Qlik Supports Malvern Nonprofit That Offers Transformative Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy Services

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Image via Qlik.

By Kristen de Marco

Mental health, as much as physical health, matters in treating the whole person, especially in these challenging times. For the past few years, Qlik, through Qlik.org, has been supporting my organization, Gateway HorseWorks, located in Malvern, through various means, including financial and software grants, to further our work incorporating horses for the treatment of people’s mental health.

The financial grant has allowed us to provide mental health services to clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers and their families during the pandemic. Changing from sessions in the horse pastures to virtual sessions with horses has required new equipment and training for our staff, which would not be possible without Qlik’s support. The software grant will increase accessibility by enabling us to better understand the impact of this innovative mental health intervention.

Specifically, Gateway HorseWorks incorporates horses for the mental health treatment of people, also known as equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP). EAP is a trauma-informed, experiential therapy which addresses mental health issues in a client-directed, metaphor-based therapy. Using a process of reflective listening and observation, the treatment team, consisting of a licensed mental health professional and a certified equine specialist, creates a therapeutic environment for individuals’ stories, perceptions, attitudes, emotions, and feelings to emerge through metaphor in relationship with the horses. The treatment team helps clients translate their experiences from what is happening with the horses to what is transpiring in their own lives, relationships, families, or workplace.

“Going through this pandemic has reshaped our patterns of social interaction in ways we probably never foresaw happening, and, although we may all have our own personal coping mechanisms, the stress and anxiety caused by isolation can be overwhelming for some,” said Julie Kae, Executive Director of Qlik.org. “We are proud of our support of Gateway HorseWorks, which helps to alleviate these symptoms, and for our commitment to providing mental health resources to those in need, which is so vital during these trying times.”

Along with our telehealth sessions for frontline workers, Gateway HorseWorks has designed and developed seven community-based programs free to participants. These programs serve:

  • adults in pre-release at the Chester County Prison
  • dependent and justice-involved youth
  • veterans who have experienced trauma
  • girls in residential treatment for neglect and abuse
  • people recovering from addiction
  • human trafficking survivors
  • bereaved children and families

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristen de Marco is the Executive Director of Gateway HorseWorks, a Malvern-Based nonprofit that offers transformative, equine-assisted psychotherapy services to children, adults, and families in a healing, farm-based environment. Click here to learn more.

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