“I believe in living fully and enjoying what you do,” says Kimberly resident Diana Lincoln-Haye.
When treating patients, Lincoln-Haye doesn’t horse around, though she often uses horses in therapy. Lincoln-Haye MS, LPC, NCC has been around horses her entire life. She lived on a horse and cattle ranch in Kimberly, Idaho, and on a sheep ranch in Murtaugh, so it was natural that when she became a counselor she would use horses in therapy with her patients.
After learning about Equine Assisted Mental Health (EAMH) and Adventure based counseling at Prescott College, Lincoln-Haye did an internship in equine therapy with Rand Gurley, LCSW, PsyD, in northern Idaho and started her own practice.
Two years ago, Lincoln-Haye went with her daughter Natasha Haye to check out a 16-year-old as a potential therapy partner. But when a 2 month colt “walked up to me and let me rub him all over, I thought ‘Dang it.’” Venture, who is half Percheron and half quarter horse, is now two years old and works with patients who help feed him. “He’s smart as a whip and fun to work with,” says Lincoln-Haye. “I think equine therapy is super powerful.”
Equine-assisted psychotherapy is used for mental and behavioral health therapy and personal development. It helps treat addiction, anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, depression, and other mental health conditions. Equine therapy can help patients with emotional and physical challenges and help build self-awareness, confidence, and empathy.
Nurturing interactions with horses allows humans to practice social skills, problem-solving skills, and emotional regulation. Horses sense emotions and mirror them back, offering patients a way to talk about their own emotions without feeling judged.
Lincoln-Haye likes equine therapy because of “the joy that horses give people.”