What is meant by the word ‘Therapy’?

What is meant by the word 'therapy'? It is a word that is used in so many contexts, within so many practices related to treatments, hobbies, enjoyment, and personal development. 

'Therapy' originates from the Greek word 'therapeia' which translates as 'curing, healing or attending the sick'. 

Interestingly, the word therapeia derives from another Greek word, 'therapeuein', which translates to 'attend, do service, or take care of'. 

Our psychotherapeutic approach at The Heard resonates with the meaning of 'therapeuein'; we hold our clients and horses with values of respect, non-judgment, and care. We are in 'service of', or to take it further, in partnership with you and the horses, held within the therapeutic relationship in service of your mental health and well-being. 

Our approach is client-centred and horse-centred, focused on a choice-based approach to maintain autonomy, safety, and self-direction. 

So where does the 'therapy' happen? 

In the relational field. 

Between the client and the horses, the therapist and the client, the therapist and the horses, and the continual interaction of the wider environment. We work with what is actually happening in relation to the horse's behaviour, which allows the horse to maintain their autonomy and identity as a horse. 

We explore your moment-by-moment experience in response to what is happening and how this might touch upon your personal process. 

Authenticity and autonomy are central to our approach, which can seem simplistic as a concept but can be challenging to hold in the space when our experience and emotions are touched upon, and this is where the potential for transformation lies. 

Continually attending to the authentic experience and supporting autonomy, for both horses and humans, working through the traumas, patterns, and barriers that can emerge along the way, restoring the true identity and sense of self-agency.