For those of us in the mental health field, the term “life coach” is a bit bothersome. While Marriage and Family Therapists, Professional Counselors, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Medical Doctors are all governed by overseeing regulatory agencies, Life Coaches are not.

So when horses are thrown into the mix, and a hybrid of equine therapy and life coaching emerges, calling itself “equine assisted life coaching” is this good for the field of equine therapy?

Looking at the impact life coaching has had on the field of psychotherapy, it is not difficult to understand why a great many licensed professionals are up in arms. Life coaches have, in many ways, challenged the boundaries between what can be construed as “life advice” and psychotherapy.

What this essentially leads to is an uneducated public being given mental health advice/help by an unlicensed professional. Making matters worse, people often seek the help of a mental health professional or life coach when in a vulnerable state. So without the protection that a sound mind allows, people can be easily swindled by an ill-equipped “professional” who is not in a position to offer help that is therapeutically appropriate. And when under the impression that help can be proffered for what is truly a psychological condition, and the help itself is not sound, a person can leave with a bad taste in his/her mouth for any form of mental health help.

This of course, means the person is less likely to reach out for help when a future need arrises.

But people who come to equine therapy may also have mental health needs. And again, these people may not know they have mental health needs. However, they may innocently seek the help of an equine-assisted life coach, who just as with a typical life coach, may be unable to differentiate between a coaching problem and a mental health problem. And the reality is that between a licensed professional and a horse expert, mental health problems can be improved. Yet in the hands of an untrained professional, just as with a horse in the hands of an untrained professional, problems can arise.

A person’s mental health needs can be overlooked, which becomes a safety issue. For those with licenses, safety is always the number one concern, and assessing for it in mental health patients is an ongoing occurrence. But actually, regardless of whether or not the client presents with clear “mental health needs” safety is still assessed. The reason for this is that often, people may be unaware of any mental health needs, and a therapist, however seasoned, may also not see these in the first session.

So while equine-assisted life coaching may bring attention to the field of equine therapy, it is not without some damage as well. That is not to say that equine assisted life coaching or any life coaching for that matter is ineffective. Certainly, for those who are reticent to seek the help of a mental health professional, it can open the door to self exploration in a non-threatening way. However, as within the therapeutic relationship, boundaries are paramount, and understanding the difference between everyday concerns and mental health conditions is essential for any life coach, equine-assisted or otherwise.

Photo by moyerphotos, available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

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    Last reviewed: 20 Sep 2011