Lecture - Horses as medicine: Contextual Horse Therapy (CHT): On the breaking of rigid family patterns and recovery of trauma, aided by horses

The Lecture “Horses as medicine: Contextual Horse Therapy (CHT): On the breaking of rigid family patterns and recovery of trauma, aided by horses", is part of the activities of the 1st Cycle of Studies in Psychology. This initiative aims to reflect on the therapeutic work developed with clients in the interaction with animals, especially in addressing situations of young people with psychiatric problems and monitoring their families, seeking to promote mental health. 

Students, teachers, professionals and researchers, among others interested in the subject.

• Development Contextual Horsetherapy, what was the reason? 
• Understand and know the Contextual Horse Therapy: concept and rationale 
• Application of Contextual Horse Therapy in promoting the mental health of children and youngsters and their (traumatized) parents 
• Challenges and strengths of Contextual Horse Therapy
• Results of scientific research of Contextual Horsetherapy and new developments in the field 
• Practical experiences with CHT (family cases), psychiatric case studies

14h00 | Open session

Lecture* - Horses as medicine: Contextual Horse Therapy (CHT): On the breaking of rigid family patterns and recovery of trauma, aided by horses

15h00 | Closure

*The session will be conducted in English, with translation support provided in Portuguese.

Moderation: 

• Isabel Silva (Psychology degree coordinator) 
• Pedro Marques (assistant professor)

Speaker: 

Hesther Selbeck (1982) is an author, systemic therapist and developer of the Contextual Horsetherapy (CHT) method. She takes you along in what the added value of horses, environment and nature can mean in treating and reaching youngsters with severe psychiatric problems with (extremely) suicidal or destructive behavior and their mostly traumatized parents. The families are experienced as having exhausted their treatment options in mental health care. Selbeck is the responsible CEO during the programs where she leads multi-disciplinary teams to achieve perspective and trauma recovery. She worked as a systemic therapist in a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric clinic where she also conducted research into the connections between psychiatric behavior and family relationships. During a journey on horseback through Mongolia, after a vision of Mongolian horses in her kitchen, she realized that the treatment process can be deepened by looking more broadly at additional therapy options. Selbeck heads the CHT programs since 2015 in which the therapeutic effect of horses and environment are important treatment aspects. She made her debut with the idea at TEDxHaarlem in the Netherlands. Since then, she is a regularly invited inspirational speaker. She will show us that new ideas can become reality. Besides giving international lectures, therapy and trainings about CHT, she is the author of the autobiographical novels: Yourney of A Lifetime (2021), An inspiring horse trek in Mongolia that forever changed my personal and professional life and Playhorse (2023). Selbeck has several publications and articles about Horsetherapy on her name in scientifical journals. It is her to mission stimulate awareness and knowledge about the meaning that interaction with horses can have for humans. Nowadays she lives with her herd and wild Sorraia horses in the Serra da Estrela in Portugal.

Organization:

ISEIT/Viseu, 1º Ciclo de Estudos em Psicologia