotient Scale after they had completed the therapy. Among the 14 control group students, there was no significant statistical change between the pre-test and the post-test.

Davies said that his analysis of the study data indicates that Equine Therapy participants showed "significant improvement" in the following areas:

• Assertiveness
• Emotional awareness
• Empathy
• Tolerance for stress
• Flexibility
• Impulse control
• Problem-solving skills
• Reality testing
• Self-actualization and independence
• Self-regard
• Social responsibility in interpersonal relationships

"This program is especially valuable to younger students, students who have a history of not responding well to traditional 'talk therapy,' and to students with attachment/bonding issues," Davies said. "It can also be 'a way in' with students who are oppositional and resistant."

About Equine Therapy
Copper Canyon Academy employs equestrian therapy as part of its comprehensive effort to help girls overcome a wide range of social and emotional challenges. The licensed professionals at Copper Canyon use horses as co-therapists in an effort to help girls develop greater empathy and nurturing abilities, while redefining themselves and their purpose in the world around them.

The animals in the program serve as co-therapists, providing unconditional positive regard, setting firm boundaries, testing students' boundaries, and providing students with an opportunity to learn to empathize with and care for others, the program's website reports. "Animals don't lie, manipulate, or cheat," the site states. "As students work with the animals, they begin to realize that lying, manipulating, and cheating don't work; they begin to form bonds and to expand their horizons beyond themselves."

Copper Canyon Academy's executive director, Paul Taylor, described the effect of the equine program as "simply amazing."

"We have seen such great, positive reactions from the girls who have taken part," Taylor said. "The program has opened up a door for us, and given our therapists a unique opportunity to reach girls who had previously been resistant to other efforts. Equine therapy has proved to be a tremendous healing experience for our students."

Offered as an enhancement to Copper Canyon's existing program of individual and group therapy, the Equestrian-Assisted Therapy program is offered at no additional charge to students who are enrolled in the academy.