Equine Assisted Therapy for Veterans & Military

Services for Veterans and Military Families

Serving those who serve with the global standard in equine-assisted psychotherapy and personal development. Eagala’s Military Services Designation raises the bar for equine-assisted psychotherapy for active military, reserves, veterans, and their families. The Eagala Military Services Designation is unique in the equine-assisted therapy world. With the Eagala Model as the foundation, Eagala Military Services Providers are specially credentialed with a deep understanding of military culture and life.

Programs

Apply for Designation

INDIVIDUAL DESIGNATION APPLICATION PROGRAM DESIGNATION APPLICATION

A group of teenagers surrounding and petting a horse

Two male active military men petting a horse

Why is Eagala Right for Veterans and Military Families?

UNIQUE QUALITIES OF HORSES SPEED EMOTIONAL BREAKTHROUGHS

This is especially true for those suffering from PTSD. That’s because these highly attuned animals offer safe reflection and compelling feedback for fears and anxieties military clients may be facing. In the hands of a skilled treatment team, the horses’ unique sensitivity can help clients understand their own internal processes more readily than hours of talk therapy.

HERD DYNAMICS CAN HELP CLIENTS UNDERSTAND THEIR OWN LIVES

Observing the dynamics of a herd of horses can help clients better understand the dynamics of their own family, military unit and community and provide another positive model for fostering collaboration, support and trust. The horses provide an emotionally safe way to work through and strengthen relationships in life – whether it be with others, the environment, beliefs, or themselves.

FOSTER RESILIENCE IN TIMES OF HIGH STRESS

The Eagala Military Services approach is based on experience and doing. The treatment sessions re-create life experiences, including those involving frustrations, high stress and relationship problems. This provides opportunities for service members and their families to re-discover their resources and strengths to overcome obstacles in a new context of civilian life after deployment and/or military service. They can apply this experience and gain in-the-moment feedback from the horses.

BREAK THROUGH BARRIERS TO CARE

Clients experience activities with horses that remove much of the perceived stigma associated with traditional talk therapy treatment methods. When treatment is about doing it’s more engaging, and engagement increases impact. Data is showing that this population is more likely to start and complete treatment with this model with less dropout and recidivism than traditional talk therapies. Military clients repeatedly report how quickly and deeply they get to the root of their issues and experience meaningful changes.

FIND REAL WORLD SOLUTIONS TO THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGES

Clients find their own solutions to the struggles in their lives. Under the direction of an Eagala Military Services Treatment Team, clients build on their resilience and learn through self-discovery the changes they need to make in order to be more successful in both military and civilian life.

Continuous Improvement

Nurture a commitment to learning, innovation and improvement.

CULTURAL COMPETENCE

By completing mandatory military focused Eagala training and 30 hours of cultural training understanding military culture, customs, norms, traditions, values, language, and experiences.

Collaboration

Maintain a culture of collaboration through supporting one another and sharing information, experiences and ideas.

CLINICAL COMPETENCE

By completing 30 hours of clinical training focused on understanding the unique clinical issues commonly faced by members of our armed forces and their families. Examples include: post-traumatic stress, combat post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, moral injury, grief, survivors guilt, substance abuse, post-deployment/ reintegration and related family conflict.

Quality

Eagala Military Services programs are facilitated by Eagala Certified teams where the full team of mental health professional and equine specialist have obtained their individual military designations and continue military focused continuing education each year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Eagala Military Services is a designation indicating Eagala Certified professionals who have specialized training and experience in the military community. The designation requires an annual renewal in which providers must complete continuing education each year to remain abreast of current military lifestyle and issues.

Eagala Military Services sets a high standard of excellence – respecting the cultural and professional competence needed to provide the best services possible for the military community.

The Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (Eagala) acknowledges the necessity and advantage of culturally and clinically competent provision of services in providing Eagala Model to our Military Service members and their families. Applying for the distinction of the Eagala Military Services designation establishes a willingness to provide culturally relevant services to those who have served our country.

The military population is unique in that authority for programming comes from centralized agencies (government and private) which look to provide services through recognized, credible organizations and provide replicable programming throughout the world. Having a specialized program distinction heightens the credibility of the quality of services which will be offered along with creating an organized system to provide services across multiple locations. This provides further advantage in successfully promoting Eagala Model services with military agencies.

