Some people can sit down in a counseling office and start talking. Other people cannot. Ask them what is wrong, and the answer may be, “I don’t know,” even when they know something has been bothering them for months.
Put that same person next to a horse, give them a brush, and let the conversation happen while they work. It can feel different. That is part of the thinking behind Animal-Assisted Therapy at Fields for Growth Therapy in Blackberry Knolls, IL.
Animals are incorporated into counseling as part of the therapeutic process. Depending on the client and the session, that might mean working around horses, donkeys, dogs, cats, bunnies, lambs, pigs, or other animals.
Want to know what that would actually look like for you or your child? Call (630) 675-3944 for a free 15-minute consultation to ask questions about Animal-Assisted Therapy near Blackberry Knolls.
It Is Therapy, Not Just Time with Animals
This distinction matters. Animal-assisted therapy is not simply visiting a farm because animals make people feel good. There is still a therapeutic goal. You have to be able to participate in it. A session could involve walking beside an animal. Someone else may brush a horse while talking. Another client might spend more time watching an animal and discussing what they notice.
Safety is addressed before an activity begins. The therapist and client can then work with what actually happens during the interaction. And animals do not follow a counseling script. A horse may stop when you want it to walk. A dog might become distracted. An animal you expected to approach may decide to stay where it is.
What do you do then? Those unscripted moments are part of what makes Animal-Assisted Therapy at Blackberry Knolls useful in counseling. Your reaction gives you and your therapist something real to talk about.
An Experience That Helped Shape Dr. Kakacek’s Current Modality Choices
Dr. Sandra Lee Kakacek, LCPC, began formally using animals in counseling in 1999. One of her early experiences involved a child grieving the death of a parent two years after the loss. Anger had been the emotion the child was showing.
During an equine-assisted therapy session, the child was brushing a horse while talking about the parent. The conversation changed. The child cried and began expressing sadness. It was a relatively ordinary activity. No elaborate exercise was required. But interacting with the horse provided a setting in which another emotion could finally come out.
Experiences like this helped shape Dr. Kakacek’s continued use of animals in therapy. Today, Animal-Assisted Therapy in Blackberry Knolls IL can be incorporated when it makes sense for the client’s needs and treatment goals.
Ready to begin your healing journey? Call us today at (630) 675-3944 to schedule your free 15-minute consultation and discover how we can support you.
Sometimes the Animal Gives You Something to Talk About
Suppose a client looks at a horse and says, “He seems nervous today.” A therapist can leave that as an observation. Or she can ask, “What do you think he’s nervous about?” The conversation might eventually turn toward what has been making the client nervous lately.
The same thing can happen in less obvious ways. What does a dog’s collar make you think about? Restrictions? Safety? Control? Why did you immediately approach the bunny but stay away from the horse? What happened when you called an animal and it ignored you?
There is no predetermined correct answer. With Animal-Assisted Therapy in Blackberry Knolls IL, observations and metaphors can give clients another way into conversations about anxiety, grief, depression, trauma, relationships, trust, frustration, or boundaries.
Getting Over, Around, or Through Something with Animal-Assisted Therapy
Some sessions are more structured. A client may use props to build an obstacle representing something happening in life. Then the person works with an animal to get through, around, or over it. It sounds simple until the activity does not go as planned.
Maybe the animal refuses to move. Maybe the client becomes impatient. Someone who usually lets other people make decisions may suddenly realize they are doing the same thing with the animal. That is where the discussion gets interesting.
Did you ask clearly for what you wanted? Did you give up quickly? What did you do when your first approach failed? These are questions about an activity, but they may also sound familiar outside the pasture.
If this kind of counseling interests you, call (630) 675-3944 for a free 15-minute consultation. You can talk with Fields for Growth Therapy about whether Animal-Assisted Therapy in Blackberry Knolls fits what you are looking for.
The Setting Changes Things Too
There are sounds, smells, textures, weather, movement, and distractions around animals. A pasture does not feel like a counseling office. You may hear a lamb, notice a pig wandering nearby, feel the texture of a horse’s coat, or realize your shoulders tightened when a large animal walked toward you.
Those reactions are happening now, not in a story about something that happened last Tuesday. That gives Animal-Assisted Therapy in Blackberry Knolls IL a sensory and experiential component. The therapist can work with what a client notices in the moment rather than relying entirely on conversation and recollection.
You Might Connect with an Animal You Did Not Expect
Clients do not necessarily respond to every animal in the same way. Someone may immediately feel comfortable around a horse. Another person may want nothing to do with the horse but happily sit near a bunny. That is worth noticing.
Dr. Kakacek can explore why a particular animal feels safe, interesting, intimidating, annoying, or comforting. The relationship does not need to be forced to make it therapeutically relevant. Animals also communicate constantly through posture, movement, sounds, distance, and behavior. Clients are doing the same thing, whether they realize it or not.
This makes Animal-Assisted Therapy in Blackberry Knolls, IL, less predictable than a worksheet or scripted exercise. Sometimes the unexpected interaction is what starts the most useful conversation.
Final Thoughts About Fields for Growth Therapy’s Animal-Assisted Therapy Program
Dr. Sandra Lee Kakacek is an LCPC, animal-assisted therapist, trainer, and certification facilitator who has incorporated animals into counseling for decades. At Fields for Growth Therapy, Animal-Assisted Therapy in Blackberry Knolls may involve conversation, movement, observation, structured activities, sensory experiences, or simply spending part of a session interacting with an animal while discussing what is going on in your life.
You do not need to show up already knowing what you are supposed to say. Call (630) 675-3944 to schedule a free 15-minute consultation and ask your questions about Animal-Assisted Therapy in Blackberry Knolls, IL. For some clients, sitting down and talking is the right place to begin. For others, it may start by walking into a pasture and seeing what happens.