What: Medicine Horse AWARE is a social/emotional experiential learning program designed for groups of school-age kids. At Medicine Horse, students are given a safe and fun environment to work on their awareness of unwanted or negative behaviors and emotions -- and the confidence to take newly learned social/emotional skills back to their lives at school, home, and within the community.

Why: When students initially come to Medicine Horse for services, one of their first steps in working towards positive change is awareness -- awareness of established patterns, behaviors, thoughts, emotions and social interactions. For many, the interactions with the horses are one of the only positive, nonjudgmental and caring connections that they have felt in a long time. For others, it is a chance to boost self-esteem, increase confidence and become a more self-motivated and successful person.

Who: Through the AWARE program, a behavioral intervention team consisting of Medicine Horse staff (ie. mental health counselor, horse professionals) and agency/school staff (eg. counselors, social workers, teachers) partner to create individually tailored sessions to suit the needs of the students.

For some students who are exhibiting significant behavioral or social/emotional issues, individual sessions or sessions in addition to the school may be more appropriate.

Medicine Horse AWARE individual sessions focus on the needs and issues of each client. The sessions are experiential in nature with an emphasis on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP). With the support of a licensed therapist and a horse professional, EAP allows for clients to explore patterns of unwanted behaviors, patterns and emotions.

Individual needs and issues of each client determine the focus of the sessions.

Ideal candidates for the AWARE program are students who:

• Have behavioral issues
• Have learning disabilities
• Struggle with social/emotional issues
• Are victims of abuse
• Are depressed, withdrawn or suicidal
• Could benefit from increased social interactions with a peer group
• Have shown signs of drug/alcohol problems
• Have eating disorders or body image issue