The Eagala Military Services Program designation was created to identify programs who have a military designated team along with other quality assurance requirements. Eagala Military Services Programs are put on an identified referral list and are eligible for potential funding that Eagala obtains for Eagala Model services to this population.

Eagala Military Services Programs are a network of organizations providing Eagala Model services with this population who can collaborate and work together in gathering data to support this work, share resources, offer replicable programming, and be a unified force in advocating for this work.

Treating the effects of trauma is never easy. And in military culture, the challenge is even greater. The special demands placed on our service members and their families can lead to sometimes-tragic consequences: PTSD, depression, divorce, drug and alcohol addiction, trauma, and suicide.

These unique challenges and traumas deserve our most effective healing. That’s where the Eagala Model comes in.

With a military culture that values hands-on action and doing, Eagala Model equine-assisted psychotherapy often works where other traditional methods of treatment fail. Decidedly action-oriented, the Eagala Model helps military clients understand and recognize patterns, build on their personal strengths, and translate emotional insights into life-changing actions.

The experiential nature of working with horses through the Eagala Model engages military personnel in their own healing process, with solutions that meet them squarely on their own terms. Horses have a special ability to help people work through emotional barriers, serving as metaphors and powerful stand-ins for the people, issues, and challenges in the client’s life. The Eagala Model leads to powerful emotional breakthroughs and life-changing insights for the client, strengthening resilience and coping skills. Through the efforts of facilitators certified with Eagala Military Services designation, service members, veterans, and their families can more quickly and completely understand and integrate new perspectives and behaviors into their lives.

This is especially true and valuable for people who suffer the effects of trauma. With the Eagala Model therapy, clients challenge themselves in activities with horses that remove much of the perceived stigma associated with traditional talk therapy treatment methods.

Eagala is the world’s largest and most professionally respected association for equine-assisted psychotherapy. Eagala’s high standards, combined with its effective, replicable Military Services model, sets it apart from all other “horse therapy” programs.

Eagala Military Services Providers are uniquely qualified to help service members and their families, and is the global standard for serving active military, reserves, and veterans. Eagala is the only equine-assisted psychotherapy association to offer a special Military Services Designation, going above and beyond to serve.

Eagala’s standards and ethics asserts that Eagala professionals do not practice outside their scope of practice. The Code of Ethics states that members will, “…evaluate his/her own professional strengths and limitations and will seek to improve self and profession through ongoing education and training” and “…will not misrepresent by claiming or implying professional qualifications, education, experience, or affiliations not possessed by the associate.” The Eagala Military Services designation provides a structure to measure a minimum qualification of working with military culture and clinical issues, and as such, any Eagala members working with this population need to meet this standard and ideally obtain the designation.

A Program Designation is defined as a minimum of a Mental Health Professional (MH) and an Equine Specialist (ES) who are BOTH Eagala Certified and who BOTH have the individual military designation for their role, and where the program meets additional qualifications.

The program designation is required to be on Eagala Military Services programs referral lists and be eligible for potential funding. There is a separate application for Programs.

An Individual Designation is defined as any one member of the team (MH, ES, or Other Professional) who is Eagala Certified and has met the individual qualifications for that particular role as indicated in the application above. Having the individual designation does not place you on the Eagala Military Services Programs listing. The Program designation is a separate application.

Placed on the Eagala Military Services Programs referral list
Certificate indicating your program’s acceptance of the designation
Use of the designation “Eagala Military Services Provider” in marketing materials
Eligible for potential funding
Exposure through Eagala’s marketing efforts of Eagala Military Services programs
Part of the Eagala Military Services Programs network

Download the Individual or Program application and complete the required information. All boxes must be checked and required information supplied for application to be considered. An application fee is required at the time of submission. The program designation expires every year and requires annual completion of this application to renew the designation.

Three horses being petted individually by three different adults

Learn More About the Eagala Model

For questions, research information, and how to partner with Eagala Military Services, contact our Military Services Director, Connie Baldwin. If you’re interested in supporting us, please consider donating.

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2023 Fundamentals Participant

“Working with Eagala was a profoundly moving experience for me. I gained insight and wisdom that I did not think was possible. Any servicemember who has an opportunity should try it.”