Eastern Oregon Children's Multi-Treatment Center – Unofficial Blog

Posts Tagged ‘therapist’

EOCMTC’s Equine Therapy Program is designed to enhance the current therapeutic services and provide children with an emotionally supportive environment where certified Equine Therapists help children gain skills and emotional well being through animal therapy. EOCMTC’s Equine Therapists and the children they help treat, operate in a safe, contained area in which to conduct therapeutic exercises. This site and program includes a barn, corral, round pen of sand and panels, riding areas, hay shed, and goat pen. The program has been supported by many local donors and volunteers including Rod Anderson, the Pendleton Branch of Rotary International, Pendleton Grain Growers, Ed and Jan Stith, and the Grilley Family, to list only a few. EOCMTC’s very gentle horses offer our children safe experiences that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Equine Therapy provides children interaction and outcomes with horses that include children building emotional strengths and demonstrating skill areas such as the following: * empathy (being able to identify and understand the feelings and motives of others) *an outward focus (coming out of themselves to focus positively on their environment) *nurturing (concern with promoting the growth and development of the horses and other animals) *rapport (bonding and forming trust relationships) *feeling accepted (favorable reception and approval) *being entertained (enjoying the horses’ reactions and antics) socialization (enjoying the company of others in caring for and riding the horses) *mental stimulation and decreased feeling of isolation or alienation *a desire to learn about animals and gain new physical/recreational skills. The Center’s staff members receive training in animal-assisted therapy which focus on the above goals as well as safety and integrating the use of horses into structured therapy routines.

In addition to horses, EOCMTC offers children exposure to other animals. In the summer of 2003, EOCMTC purchased a pair of pygmy goats to eat star thistle weed (which is bad for horses) on the edge of the campus. We did not know it at the time, but both goats were pregnant when they came to us and four very cute little babies were born in the winter of 2004. Our children fell in love with the goats and began taking them on walks with dog collars and leashes. Star thistle was not good enough feed, our children decided and the goats now enjoy grain, fresh grass, and hay. Sweet natured cats who chase away field mice from our grain supply are friendly inhabitants of our barn and we usually have a couple of dogs who love attention. We also have added Ellie Mae, a miniature donkey of only 3 feet height to our menagerie. The children sure do love our animals!