Long Faces and Happy Hearts Equestrian Centre is proud to sponsor Equine Facilitated Dyadic Bonding Course. This course has two parts. First, training will start with Dyadic Development Psychotherapy (DDP) Course in Yorkton, SK. Secondly, training will continue with horse and families in a seven day in vivo program at Radical Attachment Camp. DDP is an empirically proven method that will allow you to add an important element to your counselling.
What is Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy?
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy is a treatment approach for families that have children with symptoms of emotional disorders, including Complex Trauma and disorders of attachment. It was originally developed by psychologist Daniel Hughes as an intervention for children whose emotional distress resulted from earlier separation from familiar caregivers. Marie Sherwood, Camp Director and Course Instructor, is trained by Dr. Daniel Hughes. Hughes cites attachment theory and particularly the work of John Bowlby as theoretical motivations for dyadic developmental psychotherapy. However, other sources for this approach may include the work of Stern, who referred to the attunement of parents to infants’ communication of emotion and needs, and of Tronick, who discussed the process of communicative mismatch and repair, in which parent and infant make repeated efforts until communication is successful.
Dyadic developmental therapy principally involves creating a “playful, accepting, curious, and empathic” environment in which the therapist attunes to the child’s “subjective experiences” and reflects this back to the child by means of eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and movements, voice tone, timing and touch, “co-regulates” emotional affect and “co-constructs” an alternative autobiographical narrative with the child. This reflection is amplified when the horse is added to the dynamic. Dyadic developmental psychotherapy also makes use of cognitive-behavioural strategies. The “dyad” referred to must eventually be the parent-child dyad, but during therapy the relationship switches from child-therapist, child-horse, therapist-horse, therapist-parent, and finally parent-child. The active presence of the primary caregiver is a must.
Other areas discussed are herd dynamics, creating a bombproof horse and the business side of your work. The course may be used toward fulfilling hours in certification with a number of different Equine Assisted Learning organizations. This will also be discussed at the course.
The cost of the 12 day training is $2000. Dates for training are 27 July - 7 August 09. Candidates paying before April 1, 2009 will be charged $1800, after this date the full fees will apply. Providing a replacement can be found, a full refund will be provided up until 1 June 11 minus 10%. A partial refund of 50% will be provided up until 1 July 11 minus 10%. After this date, no refund will be provided.
What is included in the $2000 course fee and what training will I receive?
Beginner Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Course ($800 value) located in Yorkton, SK and sponsored by SIGN. The fee includes course, course material, breakfast, and lunch. It does not include accommodations. Beginner DDP course takes place 27-30 July 2011. Please see the flyer for this portion of the training:
The second portion of the training will take place during Radical Attachment Camp and there are no additional costs for participants. The cost includes everything during the camp training. If you fly into Regina, we will also arrange for pickup and transport to Yorkton and then transport to Arlington Beach Camp for Radical Attachment Camp. I would like to take no more than eight equine staff, as I would like the opportunity for one on one. Please let me know if you are very serious and I will send you a registration form.
Please email Marie@LongFacesHappyHearts.com for more detail.
Why is Equine Facilitated Learning so effective?
The horse will always look for a partner, a leader, and want to be a member of a team. They desire someone who leads with quiet strength. They immediately reveal to us our strengths and weaknesses in leadership and communication, where as in other forms of counseling and education this can take weeks or months. The horse looks to us to bring out the best in them, and from the very first interaction they reflect our leadership style and our own blocks to success. In this program you will find yourself with insights and growth beyond what you may expect. This is partly due to the fact that it is impossible to hide or fake it with a 1200-pound horse. In short, horses teach us the most important things in life because they virtually demand that we approach them, and respond to them, with courage, compassion, and respect. The Equine Experiential Learning therapy is so powerful because it takes precisely the same qualities and awareness for us to have successful and rewarding relationships in business and interpersonally. Participants often describe this experience as not just profound, but as a spiritual deepening. Add DDP to this dynamic and you will have a highly effective clinical method.