A new program from the Kamloops Therapeutic Riding Association will utilize the innate abilities of horses to help local first responders deal with the emotional toll of the opioid crisis.
It's a one-of-a-kind program focused on the mental health of first responders who have been on the front lines of the public health emergency. The association has partnered with researchers at TRU to create and fund the Equine Intervention Program.
In 2017, there were 1,156 fentanyl-associated overdose deaths in B.C., a 73% increase from 2016. In 2013, there were just 50 and in 2012 there were only 12, according to statistics from the BC Coroners Service.
“We went in B.C. from having no fentanyl overdoses, to a few, to a handful, to all of a sudden hundreds of overdoses happening in the province. It’s like a tidal wave that’s hit British Columbia,” said Karen Lara, a registered clinical counsellor with specialist certification in equine therapy who will lead the KTRA program.
“We’re operating on the assumption that it will affect first responders and we want to make sure they are supported in their response.”
It’s typical for people such as first responders who face cumulative stresses to struggle with anxiety, sleep issues, hopelessness and communication in relationships. Specifically with the fentanyl crisis, Lara said responders are being met with challenges that maybe weren't a part of their jobs five or 10 years ago.
"Not only how is fentanyl effecting the substance users but how is it affecting the people who are responding to it? And then what can we do to support those people?" she said. "Really, first responders are the backbone of our community. We could not live without crisis response services. We rely on them so heavily."
The project is believed to be unique in Canada, Lara said. TRU is supporting the program as a community research project with funding through the Community-Driven Research Fund. Social work lecturer, Rebecca Sanford is working in partnership with the KTRA to gauge the effectiveness of the program.
“Equine therapy is really effective comprehensively for people who experience trauma and stress no matter what area that comes in their life,” Lara said, noting no experience with horses is
“Horses are prey animals so they actually mirror what you are experiencing internally, they are extremely intuitive and they are extremely perceptive.
“You can maybe connect with a horse in a way that you are unable to connect with a human, and that’s really a big part of our job as the therapy team is standing back and giving them an opportunity to process their own experience with a really beautiful intuitive animal.”
Trauma-related therapy is a new area of focus for the KTRA, whose history has been working with children with special needs. They also work with youth at risk.
“Partly because the nature of horses and then also partly being in an outdoor environment, it’s really non-clinical. It doesn’t feel like a typical kind of therapy environment” Lara said.
“A lot of places that advertise equine therapy, it might be more horsemanship about being a better rider, this is absolutely about being a better you. It’s absolutely therapeutic. Adding the mental health piece is what is making the program unique for KTRA.”
The program will run for eight weeks, starting April 7. For more information, contact the KTRA at 250-554-3811 or check out their website.
