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Aspen Ranch is a residential treatment center for troubled teens, at risk youth, and adolescents with a variety of behavioral problems. Through the Ranch's animal-assisted therapy programs, students learn life skills that initiate change. Horsemanship skills are integrated with team building activities, experiential learning, and therapy groups to create a unique program with endless possibilities. Animal Assisted Therapy for Troubled Teens
Anyone who has had a teen knows that sometimes it's difficult to carry on a two-way conversation with one. Even the most well adjusted teen will often answer questions with monosyllables, avoiding meaningful conversations about feelings and issues-at least with adults-like the plague.This behavior is believed to be because teens haven't yet learned to express complex and confusing thoughts and feelings in a clear way. And many of their issues have to do with real or perceived conflicts with family members, especially parents, making it all the more difficult to express themselves without becoming overly emotional.
For troubled teens, this difficulty with communication is intensified. This is one reason that traditional "talk therapy" with a troubled teen isn't always effective, particularly if the teen doesn't care to talk.
Enter animal assisted therapy. Animal assisted therapy is a form of therapeutic intervention in which animals are used to assist the therapist. animal assisted therapy recognizes the bond that quickly develops between human and animal, and the potential for client interaction with an animal to help with emotional healing and growth.
Not only can the therapist get important clues about a teen's interaction patterns with family members and friends by observing interaction with the animal, but this observation can also be used to help the teen to understand her own behavior and to practice healthier behaviors in a safe setting.
Animal assisted therapy is said to be a form of "experiential therapy," which simply put, means therapy based around an experience or activity. When attention is focused upon a challenging task, such as haltering a horse or grooming a dog, the sense of purpose in the activity offers great opportunity to develop and practice skills such as self-control, decision-making, and communication. It is also an opportunity to build self-confidence and trust.
The important aspect that differentiates experiential therapy from simply an experience is that there are clearly defined goals for the teen, developed by and supported by a licensed mental health professional, with opportunity for the teen to reflect upon how the activity impacts him, as well as therapist encouragement for transferring newly learned behaviors to the real life setting.
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