JASMINE CHOMSKI

Jasmine Chomski, MA Therapist, Lead Facilitator

Jasmine has a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology and is also a certified Equine Assisted Psychotherapist.

As a mental health professional, she has an extensive and varied background in assisting clients of all ages and life challenges as well as conducting team building and executive development seminars.

In addition Jasmine has a strong background in business.

As a Sales Manager for Bell she was responsible for developing and training her own Sales Team.

Jasmine has a dynamic approach which produces high quality, effective programs that benefit all levels and areas of business. Her skill in designing your program ensures that everyone will enjoy maximum impact from this learning partnership.

Jasmine's horsemanship skills together with her talent as a therapist create dynamic growth and performance improvement opportunities for her clients.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy:

How I Brought My Office into the Arena

Equine Assisted Psychotherapist and Director of EAP at Harmony Ranch

Standing alone in a large arena with horses running around you would be intimidating to most people, but not to 14-year-old Becky – she just wanted to be their friend.

The horses, however, had other ideas. Becky was given the task of catching and haltering one of the three horses that she wanted to work with. Having no experience with horses, Becky quickly became frustrated as they continued to move away from her.

Becky had often struggled with making friends in school. Her way of coping was to pretend like she didn't care, keeping her feelings to herself. She tried this with the horses as well. As Becky's psychotherapist, I asked her how she was feeling, and she immediately broke down in tears and cried, "They don't like me!"

With that admission, Woody, one of the horses Becky was working with (and often a loner himself) came to her and patiently waited for her to place the halter on him. Becky broke out into a huge grin - she had made a new friend.

As a psychotherapist, riding horses has become a central method of reducing my own stress. It was my own experience with horses that led me to search for a way to combine my two passions - horses and psychotherapy.

In my search, I stumbled across Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and became EAP certified.

EAP is a method of using activities with horses, on the ground, to help people learn about themselves. Participants are given problem-solving activities to do with the horses, then the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that emerge are processed by a mental health professional. How people approach these activities mirrors the way they approach difficulties within their own lives.

EAP activities are rich with metaphor. In Becky's case, she was able to see how others responded to her behaviour and what she could do to get a different response. It was the beginning of Becky learning how to build relationships.

The horses are an important element of this kind of therapy because they respond to who people really are inside. If you are nervous, a horse will perceive it. There is no faking with a horse. It’s important to know that EAP is not about learning horsemanship or riding skills. The horses are merely tools that help with self-discovery.

It is crucial to have a qualified therapist present to assist in the processing of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy activities. This is where the real change occurs. As a psychotherapist, I help my clients apply what occurs in the arena to the rest of their lives. I incorporate other therapeutic theories, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, to provide clients with tools for change.

EAP provides a very different perspective than traditional talk therapy. These activities allow people to see the immediate cause and effect of their behaviour.

In the office, we rely on the client's perspective only. EAP provides clients with the opportunity to work through their problems and get immediate feedback, leading to quicker change.

The serene, tranquil environment of a beautiful ranch is also a lot less daunting than a sterile office, especially for teens, who often resist traditional talk therapy.

One of the most common questions we are asked is if our program includes riding the horses. The teens are often disappointed to hear the answer is no. However, any horse person will tell you, our relationships with horses always start on the ground. I believe this is one of the most powerful tools this type of therapy offers, the ability to create relationships. At our core, we are relational beings. Most of the difficulties that people come to therapy about can be traced back to difficulties in relationships. Usually, the one we have with ourselves.

Children in general, are not taught how to be effective in relationships. For the most part, we learn by observing our parents. EAP gives clients an opportunity to learn what their relationship patterns are and how to safely create new ways of relating.

In particular, EAP provides a unique setting for family therapy with activities that are fun and engaging as well as therapeutic.The relationship work begins by allowing the horses to be unrestrained during most of the activities. The horses are allowed to be exactly that, horses. When working with horses in this way, the real personality of the horse emerges and we are able to see how each client's personality impacts the horse.

Clients learn that as they change their approach, the horse's response changes as well. They are then encouraged to try this new behaviour with others in their lives.

The rules in the arena are also guidelines that many people need to have in their life. Our first rule is respect. Respect for yourself in terms of personal safety and honouring what your needs are and respect for others, including the horse.

The sheer size of a horse commands respect. Participants quickly find out that a lack of respect, leads to an uncooperative horse.This kind of therapy can also be extremely powerful for people who have difficulty making friends, like Becky. Horses are herd animals and as such, want to form connections with others. As a result of spending time with a horse, many of my clients have reported feeling liked and accepted for the first time.

Equine assisted psychotherapy is beneficial for anyone who wants to learn about him or herself and make changes in his or her life. EAP is a particularly effective therapeutic treatment for people with depression, learning disabilities, self-esteem issues, anxiety issues and relationship issues. It has been found to be beneficial for building confidence and self-esteem, conflict resolution skills, problem-solving, communication and team-building skills.

This approach is not just for people who are dealing with major life difficulties. Our group activities and workshops can benefit anyone interested in self development.

Change, in any form, is a major source of stress for many people. How to handle change effectively is a skill that many could use assistance with. Our activities focus on problem-solving and how to change our response to frustration.Many people often report that they feel stuck in their life and are unable to stop repeating ineffective patterns.

Traditional learning workshops help to understand the thoughts that are creating those patterns. EAP activities take it one step further by allowing participants to see how a change in those thoughts creates new behaviours. We give people the chance to try many different approaches to a task to experience what that change would feel like. Through the processing, clients are then able to translate that into change in their real life.

This type of therapy is for horse and non horse people alike. While horses are an integral part of this process, participants do not have to have an interest in horses or building a relationship with them. They are merely a tool to help the client learn about themselves.

At Harmony Ranch in Schomberg, Ontario, we offer a variety of programs for teens and adults. We offer individual therapy, family therapy, and group workshops like Self Esteem for Teens and Women's Harness Your Power, which are excellent ways to discover how EAP can enrich your life.

OUR WORKSHOPS SCHEDULE

Sessions may be fully or partially covered by extended health insurance plans.

Please call Jasmine Chomski at 416-518-6999 or contact HARMONY RANCH here for more details.

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