Sue Blagburn, the Founder of Awareness with Horses, is a professionally trained and qualified Counsellor and Coach. In part counselling or coaching sessions will be traditional sitting and talking sessions, but we then also work outdoors in nature with the horses experientially. Like any other coaching or counselling session it is best to come for a series of sessions, Normally a minimum of 3. 6 to 12 sessions is normal, and some clients re-contract for much longer. Sessions last 90 minutes or sometimes two hours.

"Horses have been transporting us on outer journeys for thousands of years. In the 21st century, equine coaching or counselling is a profound new way of horses transporting us on inner journeys from where we are to where we need to be." Sue Blagburn

Our Approach
Awareness with Horses believes that every person is an expert on themselves. We hold a safe space of trust, empathy, confidentiality and unconditional positive regard. By their very nature, horses provide honest and non-judgmental feedback by picking up on our body language and responding with incredible accuracy to how we are in the present moment. Whether equine Assisted Coaching or Counselling we work with mindfulness, sending and awareness, embodiment and somatic experience.

Equine assisted coaching or counselling can help to bring about calmness, presence, clarity, an "aha" moment, an awareness of what may be stuck and an understanding of how to move forward. Working experientially and phenomenologically with the horses we can look at goals or challenges, or simply focus on the naturally occurring learning and therapeutic opportunities horses can provide in a well facilitated session. The learning is in the experience and the non-judgemental feedback the horses will give as we explore how to enter a relationship with them which is power with, not power over.

Equine Assisted Counselling
Equine assisted counselling offers a combination of traditional talking therapy with working therapeutically, experimentally and experientially with the horses in a safe, confidential environment. During a session the client starts and finishes with traditional counselling, this will take up 50% of the session, the other 50% is spent engaging with the horses therapeutically. The more traditional counselling part happens inside siting down and talking, or if the client chooses, and when the weather is suitable outside, walking and talking, or being with the horses. You start off and end as you would in a normal counselling session with 50% of the time engaging with the horses.

"Horses are totally embodied and present. In a counselling session I hold the space and deepen into the phenomenological and dialogical enquiry with my client, whilst my client is engaging reflectively or experientially with the horse or horses, who give accurate non-judgmental feedback. Magic can happen for us humans when in relationship with other than humans in nature, it can help regulate our nervous systems and therapeutically and safely shift things. Equine Assisted  counselling interventions can be cathartic, catalytic and supportive, including extreme letting go of emotions, wonderful aha moments or feelings of calm, peace and joy. In the way I work the only objective is awareness, rooted in reciprocity between human and other than human." Sue Blagburn

Counselling sessions last for 90 minutes or sometimes two hours. Before your first live counselling session you are offered a free of charge 30 mins introduction where we can also discuss and mutually agree how we would like to work. During your first equine assisted session we will discuss and contract on how you would like to continue and how many sessions you would like. 

How much does it cost?
One-to-one counselling sessions cost £60 for one and a half hours. Or two hours at £75

For more information contact Sue Blagburn
Phone: 07831 865259
Email: awarenesswithhorses@btconnect.com

There are six different options we can offer you…