FAQ

Most health care plans have a “Psychology Services” category, which allows for the reimbursement of some or all of your psychotherapy sessions. In some cases, such as with Long or Short Terms Disability claims, your insurance company may contract directly with us and you will not have to pay anything out of pocket. In other cases, you may be required to pay up front and submit your receipts for reimbursement to your company.

At Equinox Therapeutic, we understand the importance of having a “good fit” between client and therapist. A client should feel like they trust their therapist, feel comfortable and safe, feel listened to and understood, and should believe that their therapist has the knowledge and tools to help them achieve their goals.

If, for any reason, you simply don’t feel like your therapist is the right one for you, we will be happy to place you with someone else within our company. If this were to happen, with your permission, we would transfer the file over to the new therapist which would mean that you wouldn’t have to start ‘all over again’. Alternately, we are also happy to provide referrals to other therapists outside of Equinox Therapeutic!

Psychotherapy, like most endeavors in the helping professions, is not an exact science. While the ultimate purpose of psychotherapy is to reduce distress and contribute to a healthy lifestyle through a process of personal change, like life itself, there are no guarantees! The process of psychotherapy often involves working through tough personal issues that can take longer or shorter than we had expected. Change will sometimes be easy and swift, and sometimes it will be slow and may even be frustrating.

Having said that, we at Equinox Therapeutic, absolutely believe that change is possible. We are committed to doing our utmost to support you in making your own changes, whatever they may be.

Equine-Assisted Mental Health (EAMH) work (sometimes also called Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy, or EAP) is a specialized branch of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) that exclusively works with horses to address mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, behavioral difficulties, and self-esteem. Both EAMH and AAT are rapidly growing fields and in the last two decades have been subject to increasing scientific scrutiny and research studies. Give “Google” a whirl with any of these terms, and you’ll be sure to find lots of information and research; alternately, take a look at some of the videos and popular media articles posted on our “Links” page for an instant immersion into what this type of work can look like.

There are a lot of different theories on what exactly equines bring to therapeutic work. At Equinox Therapeutic, we see many different types of benefits. For some, the horse may simply be motivation to show up and continue to do the work required for therapeutic progress. Others may find that the horse effectively provides a “mirror” for their own feelings and behaviours, and thus become able to examine their own selves through examining the horse. Often, relational challenges are worked through as an individual works through the steps of building a relationship with the horse, including developing trust, setting and maintaining boundaries, offering and receiving forgiveness for mistakes, risk-taking, and a sense of loving and being loved. Some individuals may find that they are able to bond with a horse in a way that provides the basis for the first non-threatening, non-judgemental relationship they have ever experienced. Typically, it is a combination of all of these, and many more benefits that your own unique self will bring out, that are experienced by our clients through equine-assisted work.

Absolutely! There is literally no horse experience required to receive the full benefits of equine-assisted work. Your therapist is highly experienced in working with horses and will ensure that you are safe at all times. Over time, you will gain knowledge about horses so that you can keep yourself safe too. Through EAMH work, you will learn about horses, including how to tell what kinds of messages they are communicating to you. And if EAMH is a good fit for you, you will learn a lot about yourself too!

Not necessarily. If you love to be around horses, you may be especially motivated to come and do the work involved in EAMH, which could make this setting a good fit for you. However, the way we work with horses in EAMH is usually quite different from the way most horse people work with their horses…in fact, you may feel like you are seeing horses “for the first time” again! Ultimately, the setting you choose to work in will depend upon what feels best in accordance with the challenges you are currently facing.

Due to the cost of the care of the horses, our EAMH work costs $35 more per session than office-based work. This is a constant fee that applies to all sliding scale rates.

PTSD Therapy is a commonly used term used to describe psychological treatment that is specifically tailored to treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. There are many different kinds of therapy that can be used for this purpose, including prolonged exposure therapy, EMDR, and cognitive behavioural therapy. At Equinox Therapeutic, we provide Edmonton PTSD therapy as well as therapy for many other conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and general stress.