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Horses don’t lie—and that’s exactly why they make such powerful therapeutic partners. Their instincts, honesty, and responsiveness can help clients uncover emotional truths, establish healthy boundaries, and rebuild trust where words fall short.
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) opens a unique doorway for healing, one that integrates movement, mindfulness, and connection in a natural setting. This course offers a grounding introduction to the clinical application of equine partnerships in mental health care.
Dr. Christina Strayer, Ed.D., LCMHCS, is a nationally recognized expert in Animal Assisted Therapy. With decades of clinical experience and a rich history of teaching, research, and direct work with animals—including equines—she equips clinicians with the knowledge and perspective needed to ethically and effectively incorporate horses into therapy sessions.
Dr. Strayer brings a holistic, integrative approach rooted in client-centered care, blending her expertise in trauma treatment, animal behavior, and experiential learning. Her instruction emphasizes safety, collaboration, and ethical practice—anchored in evidence and guided by compassion.
Participants will explore the origins of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, core terminology, and clinical distinctions between EFP, Therapeutic Riding, and Hippotherapy. You'll learn how to assess the suitability of horses for therapy, navigate common safety concerns, define the role of both the mental health professional and equine specialist, and apply EFP models within a treatment framework. The course also highlights key populations who benefit most from EFP and reviews emerging research on outcomes in trauma, addiction, autism, and more.
Key Takeaways:
Differentiate therapeutic models: Understand the evolution and distinctions between EFP, Therapeutic Riding, and Hippotherapy.
Clarify professional roles in EFP: Learn how clinicians and equine specialists collaborate safely and ethically with horses and clients.
Apply evidence and practice: Gain insight into equine behavior, safety concerns, and the therapeutic benefits of EFP for various populations.
Why This Course?
Expert-led, clinically grounded: Learn from one of the field’s most respected animal-assisted therapy instructors with real-world experience and academic depth.
Built for ethical, confident practice: Gain practical knowledge that supports safe and informed decisions about integrating EFP into your scope of care.
Offered by a trusted CE provider: Telehealth Certification Institute is committed to empowering clinicians through high-quality, accessible, and ethically sound education.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the evolution of EFP and the difference between EFP, Therapeutic Riding, and Hippotherapy.
Define the roles of the mental health professional and the equine specialist in EFP, and differentiate models of interaction between the horse, client, mental health professional, and the equine specialist in EFP.
List important elements within EFP of horse behavior, reasons horses may of may not be suitable, and specific benefits to populations shown to benefit from EFP.
As you explore the therapeutic potential of equine partnerships, this course offers the foundation to move forward with confidence, clarity, and care. Your next steps in EFP practice begin here.
Add to cart to begin learning instantly.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course. It consists of 80+ minutes of video instruction, reading assignments and written responses, a post-test and an evaluation.
This course is Course 4 (of 8) of the AAT-I Credential Program and can be taken individually or as part of the full program.
Please Note: Textbooks are required to complete AAT-I learning content. Reading material is not included with course enrollment and must be purchased separately from retail booksellers. (See "Requirements" tab for specifics.)
Requirements:
This course provides a syllabus listing its specific requirements.
- Video Instruction
- Reading Assignments
Textbooks are required to complete AAT-I learning content. This reading material is NOT included with course enrollment and must be purchased separately from retail booksellers, such as www.amazon.com (search title and/or author of the book).
- Fine, A.H. (2019). Animal Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Foundations and Guidelines for Practice-Fourth Edition. London, UK.
- Kohanov, L. (2003). Riding Between the Worlds Expanding Our Potential Through The Way of the Horse. New World Library. Novato, CA.
- Parish-Plass, N. (2013). Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy Theory, Issues and Practice. Purdue University.
- Written Assignments demonstrate an understanding of the material. This includes responses to prompts given in an online forum and submitting reflections and research papers that vary in length in length from one paragraph to up to 4 pages. Reflections and papers require grading by the instructor.
