Flexibility in Sessions

Each participant comes to a session with a 3 part plan. (See sample picture) For most of our participants, my expectation is that they show some attempt to participate in each part of their plan. But more important than their plan, is FLEXIBILITY!

One of my favorite parts about my job is having the time and space to linger, wait, and observe. If a child attempts to groom their horse for 30 seconds and then wants to sit and play in the sand for 10 minutes before moving onto part 2- that’s OK!

Last week, a new participant was learning to groom his pony and was not feeling it! We took a break to be held by mom and instead played a game of dropping backwards in mom’s arms and getting kisses and tickles from his pony. This resulted in big smiles and belly giggles. So we had kisses and tickles for 10 minutes instead of learning to hold a brush and you know what- it was GREAT! There’s always next week and there’s always the potential he needed that comfort level with his pony before feeling secure enough to groom her with his feet on the ground.

Unlike traditional therapies, we are not bound by an hour limit and we have a lot of sensory opportunities that can be explored and directed by the participant at their own pace. If you’re finding yourself becoming frustrated by things not going as planned (as often happens with children)…. take a breath, sit back, and lean into flexibility with me.

As always, thanks for reading and growing with me.

In Expectation of Great Things,

Allie