A Different approach

Hope Adventures incorporates farm animals into the therapy process. These animals include a dog, bunny, horses and goats. Pictures of the animals can be found under the animal tab at the top of the page. Studies have shown that animals provide a positive influence on improving one's emotional, social and cognitive well being.

Some of these benefits include:

• Animals help improve motivation and engagement in the therapy process
• Animals provide emotional support and a sense of security
• Animals provide unconditional acceptance and trust
• Animals help teach anger management skills
• Animals can help improve attention span and focus
• Animals assist with improving self esteem and self confidence
• Animals can be unpredictable, so every session is new and different
• Animals allow clients to step outside their comfort zone
• Animals have the ability to connect with people in ways that other humans cannot

Horseback riding is not the main goal with animal assisted therapy. Instead clients are able to work one on one with the animals. They can simply observe them while out in the pasture field if they wish. Clients learn to read animals nonverbal body language, observe how they interact in the herd and help teach them boundaries. 

The skills they learn during session can be transferred to their everyday life and mindset.  

 Part of Hope Adventures is also allowing clients to connect with nature during sessions. It allows clients to tap back into their 5 senses and learn to enjoy the world around them. It promotes grounding and stability. Nature therapy has shown to decrease stress levels and increase relaxation skills. Nature therapy allows clients to step outside the typical therapy office setting and enjoy the world around them. While direct interaction with the farm animals is not planned, sometimes they get curious and join us during sessions.   

Some nature areas around the farm include:

• The pond: sit by the pond and enjoy watching the large koi fish swim about. Listen to the geese honk and float on the pond as they look for food. 

• The creek: listen to the natural flow of water and hear the trickling sound of a small waterfall. Close your eyes and escape reality for a bit. 

• Walking trail: want to go for a walk during a session and get some adrenaline pumping? That is possible. Walk up top of the hill and get a birds eye view of the farm and the surrounding landscape. 

• Shade Trees: sit outside underneath one of the trees around the farm to take a break from the traditional therapy office setting. Listen to the different sounds around the farm and possibly get a glimpse of some of the natural wildlife that call Hope Adventures home.

 Every day is a new and exciting day on the farm. You never know what to expect and things are consistently changing. Animals are fine one day, and then sick the next day. One day two animals get along, the next day they are butting heads and being aggressive with each other. While some days are easier than others, clients learn valuable lessons during sessions that they can apply to everyday life situations. They learn to understand that every animal has a different personality as well as certain likes and dislikes. Just like humans, they have boundaries and personal space that they do not always want others in.

Benefits include:

• It provides clients with a sense of self worth and accomplishment when they are finished with a task. 
• Clients learn responsibility and learning to take care of something other than themselves. 
• Animals are able to provide instant gratification.
• Clients learn to step outside their comfort zone and may decrease their stress level in other new situations or environments.
• Animals provide grace if clients do not get a task instantly and demonstrate patience until the task is mastered.

Some activities that may be included are:

• Grooming and learning how to take care of the horses
• Feeding the animals
• Bathing the horses
• Cleaning up after the animals
• Learning proper vet care and daily needs of the animals
• Insuring their basic needs are taking care of
• Gardening and general upkeep of the farm