Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Adam Peters
Hula hoops, colorful exercise balls, barrels and horses. They all play a part in family counseling, addiction recovery, depression treatment and helping veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
Hula hoops, colorful exercise balls, barrels and horses all play a part in an active, hands-on counseling approach opening in Cedar Valley. The counselors at Three Willows Counseling and Equine Experience demonstrated their therapeutic horse encounters for visitors at an open house in Cedar Fort on Saturday.
"It's our goal to combine the mental and physical aspects of therapy into one," Adam Peters, owner of the Three Willows program said.
According to Peters, the program at present does not involve riding the horses, only leading them through tasks. Peters walked Daisy, one of the groups four horses, through a series of challenges to show how program participants work with horses to accomplish goals and overcome obstacles. A skittish paint pony, Daisy can serve as an encounter stand-in for a rebellious teenager or retreating spouse in a safe environment, without bringing up threatening human relationship baggage. The focus is entirely on developing a relationship with the horse and accomplishing the task at hand as a team.
Peters demonstrated patience and persistence in coaxing Daisy closer to a big red exercise ball that she had initially shied away from. After repeated experience with the ball, Daisy eventually came closer and even kicked the ball. He then worked with the horse and the ball while wearing another potentially threatening object, a hula hoop, around his neck until Daisy felt confident enough to wear the hula hoop herself.
Peters said that many of the counseling sessions are targeted at helping individuals and groups learn to build stronger, more positive relationships. Instead of just talking about personal problems, participants in the program interact with horses and discover a great deal about how they actually act in real-life situations. The session team always includes two professionals -- a licensed mental health professional and an experienced equine specialist.
"Safety is the big thing so no one gets hurt, and that includes the horse," Rita Peters, Adam's mother, said.
The Three Willows Counseling and Equine Experience group includes Peters, his mother Rita Peters, Ryan Judson and supervisor Dr. Lance Done of Saratoga Springs. While Dr. Done focuses on couples counseling in his private practice, the Three Willows program will include family counseling, addiction recovery, depression treatment and help for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
"My primary focus is on military vets who have suffered physical trauma and mental trauma," Peters said.
Peters has personal experience in veterans' challenges. He recently returned from his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan and is still on active duty with the Utah National Guard. He credits his work with horses as a positive influence in his own life. Peters is currently studying equine science at Utah State University, including the care and training of horses and the use of horses in counseling. He is also pursuing a degree in physical therapy directed toward hippo therapy.
"This is so beneficial for the whole family," Peters said.
Peters' mother, Rita Peters, a counselor with the Three Willows group agreed with her son that when one individual has a problem, everyone in the family or immediate environment is affected, so the whole family is encouraged to come out and work with the horses. "The problem wasn't caused in isolation, so the best treatment won't be in isolation. If we just focus on the individual, we take care of the immediate problem, but not the effect it has on the family," said Rita Peters.
According to Rita, the Three Willows theme is "new experience, new perspective." "No matter what the problem is, all we have to do is give them a different way of looking at the situation. Equine therapy shows family members their relationship styles," said Rita. "It brings out your best or worst qualities. You learn a lot about yourself," she said.
Rita explained that horses are very social animals with individual personalities, attitudes and moods. Program participants learn to adapt, improvise and move forward because an approach that worked during one session might not be successful the next time with a different horse or even with the same horse. "That's why we use horses. They are so much like people, so similar," Rita said. She said that the horses enjoy the interaction and come to the gate when they see a group approaching.
Horses are also very empathetic. Rita told of one encounter where a boy didn't want to approach the horse. He stood with his back against the pasture fence. Without any words or actions from the boy or counselor, the horse came over and put his head on the boy's shoulder and just shared the moment. The encounter helped the boy understand his own attitudes.
Rita has been doing equine assisted psychotherapy since 2001, first at Bits of Freedom in Logan, then at Aspen Ranch in Wayne County, and now at Three Willows Counseling and Equine Experience in Cedar Fort. She is a substance-use disorder counselor, Association of Marriage and Family therapist, and certified by EAGALA (Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted Learning) as a equine and mental health professional. The Three Willows program follows the EAGALA model of equine assisted psychotherapy.
"The good thing is Three Willows isn't a stand-alone program. We refer to other mental health professionals and we are a support program for others. The referrals go in both directions," Rita said.
Cedar Fort is the perfect environment for equine assisted psychotherapy sessions, according to Rita. "It's so peaceful here, no stress, no pressure. You can just leave the chaos behind and come out here," Rita said. Three Willows offers individual sessions and group sessions.
For more information, visit the Three Willows website at threewillows.net
or email Three Willows at 3wllws@gmail.com.