- A post-test is given to demonstrate understanding of the material. An 80% is required to pass and you can retake it if necessary.
- An evaluation is required once all previous steps have been completed. (Psychologists seeking APA hours are requested, not required, to complete the evaluation.)
Availability: From the time of registration, you have twelve months to access the coursework.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.
Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.
How to Attend: Instructions for attending and completing a course can be found here.
Dr. Christina Strayer, Ed.D, LCMHCS, AAT-I, THTC, CYT-200, NLC-P
Dr. Christina Strayer is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Supervisor, Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist-Associate, Pet Partner Team Evaluator, Animal Assisted Therapist-Interventionist, and Life Coach with her coaching practice Energy Coaching with Horses and Others (E.C.H.O.) in North Carolina. She is trained in a variety of Integrative Therapies including Art, Yoga, and Mindfulness. Her theoretical approach is Client-centered and Holistic. Along with her mini goats, avian, equine, canine, and crustacean helpers, Christina combines her study of the power of the Human and Animal Bond in healing with proven counseling theories and techniques to guide clients in reaching their goals.
She has a diverse background in counseling and teaching. She is the Lead Instructor for the Animal Assisted Therapy Interventionist (AAT-I) certification course. She has served as an adjunct professor at Campbell University in the Counselor Education department. She has traveled and conducted AAT seminars for PESI, a national continuing education organization, and conducts Seminars/Workshops/Groups locally on a variety of Mental Health/Wellness topics. She primarily works in the areas of PTSD, Panic Disorder, Crisis Intervention, Compassion Fatigue, Stress, Trauma, Grief and Loss, Anxiety, Addictions, Depression, Goal setting, Consultation, Self-Esteem, Conflict Resolution, Social Skills, Team Building, and Life Balance/Transitions.
Christina graduated from the Doctoral program in Counselor Education and Supervision through Argosy University in Sarasota, FL. She obtained both a Master of Science in Counseling and Human Development with a concentration in K-12 School Counseling and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Radford University in Radford, Virginia. She completed her Doctoral dissertation in AAT with Dooli, a rescue English Bulldog/Boxer mix, who was a dear family member and a beloved therapy dog to many over the years.
Disclosure Statement: The instructor for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.
Credit Hours: This course consists of 2 continuing education hours of credit.
The AAT-I credential program is designed to provide a high level of competency, therefore, the courses requires multiple assignments in addition to the video lectures and required reading. No additional CE hours are provided for the time spent on the writing assignments.
Counselors:
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Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.
Marriage and Family Therapists: Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations. You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.
Social Workers:
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Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2 clinical continuing education credits.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.
Addiction Professionals:
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This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.
Psychologists:
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Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.
Art Therapists: Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.
Other Professionals: This course qualifies for 120 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course.
Hold an approved license or certification. Click here to view the full list of approved clinician types.
In order to earn the Animal Assisted Therapy Interventionist (AAT-I) Credential, you are required to complete the full program. Details and enrollment options can be found here.
The AAT-I program consists of eight online, self-paced courses that are a mix of didactic presentations, videos, articles, textbooks, and written assignments. The courses are:
- The History of AAT and AAT Principles
- AAT Competencies and Multicultural Considerations
- Animals as Co-Therapists: Selection, Behavioral, and Training Considerations
- Introduction to Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy
- Animals as Co-Therapists: Blending Animal Interventions with a Range of Professional Theories
- Animals as Co-Therapists: Exploring Animal-Assisted Interventions Across Professions, Settings, and Populations
- Developing Treatment Plans and Tracking Outcomes
- Animal-Assisted Therapy Overview and Experiential Examples
Upon completion of all 8 online courses, individuals will earn the AAT-I and can begin using the credential AAT-I.
An optional opportunity to expand your training and attend a 2-day live intensive (in North Carolina) with experiential exercises is also available. Please review the website and/or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details on this event.
