At Operation Equine, we understand that committing to a life of service often creates complex challenges that can leave Military Service Members, Veterans, and Emergency Responders feeling disconnected from their families and communities. We facilitate unique, therapeutic experiences with horses that lead our participants to a deeper understanding of themselves, empowering them to cultivate healthier relationships, and feel better.
Military Service Members, Veterans, Emergency ... Read More
At Operation Equine, we understand that committing to a life of service often creates complex challenges that can leave Military Service Members, Veterans, and Emergency Responders feeling disconnected from their families and communities. We facilitate unique, therapeutic experiences with horses that lead our participants to a deeper understanding of themselves, empowering them to cultivate healthier relationships, and feel better.
Military Service Members, Veterans, Emergency Responders, and Health Care Workers are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress, trauma, and isolation. This leads to feeling disconnected from our family and communities. When left unaddressed, this creates destructive, long-term consequences for our mental health and well-being.
We do not win a fight alone, and we do not heal alone. At Operation Equine, we facilitate unique therapeutic experiences with horses to help cultivate healthy relationships. When people commit to working with Operation Equine, life gets better.
We believe when people understand themselves fully, they are more likely to succeed at home, at work, and in their communities.
The counseling aspect of our Train, Counsel, and Connect pillars offers mental health and therapeutic services to Active Military Service, Veteran, and Emergency Responder individuals and groups, spouses/partners, children (including adult children of), and parents of families, caregivers, and supporters. Because mental health counseling is often not only resisted and/or seen as a “luxury item” for many of these individuals and families, but also because there are horses involved, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning also tends to be more expensive, in order to support the overhead cost of the horses, the mental health professionals, and the equine specialists who are involved in the sessions. That is one of the many reasons why Operation Equine is inviting funding, donation, and volunteer opportunities: to help us in our dedicated, purposeful mission to serve our Warriors and Protectors and their families.
The Training aspect of our mission is just as important as the counseling aspect of what we do. The Equine Experiential Military Cultural Competence Training that we created address the civilian health care providers - physical health as well as mental health - caregivers, educators, and employers who feel the call and the desire to work with our Warriors and Protectors, or who find themselves already working with them (ie: in schools, in businesses, etc.) but who don't yet understand how to, with the confidence and benefit of training and education (please note: Equine Experiential Emergency Responder Cultural Competency Training to be launched in Spring 2021).
We also offer uniquely-created, tailored consultation packages to individuals and organizations, depending on the specific needs requested. Examples of topics: communication and relevant language; historical background; specific needs of Military/Veteran and Emergency Responder families; Resources, etc. (this list is not meant to be exhaustive). Please contact Michelle for more information and to discuss how Operation Equine might be able to assist and support your particular needs.
One organization simply cannot fulfill all of the needs, nor will only one organization, one training program, or one health care provider be able to serve all of our Military/Veteran and Emergency Responder families, which is why Operation Equine is equally determined to provide cost-effective, experiential, relevant training opportunities to civilian individuals, enabling them to serve those whom we are single-minded in serving with excellence.
Our "connect" pillar honors the fact that there is no one "silver bullet" or "magic pill" that can help every single participant in the same way. We collaborate and partner with other Military, Veteran, and Emergency Responder organizations in an effort to assist our participant communities to access any resource that they may need to help them through their healing journey (eg: other VSOs and support groups, financial resources, peer groups, etc.)
The ever-increasing suicide rate of our Warriors and Protectors AND of their caregivers and children is tragic AND preventable. We believe that “The Royal We” of our country can help to reverse that trend with a concerted effort by professional civilians who are not only passionate about helping and serving but who are also committed to serving with excellence and training from the most ethical and educated foundation. Our men and women who serve our country and our communities do so with excellence in their training: why wouldn't we serve and protect them now with that same commitment?
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