Adventures In Awareness: Learning with the Help of Horses

The Handbook of Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning through the lens of Adventures In Awareness offers the theory, principles and practice of equine inner-active exercises for wellness work with horses. Outlined in detail is AIA's 5 DAY Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning Curriculum¿, an enrichment and prevention program for at risk youth, and those with severe emotional and behavioral disturbances; it features the AIA¿ process. AIA promotes working with horses as a reflective and reflection experience, mirroring personal and interpersonal relationships. The specially designed interactive and inner-active exercises develop communication (including interspecies) skills, promote team building, promote self developed insights and contribute to the ability to be responsible for self. The basic AIA principle is that awake aware responsible individuals living the Adventures In Awareness safety agreement make healthy behavior choices.

In 1974, a cofounder of TROT (Therapeutic Riding of Tucson, Inc.), Barbara utilized her skills as a Pony Club Instructor to teach - TROT. While acting as resource developer, director of instruction, and executive director, she taught 45 weekly volunteers safe helping and handling techniques, schooled and trained 12 horses and ponies, supervised and developed assistant instructors, while teaching 4 - 6 half day sessions of TROT classes for approximately 80 students a week.In 1989-90, at The College of the Holy Names in Oakland, CA, she obtained a Master of Arts degree with an emphasis in Spiritual Psychology. While at the Institute of Culture and Creation Centered Spirituality, she worked as an intake counselor and group facilitator for near death youth, and women with homebound disabilities, at the Center for Attitudinal Healing in Tiburon, CA. As she completed her thesis, she worked as the manager for NCEFT (National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy) in Woodside, CA. She is a 1965 graduate of the University of Arizona with a BA in Philosophy and English.In the early 90s, Barbara developed the therapeutic riding program at Sierra Tucson and co-founded FETE, Medicine Horse, in Flagstaff, AZ. At Sierra Tucson, a private psychiatric hospital, she developed and coordinated Sierra Tucson's Integrated Riding Resource Program for adolescents, family week treatment, the eating disorders, and trauma resolution units, while training the hospital medical staff in her model for equine facilitated experiential learning process work - now trademarked as ADVENTURES IN AWARENESS (AIA)¿.In 1995 Barbara developed the AIA/EEL (Equine Experiential Learning) Institute featuring ADVENTURES IN AWARENESS (AIA) - an equine facilitated experiential learning process for the teaching of equine facilitated experiential learning (EFEL), and/or the practice of equine facilitated psychotherapy (EFP). The purpose of the AIA/EEL Institute is to provide educators, health, horse, and other animal