Lodestar Counselling & EAL
At Lodestar Therapy & EAL, we are committed to helping individuals and organizations heal and thrive by providing evidence-based services that promote mental health, career success, and personal development. Our practice is rooted in behavioural and learning & development theory and caters to a wide range of clientele ranging from the individual to the corporate. Our Counselling Therapy provides support to individuals seeking to address personal challenges and for couples and families seeking to work through relationship challenges together. We also seek to foster growth, well-being and success in the workplace for both individuals and organizations through our Career Counselling and Corporate Training services.
Our practice also offers clients the unique opportunity to partner with horses for healing and personal development in our Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) and Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) offerings. Our unique, equine-assisted approach is rooted in the principles of experiential learning, in which the client “learn by doing,” and is offered in combination with more traditional counselling therapy.
Explore our Services page for more information on our offerings, and please feel free to contact us with questions or to book one of our services!
Why Horses?
Horses are highly intuitive, non-judgmental animals who respond to a person’s emotions, body language, and energy. Unlike humans, who might mask or hide emotions, horses react to what is genuinely felt, not what is expressed verbally. This ability makes horses insightful partners in therapy and learning. The horse’s reactions can serve as a mirror to the individual’s emotional state, offering immediate, honest feedback that helps the person gain awareness of their feelings, thoughts, and behaviours. They can also serve as a calming presence, helping individuals to regulate their heart rates and experience calmness in moments of discomfort or distress.
In Equine-Assisted Therapy, horses help individuals process and overcome emotional challenges such as trauma, anxiety, depression, and grief. The horse's response to the person's behaviour—such as becoming calm when the person is calm, or becoming agitated when the person is anxious—can help the individual understand their emotional state and how it impacts their interactions with others.
In Equine-Assisted Learning, the relationship between the horse and the human is used to teach valuable life skills, including leadership, communication, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. For example, in group sessions or team-building exercises, horses can provide insight into how a person’s behaviour affects others, and how adjusting their approach can lead to more positive outcomes.
By bridging the gap between traditional therapy and experiential learning, our equine-assisted approach empowers clients to develop practical skills and coping strategies that extend beyond the session. In our Equine-Assisted Therapy & Learning offerings, clients are guided to explore their feelings and behaviours through interactive exercises with horses.