Services

Do you find traditional room based therapy challenging? 



For some individuals, traditional room-based therapy can feel confronting and overwhelming. Sitting face-to-face in a clinical setting and having to explain your thoughts and feelings can be a challenge, especially when words don’t come easily, or emotions feel too complex to articulate.


At Northern Rivers Equine Therapy, we offer something different...

Equine Assisted Counselling

Horses have an extraordinary ability to tune into and mirror our nervous system and emotional state. Without saying a word, they respond to our inner world, offering powerful opportunities for self-awareness and emotional insight. In their presence, you don’t have to explain yourself. The connection happens on a deeper, more intuitive level.


At Northern Rivers Equine Therapy, the horse becomes a partner in the therapeutic process. Through their presence and responses, they offer feedback that’s immediate, honest, and deeply insightful, helping you to reconnect with yourself in a safe and supported way.

If traditional therapy hasn’t worked for you, or if you’re simply seeking a more embodied, relational approach, this work may offer the path forward you’ve been searching for.

Who is Equine Assisted Counselling For?it

Equine Assisted Counselling can be beneficial for youth and adults who are experiencing:

  • Mental Health challenges
  • Chronic Stress and Burnout
  • Emotional Regulation Difficulties
  • Trauma
  • Attachment and Developmental Trauma
  • Anxiety and Depression



Most new clients often begin with a 6 session journey to allow time to build connection, safety, and meaningful progress alongside our horses.


Private and NDIS Participants welcome!

Somatic Experiencing

Somatic Experiencing is a therapeutic approach that focuses on how stress and trauma are held in the body. Rather than needing to retell or relive experiences, Somatic Experiencing supports you to tune into physical sensations, helping your nervous system gradually release stored stress and return to a sense of safety and balance.


Through guided support, clients learn to notice subtle shifts in their body, develop a greater sense of safety, and gradually release stored tension at a pace that feels manageable. This can lead to improved emotional regulation, reduced anxiety, and a stronger sense of connection to self.


When integrated with equine-assisted work, horses can support this process by offering real-time feedback and opportunities for co-regulation, helping clients feel more grounded, present, and attuned.


Note: Interaction with horses is optional in Somatic Experiencing Sessions.

Who is Somatic Experiencing For?

Somatic Experiencing can be beneficial for individuals who are experiencing:

  • Depression, Shut Down, or Emotional Overwhelm
  • Anxiety and Chronic Stress
  • Trauma (Past or Recent)
  • Attachment and Developmental Trauma
  • Emotional Dysregulation


Private and NDIS Participants welcome!



Equine Assisted Learning Program

6 Week Equine Assisted Learning Program for children aged 5-14

Supporting Confidence, connection, and regulation


Program overview 

• This 6 Equine assisted learning program is designed to support children and young people in developing foundational skills for safe and respectful interactions with horses

• Over the 6 sessions, participants will explore emotional awareness, horse and human boundaries, gentle leadership and communication, all while supporting confidence and regulation.

• This program focuses on relational learning with horses in a calm structured environment and is facilitated by Alyssa, Registered Counsellor and Certified Equine Assisted Mental Health Practitioner.

• This is a non-therapeutic program, however offers many emotional and social benefits for participants.


Program Aims

• Introduce participants to horse body language, behaviour, safety, and respectful interactions with horses.

• Explore boundaries, consent, and respectful touch in both horses and humans

• Encourage the development of self-awareness, emotional regulation, gentle leadership, clear communication, and confidence through safe interactions and groundwork with horses. 

Program Details

What participants will learn

Each week introduces a new theme, including:

• How horses communicate, and how my body affects the horses 

• How to safely approach, catch, and halter horses

• Respectful touch and grooming

• How to communicate with body and leading with care 

• Practicing regulation, patience, and presence


Note: This program does not involve riding, and is ground based.


Investment

  • 6 Weekly individual sessions
  • 1 hour in duration
  • $100 per session
  • Save 10% when paid upfront
  • Cancellation Policy applies


"Healing doesn’t always look like progress. Sometimes it looks like standing quietly beside a horse, breathing in unison, and remembering that you are safe."

Fees

Equine Assisted Counselling

Private (out of pocket): $140 including GST per hour session.

NDIS: $156.16 per hour session

Somatic Experiencing:

Private (out of pocket): $140 including GST per hour session

NDIS: $156.16 per hour session.

Equine Assisted Learning Program (6 Sessions):

Private (out of pocket): $100 per hour session

NDIS: $100 per hour session

Save 10% when paid upfront!


NDIS sessions are delivered in line with current NDIS pricing guidelines, which reflect the additional requirements involved in providing services within the NDIS framework, including documentation, reporting, and coordination of care.


Private sessions are offered at a seperate rate to ensure accessibility for individuals outside of the NDIS
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Session Details:

  • Session duration: 1 hour plus additional time "behind the scenes" for session preparation and case note documentation.
  • 90 minute sessions available upon request and billed accordingly.
  • Services are billed under NDIS line item 15_043_0128_1_3. If this line item does not align with your NDIS plan, please reach out to us.
  • Sessions are to be paid in full on the day of appointment by bank transfer.

 

Additional Information:

  • Please come prepared with appropriate weather gear such as enclosed shoes, water bottle, a hat or raincoat.
  • Unfortunately, we do not offer mental health care plans funded through Medicare or Medicare rebates.

Cancellation Policy:

  • As a courtesy to other clients and our team, we require 48 hours notice for cancellations. Appointments cancelled with less than 48 hours notice will be billed at the full session rate.