Introduction to Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
A continuing education course for mental health practitioners looking to learn more about the healing power of horses.
Location: Clearwind Farm
7961 Scenic Trail
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Date:
January 24th, 2026
2pm-4pm
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is a burgeoning modality that can be implemented in the provision of clinical social work services. EAP can address a wide range of mental health conditions, including PTSD and trauma, mood disorders, behavioral disorders, and others. The experiential nature of this therapy makes it particularly effective for clients who have found traditional talk therapy to be challenging or unsatisfactory. This continuing education course serves to introduce providers to the modality, help individuals understand competent implementation of the modality, and guide providers in referring potential clients to the modality through didactic and experiential learning activities. The course will also serve to introduce individuals who are interested in providing EAP in their own practice to the education and certification requirements needed to begin offering this service.
Target audience: mental health practitioners
Content level: beginner to intermediate
Who Should Attend: This workshop is designed for mental health professionals at all levels of experience and licensure to explore or gain a better working knowledge of Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
Learning Objectives:
After attending this course, participants will be able to:
Describe Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and its basic principles.
Describe the differences between Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and traditional talk therapy interventions.
Explain how horses are utilized as vital members of the therapeutic relationship and therapeutic process.
Examine client goodness of fit for Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
Identify ethical considerations for humans and horses in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
Recall education and certification requirements to provide Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
Fees & Registration:
Cost is $55 (includes course materials and CE credit.) Register by January 17, 2026. Cancellations must be received 24 hours prior to the event to receive a refund.
Course Completion & CE Info
Course completion requirements: To earn CE credit, social workers must attend the entire course and complete a course evaluation. Certificates of completion will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion.
Introduction to Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy, [course number], is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Cox Counseling Services, PLLC as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: [dates]. Social workers completing this course receive 2.0 clinical continuing education credits.For questions, concerns or to request special accommodations, please reach out to Amber Cox at ambercoxlcsw@gmail.com.
About the Instructor
Amber Cox, LCSW
Amber is a clinical social worker who currently works in private practice as both a traditional psychotherapist and equine-assisted psychotherapist. She has approximately 5 years working in the mental health field in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and she has over 20 years of horse experience. She earned her graduate degree from Florida State University’s School of Social Work, and her “horse degree” from a variety of experiences ranging from the professional show arena, backyard barns, and therapeutic practice. She believes that horses have the power to heal the deepest of wounds, and wants to share the power of these incredible animals.
