Social work professor combines love of horses with research

A academy skillful inwards social function knows the healing ability of horses. Jane Moorman reports on the function existence done by Wanda Whittlesey-Jerome, who is assistant professor inwards the School of Social Work at New United Mexican United States of America State University.

For Wanda Whittlesey-Jerome horses are to a greater extent than than an creature to ride or line a wagon. They are a way to aid people alongside emotional problems too physical disabilities.

Whittlesey-Jerome, New United Mexican United States of America State University assistant professor inwards the School of Social Work, combines her dearest of horses alongside her wishing to empathize ways animals tin aid people heal.

Wanda Whittlesey-Jerome

“As a teenager, I was fortunate to direct maintain my ain horse,” she said of her life growing upward inwards a rural community due north of Dallas, Texas.

“I direct maintain e'er had a exceptional house inwards my oculus for horses. I don’t know what it was. I couldn’t seat it into words, but I knew I had a connection. I wasn’t a lonely teenager. My mare was e'er glad to watch me inwards the morning time too later school. Having a Equus caballus helped me encounter other kids through equine activities, equally good equally people who equally good loved horses.”

As her life progressed to immature adulthood, Whittlesey-Jerome’s interaction alongside horses ceased equally other interests occupied her time. Later, equally her life path moved her toward a profession equally a social worker too eventually a college professor on the subject, inwards the dorsum of her hear she knew she wanted to someday direct maintain horses dorsum inwards her life.

That 24-hour interval came when she too her husband, Ric, moved to Corrales, New Mexico. “While I savour my personal horses, Eli too Lady, I wanted to explore the role of horses inwards therapeutic settings,” she said.

Through the National Association of Social Workers New United Mexican United States of America Chapter, Whittlesey-Jerome is networking alongside other social workers inwards the state using horses inwards therapy alongside their clients.

Therapies alongside horses tin hold out either on the ground, known equally equine-assisted psychotherapy, or patch riding, vaulting or driving, known equally therapeutic riding. The prefix “Equus” is Latin for horse; inwards Greek, the prefix “Hippo” agency horse; too patch hippotherapy typically uses riding to strengthen gross too fine motor skills, equally good equally communication skills, equine-assisted psychotherapy rarely uses riding equally business office of the therapeutic intervention.

“A number of years ago, I became aware of the Equine Assisted Growth too Learning Association’s model which was created yesteryear a clinical social worker equally an intervention for behavioral wellness too mental health,” she said.

The EAGALA model has clients working either individually or inwards groups alongside horses. While non riding the animals, the people function the Equus caballus through obstruction courses inside an arena. The function is ofttimes done without touching the Equus caballus or talking to the squad members.

“The teams come upward up alongside some genuinely unique problem-solving too the private members acquire almost themselves through the way the horses react to them,” Whittlesey-Jerome said. “Since horses are prey animals they are real aware of everything inwards their environment. They know if a soul has self-confidence too is inwards command of the situation, or if they are afraid.

“A teenager hiding behind a tough mental attitude presently learns that the Equus caballus is non impressed yesteryear his or her baggy pants too bluish hairdo. Horses deed equally mirrors too are non judgmental. They approach these kids but the way they are too they commonly opened upward up too are to a greater extent than similar their existent ‘selves’ or thence the horses.”

She adds that horses are curious, precocious, social too similar existence alongside people too other horses. Horses similar contributing too existence busy, thence they savour existence business office of a therapeutic exercise.

“I direct maintain equally good been involved alongside the Cloud Dancers Therapeutic Horsemanship Program inwards the greater Albuquerque area. While EAGALA is an equine-assisted psychotherapy model, Cloud Dancers has offered both EAGALA too therapeutic horsemanship – where clients direct maintain an chance for a unique therapeutic, recreational experience inwards a fun, rubber environment,” she said of the organization, of which she had served on its board of directors until September 2012.

As a social function professional person too professor at the university’s Albuquerque Center’s master’s of social function program, Whittlesey-Jerome wanted to quantify the acquit on equine assisted therapy has on clients through enquiry studies inwards guild to aid make an evidence-base for its utility.

“Clinical social workers direct maintain been using companion animals, such equally dogs, inwards the therapeutic setting for a number of years,” said Whittlesey-Jerome, the electrical flow president of NASW’s New United Mexican United States of America Chapter. “So using horses seems similar a logical progression to that. We direct maintain established a network of clinical social workers alongside horses across the state.”

To date, Whittlesey-Jerome has conducted several studies to quantify the acquit on of equine-assisted psychotherapy on at-risk adolescent resilience, too hippotherapy too therapeutic riding on the gross too fine motor skills, communication skills too behaviors for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

 

“A teenager hiding behind a tough mental attitude presently learns that the Equus caballus is non impressed yesteryear his or her baggy pants too bluish hairdo. Horses deed equally mirrors too are non judgmental.”

