Exploring Multicultural Considerations in Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy
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Authors
Cohen, Rebecca A.
Issue Date
2011
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
"Horses","Sociocultural Factors","Juvenile Justice","Social Services","Crosscultural Differences"
Alternative Title
Abstract
The current empirical literature on Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) does not examine multicultural considerations. The larger field of psychology has required such considerations for many years and continues to develop multiculturally competent practices (American Psychological Association, 2003). The present study examined how practitioners of EFP think about the role of culture in their work with youth labeled at-risk. EFP practitioners were interviewed using a semi-structured interview style. Smith's (2004) procedures for interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative method, were used to collect and analyze data. Ten themes that depicted various aspects of the participants' cultural awareness were chosen for discussion. From the determined results, recommendations were made for improved multicultural considerations in EFP research and practice.