Trusting the Process - eap and young children
Authors: Dot Robertson and Sharon Boyce | Date: 30 June 2008
CAUTION: EAP IN PROGRESS - ALL HORSES AND CHILDREN ALLOWED
“Hey, what was going on out there for you?”
“It was good to walk with the horse. I’m letting the horse go where he wants to go and then he goes where I want to go, it’s like compromising.” (*Gary, is a 9 year old boy who has been diagnosed with ADHD)
“What was this like for you?”
“It was difficult to do the obstacle course as we had set it out, so we had to change what we did, so that we could work together. Some of the things we couldn’t do as planned.” (*John is a 10 year old boy who experiences some difficulties in interacting with his peers.)
“Some times in life we experience things that are hard for us. Label the obstacles with some of those things.”
“I feel sad when my father doesn’t phone me.” (Mary, 8.5 year old girl struggling with her parents divorce)
“Being lost – thinking you are doing the right thing only to find that what you are doing is not what is expected of you, and that you don’t know how to change it.” “Divorce and separation from family – like you, you and me have experienced ”; “school tests”; ”bros and sis”; “theft – when things are stolen from you.” “In and out like a day at school” (Life skills group of children ranging in age from 8 years to 12 years)
Traditionally the EAGALA model has not been used with young children; as it has been thought that they would not be cognitively and emotionally able to grasp the metaphorical learning experience. In addition there have been concerns around the managing of safety within the therapeutic environment.
However, out in the arena, we have discovered that horses and children can and do interact in meaningful ways. The horses continue to reinforce for us the value of challenging our self awareness and our safety unlearning; bringing us back to trusting the process.
What does a session with children look like?
We planned a life skills session focussing on working together in dealing with obstacles in life. The group comprised of 3 boys and 3 girls ranging in age 8 - 12 years together with 4 horses. The activity required them to build and label an obstacle course. The labels were to be representative of problems they experience in life. Once this was completed they were then instructed to connect all the horses and humans such that they created a blob and then to move the blob through the obstacle course.
During the setting up of the obstacle course the horses continuously mirrored the movements and the positioning of the children in the group. For example, the horses changed from being individual and separate, to moving across the arena becoming increasingly closer to one another. This was happening as the children changed from trying to assert their individual ideas to becoming more collaborative.
A dynamic that was powerful to notice was that *Peter, who presented himself as being more knowledgeable and experienced by repeatedly giving instructions to the others and telling them what they could and couldn’t do, chose the largest horse. However this horse continually moved away from him and would not be caught. Peter’s response was to verbalise that the horse was impossible and he needed a proper halter. This continued for a number of times until he expressed that he needed assistance. The youngest member of the group then offered to assist and gave him her horse to hold whilst she caught the horse. As the activity progressed the horse positioned himself behind the others keeping Peter back with him. During the processing of this activity Peter expressed that he learned from the horse that others also know what to do and sometimes he needs to be at the back.
How do we hold safety in sessions with children?
Safety is constantly in our awareness, particularly when working with children. We are aware that by micro managing safety we can inhibit potential learning opportunities for the children. The challenge is how to balance this with maintaining physical and emotional safety.
For example; one of our greatest challenges occurred when a group of children tied one of their members to a number of horses. During the activity he had been an outsider, and he offered to be the central pivot to which all the horses were connected. This resulted in him becoming an active participant in the group. During this period the horses were standing around the children with their eyes closed and ears relaxed. However we were very concerned about having a child tied to the horses!
After a few minutes of letting this play out, we shared our concerns with one another and planned an intervention. Our intervention was aimed at making a statement around what we were observing. The response from the individual was that he was OK with being tied to the horses, and one of the team mentioned that they thought it was not safe. During this dialogue the other team members unclipped the ropes whilst stating that there’s no problem as they planned to have someone leading each individual horse as well.
The impact of our verbal intervention was that the group then untied all the ropes and they started to question their earlier decisions. We noticed that the tied individual returned to his position outside of the group. However, after some discussion he was retied to the horses albeit in a different position.
In stepping back away from the group, we realised that our decision to intervene may have been unnecessary. But what was so powerful was the fact that the horses had remained stationary throughout and this allowed the children to re-explore their decisions around being connected to each other and the horses, so that all were included.
This is an example of the power of the unlearning required to manage safety, as there was nothing in the horses’ behaviour that indicated that the situation could be unsafe, yet our prior learning informed us that being tied to a horse is unsafe.
Using the EAGALA model with children
In evaluating our therapeutic interactions with children we have found that they are receptive to the fundamental principles of the EAGALA model. Our sessions have shown us that there is no limit to the types of activities that can be used. In fact children show great initiative and creativity when allowed to invent their own activities.
We have found that using statements of observation as opposed to questions encourages children to develop their own understanding of self and others without feeling directed. It is our opinion that remaining person centred and focussing on the process allows children an opportunity to explore and express themselves in ways that highlight their ability to find their own best solutions.
The power of the horse - child interaction continually reinforces for us as co-facilitators the importance of letting go and trusting the process.
* All names have been changed to ensure confidentiality.
