Community Project

This unique project is a collaboration with Turning Point/Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service’s Children and Young People’s Team. Initially funded by the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner we provide Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy alongside Turning Point workers for children and young people who have experience continued symptoms of psychological trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of drug or alcohol use, either that experienced by the young person themselves, or where it has been a feature of their family and their developmental experience. We work with CYP up to the age of 18.

Young People can often find it hard to trust, to form effective relationships and to make those first steps in understanding their life experiences. Working with our therapist, our horses and their Turning Point worker we can help the young person change that.

Our work is not ridden, but is more about therapeutic work with these sensitive intelligent animals to find connection and develop trust. This can enable the young person to open up about their experiences in order to understand what has happened to them. From there they can start to process their experiences and eventually to even transform their experiences into a more positive current and future outlook on life.

Working alongside horses, they can help us as:

Mirror -they pick up on and read to our emotional states. Often this is deeply impactful for young people where usual “talking cures” can be more difficult

Metaphor - as human beings we often find meaning in our interactions with horses far beyond any spoken communication. Feeling understood and experiencing affection from a horse can be a truly healing experience. Likewise horses can help us learn about our part in social, psychological and emotional relationships far outside of our sessions.

Medicine - Interactions with horses can often feel good. There is a sound neurological basis for this in that our systems react to the interactions with horses in the emotional “mid brain” centres, which are often important in processing “stuck” memories, emotions and relationships.

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy has been practiced for over 4 decades in the United Kingdom and the researched benefits are many. Our sessions take place at a number of locations in the county of Somerset. Our sessions typically last an hour and a half and will be tailored to the child or young person’s needs. 

At the moment the Pegasus Project is solely a collaboration with Turning Point/SDAS, but if a child or young person fits the criteria for the service please contact SDAS Children and Young Persons service directly. Sadly we cannot take direct referrals into the project from individuals or other agencies at this time, although we hope that this will change as we further develop our work.