Equine-assisted therapy involves using horses in a therapeutic way, while working alongside a qualified registered professional and equine specialist. Goals from this therapy involve supporting life-long skills to support emotional regulation, resilience, develop and maintain relationships and self-confidence. Each session at Equicare involves activities with horses, other animals on the property and being part of the environment. As identified in their individualised plan, activities are then tailored to the young person’s needs.
Support can either be 1:1 or within a group environment.
Jess Sutherland is an experienced Educational Psychologist (registered with the NZ Psychologists Board) who has worked in both the disability and education sector. She has extensive experience working within educational settings (Ministry of Education) to support a wide range of young people, whānau, and schools to navigate a variety of challenges.
She offers equine-assisted psychological services for children (includes assessment and treatment), which incorporates her love of horses with educational psychology.
Jess works alongside equine and farm specialists Janet and Amosa Tolo.
Janet and Amosa Tolo have extensive knowledge of working with horses and the day-to-day running of a working farm. Their farm situated in Ohariu Valley provides the horses and other animals (dogs, chickens and sheep) to support young people with a range of farm experiences tailored to their individual needs and strengths. They love working with horses in many capacities; pleasure, competitively and more recently providing young people with farm-assisted support. Their key focus is health and wellbeing for both young people and their animals.
