We provide family therapy for all types of families, nuclear families, blended families, adoptive families, same-sex families, multigenerational families, grandparent families, single-parent families, and extended families. Any family type that exists, we can help.

The focus of family therapy is to understand and change the way the family functions. Sometimes problems are due to the way the family members interact with one another and therapy assists in changing these maladaptive patterns. Sometimes issues arise because of the way the family is structured, such as a child being in charge of the family. Therapy then focuses on changing the structure to one that is healthier and functional. Equine Assisted family therapy is designed to work on the family system to help each member of the family heal and grow.

 

We use a client-centered approach, which means we use our extensive training and experience to customize the treatment of your family to meet your family’s unique challenges and needs. We incorporate many different techniques and models of therapy to create a custom combination of tools, ideas, support, and guidance. We continually assess the needs of the family unit and our interventions change as necessary to meet the ever-changing needs of the family.

 

In family therapy, family members work with a therapy team including a licensed mental health counselor, a certified equine professional, and at least one horse. Family members get to choose at least one horse from our herd of nine horses. The majority of sessions are conducted outdoors with the horses, but some sessions will be in the office without the horses.

 

Working with horses provides a family the opportunity to work on the same issues/problems that a family would work on in an office setting, with the immediate feedback of a horse partner to help family members identify challenges, and change old ways of relating, thinking and being. Each family member is responsible for his/her actions and the changes he/she decides to make.

 

Sometimes, when life is hard, we try to control people and events in our lives to help us feel better. When we do this, it causes harm to us and our relationships. At PCR we believe that individuals are only responsible for how they are in the moment, and can only change themselves, the way they think, and behave with themselves and others. That does not mean that individuals have permission to say anything they want to say or to do anything they want to do. What this means is that an individual cannot control how another person sees a situation or how someone else is being in the moment. However, how a person sees us or how that person acts towards us is important to us and to our relationship with that person. So, when there is a conflict, each of us is responsible for listening deeply to each other, seeing each other, and responding to each other in a way that builds connection between us. In services, at PCR we help families understand and apply the principles of healthy relationships and begin to lead lives of connection with one another.

Contact us for a phone consult to find out if our services are right for your and your family.