A restorative equine-assisted personal development program for women.
Your program will be fully tailored for you and your specific needs. We will work at your pace and your comfort levels. Working alongside our beautiful rescue horses, you will embark on a series of groundwork activities specifically designed to align with the seven key themes of: calmness, awareness, boundaries, thinking, feeling, relationships and facing life’s challenges.
Programs typically run for 12 weeks and are scheduled for a time and on a day that suits both you and your program facilitator. Sessions lengths vary but are usually 60 to 90 minutes.
All sessions are private sessions – group sessions/programs are not available.
For more information about what programs look like at the Sanctuary, please read about our approach to equine therapy.
About the facilitators
We have a unique approach to program delivery. Every program facilitator has a lived experience similar to that of the program participants.
Olivia is a certified Equine Psychotherapy Institute Practitioner.
As a Navy Veteran feeling consumed by service-related PTSD, anxiety and depression, Olivia started volunteering at the Sanctuary in early 2020. She realised that the time she spent at the Sanctuary was resulting in profound changes in how she felt. She became passionate about facilitating that change for other people – committing to studying with the Equine Psychotherapy Institute and joining our program team – and has never looked back.
Jess brings a wealth of experience as a wellbeing and enrichment leader in child protection, providing support to staff who are caring for children with complex trauma and mental health challenges. Her extensive background has honed her skills as a trainer for therapeutic intervention models, equipping her with a deep understanding of effective healing practices.
In the presence of horses, Jess not only found profound learning but also experienced personal healing through her connection with these majestic animals. Her own journey inspired her to share the profound benefits of equine-assisted learning with others, studying with the Equine Psychotherapy Institute and becoming a certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator.
Marie is a certified Equine Psychotherapy Institute Practitioner.
Marie dealt with feelings of unworthiness into her late 20s and felt she lacked the tools to express herself. When she realised what a transformative experience the way of horses proved to be in improving her mental health, she became passionate about sharing it with others. She studied with the Equine Psychotherapy Institute and joined our program team. Marie now uses her empathetic and caring nature to guide other women and girls on their healing journey.
In addition to the shared experiences between participant and facilitator, the horses in our herd have also experienced trauma.
Cost and suitability
Cost is never a barrier at the Sanctuary. We work extremely hard to obtain grant funding to subsidise the cost of programs for our clients.
Standard Fee: $240 per session. This fee applies to participants that have NDIS funding, DVA funding or other government funding available. This fee also applies to participants who do not have funding but are in a financial position to pay the full standard fee.
Subsidised Fee: $120 per session. When we have grant funding to support this particular program, we can offer the program at a subsidised rate. The subsidised fee is not available to participants with government funding. Please note that we do not currently have any grant funding for this program.
Scholarships: Full and part scholarships are available. Scholarships are funded by public donations, corporate partnerships and fundraising activities. Scholarships are not available to participants with government funding. This is an honesty-based system and no evidence of hardship is required.
Please note that a deposit of $120 will be asked of you before you start your program. The deposit will be refunded to you after the conclusion of your program. You may cancel up to two sessions without affecting your program enrolment. For more information, please see our Cancellation Policy.
In terms of fitness or physical health, the only requirement is that participants need to be nimble enough to hop out of the way if a horse moves suddenly.
NDIS Notes: We are not a registered NDIS provider and so cannot accept NDIS-managed plans, however we can accept self-managed and plan-managed NDIS packages. Please make sure that funding is available under the Assessment Recommendation Therapy or Training Supports – Other Professional line item.
The program is not suitable for NDIS clients requiring therapeutic care, supervision or support from a carer during sessions.
Made possible thanks to funding from:
