• Written by experts and founders in the world of equine assisted services (EAS), Integrating Horses into Healing: A Comprehensive Guide to Equine Assisted Services is an all-inclusive, hands-on guide for any practitioner, researcher, or student interested in EAS. The book provides a wealth of knowledge, including perspectives from therapy and coaching practitioners, equine professionals, veterinarians, researchers, clients, board members, and founders of the EAS industry. These diverse perspectives offer a depth and insight that make this a go-to guide for EAS practitioners and researchers. The focus of the book is on the ethical incorporation of equines into different therapy modalities. The well-being of the equine as well as the practitioner team is addressed, as well as sustainability and health within a for-profit and non-profit structure.

    • Offers ethical practices for integrating equine assisted services into therapies, coaching, and other services.
    • Provides a foundational introduction to the benefits and practices of equine assisted services
    • Discusses business and legal considerations for EAS ventures

  • Introduction to the Book

    I. Introduction to Equine Assisted Services and the Healing Nature of Horses

    1. The Natural Therapeutic Aspects of Horses

    2. The Evolution of Equine Assisted Services: Horse are Good for People

    3. Horse Speak and Partnership

    II. Office to Farm: Incorporating the Horse into the Healing Process

    4. Relational Equine-Partnered Counseling (REPC)

    5. An In-Depth Approach to Relational Work with Equines: Natural Lifemanship

    6. Breathing into Relationships: The Human-Equine Relational Development (HERD) Approach to Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy

    7. Side to Side Astride: The Benefits and Challenges of Equine Mounted Work in Trauma Processing

    8. Integrating Equine Engaged Internal Family Systems (EE-IFS) and Equine Connected Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EC-EMDR) into the Natural Lifemanship Practice of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP)

    9. Medical Therapy (OT, PT, SLP) Enhanced with Hippotherapy

    10. The Equus Effect- An Integrated Approach to Nervous System Regulation through Equine Assisted Learning

    11. Serving Those Who Served…. and Still Serve

    12. Beyond Mind and Body: Spiritual Connections in Equine Assisted Services

    III. Impact of Equine Assisted Services on Equines

    13. Be the Horse’s Advocate

    14. Enhancing the Horse's Voice: Incorporating Horse Speak into Therapy

    15. Exploring the Social-Emotional and Cognitive Development in Horses

    16. Not Just Horsing Around: An Equine Professional’s Guiding Principles

    17. The Role of the Equine Professional in Equine Assisted Services

    18. Heart Centered Horsemanship: A Horse Trainer’s Perspective

    19. A Holistic Perspective: My Transformative Journey Through Natural Lifemanship

    IV. Practitioner Wellness

    20. Are We There Yet? The Ongoing Journey of Healing for Healers

    21. Mental Health and Wellbeing for EAS Professionals

    V. The Sustainability of EAS: from Practitioner to Program to Industry

    22. What Happens When you Put the Cart Before the Horse?

    23. The Keys to a Successful Non-Profit Board

    24. How do you Know it Works: Program Evaluation in EAS

    25. How is Equine Assisted Research Important to my Practice?

    26. Conclusions and Future Direction

  • Dr. Cheryl Meola

    Is the founder of Mane Source Counseling, a psychotherapy practice specializing in equine assisted therapy and coaching in Ayden, North Carolina. She is a co-founder and Executive Director of Horses and HEALTH Inc, a non-profit organization that provides EAS to Veterans at no cost to participants. Before getting her master’s in counseling, Cheryl was a professional horse trainer, instructor, and intercollegiate coach for 20+ years. During her master’s studies at Bridgewater State University, Cheryl started working with a mentor in equine assisted psychotherapy. She obtained her PhD from East Carolina University. She is also involved in research, coaching, supervising, writing, and teaching. She has two mares, Octavia and Tia, who are valued co-therapists at Mane Source.

    Affiliations and expertise

    MANE Source Counseling USA

Veterinary Clinics of North America
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