Louisville Based Practice Expands Animal Assisted Therapies to Include Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Creative Family Counseling, a child and family counseling practice with locations in Lyndon and Prospect, has long been known to offer Animal-Assisted Therapies. Founder and CEO Lacey Ryan, LMFT and her dog Lola have offered this service as a certified pet therapy team since the practice opened its doors in 2016. Lola’s gentle and powerful work has inspired other clinicians on the Creative Family Counseling team to train and certify their own pets for this work. The practice now has four therapy dogs between the two locations, offering the beautiful and healing service that only animals can offer.
With a clear understanding of the therapeutic power humans have in connection with animals, the practice is excited to announce a new service being offered – Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, available to clients who have access to their own personal horses. Creative Family Counseling Therapist Leslie Cashion, LMFT offers Equine Assisted Psychotherapy to individuals at their barns or facilities between the client and their horse. Leslie, who is trained in Natural Lifemanship Level 1, provides interventions to help clients make progress toward established goals between themselves and their equine in an individualized manner.
The human-equine connection is the foundational healing aspect of Equine Assisted Therapy.
Using Natural Lifemanship principles to guide her work, Leslie partners with clients and equines to deepen connection, heal trauma, and facilitate understanding across species. Research proves that connection in relationship with animals can be a healing, valuable experience for all involved.
Natural Lifemanship is a model based on consent, connection, and compassion. Using this model, Leslie focuses on attachments, relationship, emotional regulation, communication, and collaboration. The work is trauma informed for both equine and human, utilizing Leslie’s training as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and over 25 years of professional equine experience as a coach, trainer, instructor, and manager. In this work, the equine is a partner, never a metaphor or tool.
To learn more about working with Leslie for Equine Therapy, check out the practice’s Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program here.
