Equine-Facilitated Therapy and Trauma: Current Knowledge, Future Needs.

Creator(s)

Marlys Staudt, University of Tennessee
Donna J. Cherry, East Tennessee State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-24-2017

Description

Equine-facilitated therapy (EFT) is a relatively new treatment for trauma and PTSD. EFT as well as animal assisted interventions in general have been introduced and implemented in mental health treatment for children and adults, though the research in support of these interventions has not kept up with practice. The purpose of this review is to examine the use of EFT for clients suffering from trauma/PTSD. Studies were included if PTSD/trauma was assessed and/or was measured as an outcome. A search of relevant databases resulted in nine peer-reviewed studies that met criteria. Studies are summarized and implications for future research are discussed. In general, findings suggest that EFT is a promising intervention for trauma/PTSD. Recommendations include a call for more research that includes veterans as well as for research that explicates the mechanisms by which EFT may be effective.

Copyright Statement

Copyright 2017 Authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Citation Information

Staudt, Marlys; and Cherry, Donna J.. 2017. Equine-Facilitated Therapy and Trauma: Current Knowledge, Future Needs.. Advances in Social Work. Vol.18(1). 403-414. https://doi.org/10.18060/21292 ISSN: 2331-4125