There is a question behind all those therapy names: what would I actually be doing? It’s a fair thing to want to know before making an appointment. A conversation in an office and time spent beside a horse certainly look different. Whether either one is right for you takes more than a look at the setting.
Here at Nunley Family Farm in Hohenwald, Tennessee, we’d like to explain the terms without making the decision for you. We have equine and other farm animal-assisted services, farm days, and nature-themed experiences. We also think the distinction between a farm experience and clinical treatment deserves more attention than it sometimes gets.
Talking It Through
Talking is the main activity here, as the name suggests. The subject could be a loss, trouble at home, or something you have never said aloud. It needn’t be a well-prepared account. ‘I’m not sure how to explain this’ gives a therapist somewhere to start, too.
The particular kind of talk therapy makes a difference. Some methods put more emphasis on thoughts and behavior, others on relationships or past experiences. Sometimes there is practice to take home. Rehearsing how to set a boundary, for instance, is rather different from just recounting last week’s argument.
We wouldn’t describe this as words versus feelings. And a sleepless night is hardly off-topic just because the appointment is called talk therapy. Neither are aching shoulders. They may or may not be related to the concern you’re discussing, but they are worth mentioning.
Noticing The Physical Part
Somatic refers to the body. Say you’re in the middle of explaining something and become aware that you’ve been clenching your jaw. With a somatic approach, the therapist may spend some time on that sensation with you. What you’ve noticed physically becomes part of the session. There is usually conversation here, too.
We’d want to know a little more than the name of the approach before booking. What training does the practitioner have in the method they use? Will the appointment include movement? Grounding exercises? Does any part involve touch? Consent isn’t a detail to leave until an exercise has already started.
Nor should you feel obliged to continue an exercise that is overwhelming. Bring that up. Panic or trauma symptoms deserve an assessment by a qualified mental health professional, as do episodes of feeling disconnected. Don’t let a broad label stand in for that individual conversation about treatment.
An Animal In The Session
For an animal encounter to be clinical therapy, there needs to be more than an animal and a willing visitor. Who is the qualified professional providing treatment? What is the treatment plan, and what goals does the animal’s involvement serve? Without that clinical work, an outing may be recreation or an animal-assisted activity. We think there’s value in calling it what it is.
Even the word equine-assisted leaves a lot unanswered. You might read it and picture riding, which may not be part of the program at all. Nor does it tell you anything about a provider’s license. We would want the person running a program to spell out what is being offered, who is leading it, and whether the service is clinical.
We also need to leave room for animals to be animals. A horse that steps away may have heard something you missed. That movement isn’t an assessment of your feelings. There would be far too much guesswork in treating it as one.
A phone call before an animal visit is a good time to bring up allergies or difficulty getting around. Nervous about touching an animal? Ask about watching instead. At the visit itself, the handler’s directions come first, including where to stand and how much space to leave. Handwashing after animal contact belongs on the list too. These are ordinary parts of planning a visit, not reasons to be frightened of one.
Deciding What You Need
Rather than rank the three approaches, consider what you are seeking. Treatment for a mental health concern? A better understanding of a recurring problem? An afternoon out with the family would be a different request again. Start there, with what you need rather than which label sounds most appealing.
Where treatment is concerned, we’d leave the choice of approach to a discussion between you and a licensed clinician. These categories aren’t sealed off from each other anyway. There can be body awareness in talk therapy and conversation in an animal-assisted session. There is also no reason to assume that everyone who finds talking difficult needs the same alternative.
A useful question when you’re uncertain is simply, ‘What would the first appointment involve?’ You can ask about qualifications, costs, and the option to decline an activity in the same conversation.
A Conversation With Our Farm
We’re a military and law enforcement family. Giving back is personal to us, and Nunley Family Farm is part of that commitment. We offer farm animal-assisted experiences and opportunities to spend time in a farm setting; we don’t attach a promise of treating a condition to those experiences.
You can reach us at (951) 202-7727 here in Hohenwald, Tennessee. If an experience at the farm interests you, let’s talk about what’s currently available and who would be coming. Bring your questions about participation or accommodations along to that conversation. That’s a better starting point than having to guess from a program name.