 

“Early results are positive too betoken that this type of therapy does help,” she said. “In a study of at-risk adolescents, nosotros learned that the equine-assisted psychotherapy grouping demonstrated stronger positive changes inwards resilience scores compared to those inwards a typical psycho-educational, beak therapy group,” she said.

Partnering alongside Cloud Dancers too Albuquerque Public Schools, the study of children on the autism spectrum showed that equine-therapies had a positive acquit on on the boys’ physical too behavioral health, which translated to a higher marking of success inwards schoolhouse over the brusk term. Interestingly, Whittlesey-Jerome too the boys’ therapists wondered if riding atop a Equus caballus could direct maintain influenced these boys who were to a greater extent than ofttimes than non confined to wheelchairs for mobility, too that their “change inwards perspective” mightiness direct maintain influenced their overall sense of self equally a result.

As she is compiling her findings into enquiry presentations too articles, Whittlesey-Jerome has begun some other equine study that volition explore the acquit on of equine-assisted psychotherapy on the full general self-efficacy of female soul victims of interpersonal violence. In this study, she volition partner alongside Guadalupe Stables, LLC too Domestic Violence Resource Center, both of Albuquerque.

“Ultimately, my destination is to add together to the evidence-base for equine-assisted activities too human-animal-nature activities thence they tin hold out shown to direct maintain therapeutic value to healing physical, mental too emotional/behavioral wellness issues,” she said.

Whittlesey-Jerome’s theoretical model, The Human-Animal Partnership Model, is existence developed equally a chapter inwards a comprehensive electronic textbook for veterinarian too wellness professions students she is co-authoring alongside Gaylene Fasenko, assistant professor inwards the university’s College of Agricultural, Consumer too Environmental Sciences Animal too Range Science Department.

Whittlesey-Jerome wants her function to become beyond enquiry too authoring a book. She dreams of helping to educate a holistic, healing ranch that is run too operated yesteryear New United Mexican United States of America State University, where animals too crops are a key business office of the healing of American soldiers, veterans too their families equally they appear upward the issues associated alongside repeated deployments into state of war zones, and/or the post-traumatic stress disorder that has been growing inwards frequency amid service members. The vision is to furnish services to the soldiers, veterans too their families inwards this comprehensive continuum of care.

“The thought is that nosotros volition direct maintain them equally they come, if they but require a weekend retreat or if they require to hold out in that place for weeks on end. We volition aid them reconnect alongside the feeling parts of themselves inwards a rubber house where they tin function it out. Whether through elbow grease therapy yesteryear working alongside animals and/or working inwards a community garden, or yesteryear participating inwards all kinds of other innovative creative therapies, similar mediation, yoga, massage too aromatherapy, too dance, music too fine art therapy,” she said. “We wishing to convey together animals too nature, too everything inwards between, to aid our state of war machine personnel too their families acquire dorsum to a salubrious life.”

The innovative state of war machine program, currently entitled “R&R Ranch,” was originally envisioned inwards 2007 yesteryear Whittlesey-Jerome’s graduate social function enquiry students. But fiscal issues impacting the economic scheme caused the thought to hold out tabled until recently.

“We direct maintain Dean Lowell Catlett of the College Agriculture, Dean Tilahun Adera of the College of Health too Social Services, too Dean Garrey Carruthers of the College of Business supporting the concept thence far,” she said. “As the thought begins to coalesce, to a greater extent than deans volition hold out brought to the table, since R&R Ranch would ideally involve all colleges of the academy equally good equally the community colleges, too the Cooperative Extension Service across the state.”

“We currently direct maintain ii social function students joining some work concern students to conduct a needs assessment, instantly called values proposition, through an independent study alongside Kevin Boberg at the Arrowhead Center during the summer,” she said. “They volition hold out interviewing folks across the state to uncovering out if people recall R&R Ranch is a goodness idea. Once that happens, MBA students at the College of Business volition educate a work concern excogitation too from in that place it volition direct maintain off.”

Whittlesey-Jerome is excited almost this hereafter program, equally are those who are supporting it.

“The thought is that nosotros genuinely direct maintain a sustainable projection that reaches out through our land-grant mission too our mission of state of war machine scientific discipline to all corners of New Mexico. As Dean Catlett has said, ‘This is a no-brainer,’ too I agree. It’s a win-win for all who volition hold out involved,” she said. “And, most recently, staff alongside our ain NMSU Foundation direct maintain decided to focus on R&R Ranch equally a priority projection When I recall almost the possibilities, I couldn’t hold out happier.”

 

Jane Moorman is a communication specialist alongside New United Mexican United States of America State University.

 

 

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