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About us

What is Animal Assisted Therapy: Participants engage in objectively driven exercises and find themselves learning valuable life skills in a fun and exciting atmosphere while working alongside animals. AAT has proven to be effective, powerful, positive, educational, and creative. 


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Our therapeutic services that we offer here at Influential Equine Therapy (Click here for services we offer) incorporate animal-assisted therapy (AAT) to provide a holistic approach to support individuals. This innovative therapy leverages the unique bond between humans and animals to enhance emotional, social, and psychological well-being and work on capacity building among a number of domains.

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Key Features:

  1. Personalised Therapy Sessions: We create tailored therapeutic sessions that align with each participant's goals and needs. Our team collaborates closely with participants, families, and care coordinators to ensure effective outcomes.

  2. Qualified Professionals: Our therapists are trained and experienced in their allied health sector and animal-assisted therapy. They work alongside specially trained therapy animals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment.

  3. Engaging Interactions: Participants engage in various activities with therapy animals. These interactions promote engagement, motivate participants to learn news skills via the animals that they can then parallel to their own lives, broaden emotional connections, encourage problem solving, reduce anxiety, and improve social/communication skills.

  4. Safe and Supportive Environment: All sessions are conducted in a controlled environment, prioritising the safety and comfort of both participants and animals. Our animals undergo regular health checks and training to ensure a positive experience. We combine nature and the natural environment into our therapy session 

  5. Continuous Monitoring and Feedback: We regularly assess the progress of each participant, adjusting therapeutic strategies as needed to ensure effective outcomes and satisfaction.

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​Our therapeutic services with animal-assisted therapy provide a unique and compassionate approach to support others. By integrating the healing power of animals into therapy, we empower participants to achieve their personal goals and enhance their overall quality of life. 

IMPORTANT NDIS UPDATE ON ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY:

 

We want to inform you about recent updates to the NDIS rules regarding funding for therapy services that was announced in October 2024. We are committed to ensuring that you can continue to utilise Influential Equine Therapy (IET) for your therapeutic needs. (Click here)

 

Animal-assisted therapy can be used in conjunction with standard therapy, provided it is delivered by a qualified allied health professional recognised in the NDIS price guide. This includes professionals listed under Daily Living - Capacity Building for both children and adults who hold relevant qualifications with the appropriate registration bodies, such as AHPRA or the Australian Counselling Association.

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It’s important to note that therapy sessions must align with the NDIS Price Guide and not exceed the set prices to be considered reasonable and valuable. 

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At IET, all animal-assisted therapies are delivered by fully qualified allied health professionals—such as psychologists, occupational therapists, counsellors and speech pathologists—ensuring compliance with NDIS standards. We have noticed that some providers are charging for equine therapy without proper qualifications, which the NDIS is now addressing.

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Currently our participants receive either Occupational Therapy, Counselling, or Speech Therapy, all aimed at achieving their therapy and NDIS goals. The inclusion of animals and nature enriches our non-clinical environment, enhancing engagement and promoting effective therapy through evidence-based practices.

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We can provide any qualifications and registrations upon request. All our therapists are committed to ongoing training to safely incorporate animals into therapy.

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If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out. You can also share this information with your NDIS planner or let me know if you would like me to connect with them to clarify how we deliver our services inline with NDIS guidelines and legislation

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We look forward to supporting you here at Influential Equine Therapy.

Equine Therapy Benefits

  • provides an opportunity to attain immediate, honest and observable feedback with cause and effect situations;

  • improves personal awareness while enhancing verbal and non-verbal communication skills;

  • teaches empathy and willingness to accept responsibility while developing healthy relationships;

  • provides insight into group dynamics while enhancing problem solving skills;

  • learning to break down defensive barriers and appreciate other team members;

  • promotes patience while considering the needs and views of others;

  • provides an opportunity to empower individuals to expand personal comfort zones while building confidence & self esteem;

  • challenges participants in a non-judgmental way;

  • develops personal work ethics, responsibility & appropriate assertiveness;

  • observe the nature of the horse and realize it's importance to social success;

  • learn the importance of hierarchy and appreciating the value of community;

  • provides an appreciation for differences and diversity;

  • engages in discussion & activities to learn more about the horse & themselves;

  • develops abilities to be smart risk takers and fair minded team players;

  • encourages impulse control while improving decision making skills;

  • provides opportunities to immediately practice new skills.

FACILITIES / WHAT TO BRING
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Toilet on Site
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