A project in Juneda, Lleida, is using equine therapy to help adolescents with severe mental health problems, according to Sant Joan de Déu Terres de Lleida. The initiative, which started a year ago, aims to improve emotional well-being and social skills through contact with nature and horses.
Twenty teenagers from the Acompanya'm Residential Therapeutic Educational Unit are currently participating in the programme. Results show high satisfaction among participants, with over 80% attendance. Most have expressed a desire to continue with similar experiences.
How Equine Therapy Works
The therapy involves interventions assisted by horses, professionals, and social educators. It focuses on developing motor, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of the individual. Improvements are linked to the bond formed between the young people and the horses, as well as the natural contact and movement of the animals.
Sant Joan de Déu Terres de Lleida launched the equine therapy to offer a different environment for emotional regulation processes. The programme seeks to provide a unique approach to mental health support for young people in the region.
