Jasper Equine Assisted Counselling

07/10/2026

04/10/2026

Sunny has almost finished her student placement at JEAC, hear what she has to say, on Therapy Horse Talk.

Mental Health Student Placements In this episode of Therapy Horse Talk, I’m joined by Sunny, a mental health student who has completed a placement within an equine-assisted therapy setting. Sunny shares her experience of stepping into this unique environment and what she has learned along the way....

03/10/2026

Neuro-affirming practice: supporting people to be themselves

Everyone deserves support that respects how they think, communicate, learn and experience the world.

Neuro-affirming practice recognises each person’s strengths, preferences and support needs, and works with them towards goals that matter to them.

In Animal-Assisted Services, this means:

• Adapting the environment, activities and pace to the person’s sensory and communication needs.
• Welcoming different ways of communicating, including gestures, writing, drawing and communication devices.
• Explaining what will happen and offering meaningful choices—including the choice to pause, say no or observe.
• Supporting people to express themselves without pressure to make eye contact, speak or hide natural ways of moving.
• Respecting the animal’s wellbeing, signals and choice to engage or move away.

Practitioners also need to reflect on their own expectations. A person stepping back may need space, time or a different approach. Progress should reflect the person’s own goals, comfort and wellbeing.

These messages were highlighted in Dr Danielle Mills’ presentation to ATL members on neurodivergence-affirming equine-assisted practice and offer valuable considerations across Animal-Assisted Services.

What helps you feel comfortable and understood when accessing support?

Explore ATL’s National Directory and ask practitioners how they adapt their services to your needs:
https://animaltherapies.org.au/providers/

03/10/2026

Our wonderful student Sunny talks about her placement experience with us, on the next Therapy Horse Talk Podcast, out soon.

Coming soon 🔜 next podcast
Jasper Equine Assisted Counselling

02/10/2026

🐴🌸 The Jasper Equine Empowerment Award for October goes to … 🌸🐴
Missy 🩷

September brought a lot of change and new beginnings for Missy. After joining our Jasper Equine family, she has been navigating the challenges that come with being in a completely new environment with new surroundings, new routines, new people and a whole new herd.

For Missy, some of these changes have been a little scary. But rather than letting her anxiety stop her, she has been slowly learning to face those fears, one small step at a time. 🌱

Along the way, she has discovered some very important things: she is safe, she is supported, and she doesn’t have to do it all alone.

Missy has formed beautiful friendships with Jasper and Luca, who have become familiar faces and an important source of comfort as she continues finding her place within the herd. 🥹💕

Watching her confidence grow has been so special. She’s learning that new doesn’t always mean scary, and that it’s okay to take things at her own pace.

Missy’s journey this month is a beautiful reminder that bravery isn’t the absence of anxiety, it’s continuing to move forward while carrying those anxious feelings with you.

🌱 This month’s mental health reminder:
You don’t have to conquer everything at once. Sometimes bravery is simply trying again tomorrow, taking one small step, and allowing the people around you to help you feel safe.

We are so proud of Missy and all the little steps she’s taken this month. 🩷🐴

Welcome to the Jasper family, Missy. We’re so glad you’re here. 🌸

02/10/2026

Very helpful shifts in thinking to help deal with stress

Sometimes the voice in your head is far harsher than anything you would ever say to someone you care about.

“I can’t do this.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I messed everything up.”
“Everyone else is doing better than me.”
“I should be able to handle this.”

When thoughts like these show up again and again, they can start to feel like facts. But a thought is not automatically the truth.
Changing the way you talk to yourself does not mean pretending everything is fine or forcing yourself to “think positive.” It means finding words that are fairer, kinder and more useful.

“I can’t do this” can become “What’s one part of this I can handle?”
“I messed up” can become “What matters is what I do next.”
“I’ll never get through this” can become “I don’t have to figure out everything today.”

Sometimes that small shift is enough to help you move from feeling stuck to taking one small step forward.

Which sentence on the poster do you most need to replace in your own head?

💜 Save this for a difficult day, or share it with someone who is far kinder to everyone else than they are to themselves.

FREE CHANGE THE WAY YOU TALK TO YOURSELF SELF-TALK POSTER

LIKE the photo and comment "TALK" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

30/09/2026

Horses are magical 💜

No not really lol 😝 but they are highly sensitive to human body language and emotion, so they respond to how we really feel, not how we present. That honest feedback helps people:

🐴 Notice and regulate their emotions
🐴 Build trust, patience and healthy boundaries
🐴 Grow confidence through connection with a large, powerful animal
🐴 Feel safe in a natural outdoor environment
🐴 Learn by doing, not just talking.