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2010 program

Applications now being accepted. Contact Mary-Louise Gould: ml@theeponacenter.com.

The Epona Apprenticeship Program is an advanced interdisciplinary training for riding instructors, educators, and mental health professionals who want to master the art of employing horses in the work of human development using the Epona Approach™.

In November 2003, ten apprentices completed the first Epona Apprenticeship Program to become Epona Approved Instructors. In 2010 another group graduated, bringing our total number of apprenticeship groups to 13. Another class is due to graduate in December 2010.

Each year a group of carefully chosen professionals will attend 9 day long seminars to learn the theories and practices relevant to Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning (EFEL) and to participate in other activities where horses help humans reach a greater state of physical, emotional and spiritual balance.

Between seminars, apprentices will have assignments to complete and personal phone consultations with Linda Kohanov and Epona Approved Instructor assistants.

2011 Program Dates

The training program is designed to meet the rising equine industry standards, adequately teach the evolving Epona Approach, and provide necessary personal and horse time for each participant.

Due to the intensive nature of the training, apprentices will collectively have one integration day off each week for rest, reflection, and renewal. Otherwise, apprentices must be present from starting time the first day (10:00 am) through ending time the last day (5:00 pm).

  • Session I: Saturday, February 26 - Sunday, March 6, 2011
  • Session II: Saturday, May 21 - Sunday, May 29, 2011
  • Session III: Saturday, September 17 - Sunday, September 25, 2011

Epona Apprenticeship Tuition

The tuition is $9,990 (USD) for program training, core materials, and program days lunch and snacks. Apprentices must provide their own transportation, room, and Integration Day meals.

Tuition

The $9,990 (USD) tuition is payable in installments by check or Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. No individualized payment plans or scholarships are available.

Lodging and Meals

The tuition cost includes lunch on workshop days, but does not include breakfast or dinner and lodging.

Payment Schedule

  • $80 processing fee due at application submission
  • $500 registration deposit upon program acceptance
  • $1417 by December 31, 2010
  • $1417 by January 31, 2011
  • $3288 by March 31, 2011
  • $3288 by June 30, 2011

Epona Apprenticeship Program

The entire program is designed to assist participants in discovering their unique gifts, honing their powers of adaptability and innovation, sharpening equestrian and facilitation skills, improving written and spoken communication skills, and carving out their own niche in this fast-growing, multi-faceted field.

We make every effort to bring together a diverse, well-balanced, mutually supportive, conscientious group of self-motivated individuals who are either already active in this field or seriously planning to start their own practices. Those who successfully complete the program will be listed on the Epona website as recommended practitioners of this work, and they will receive referrals from us as people contact Epona searching for Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning (EFEL) and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) practitioners in their areas.

EFEL is an educational model, and at Epona we employ the emotional message chart, the false self/authentic self paradigm, the body scan, energy fields and boundary handout, and other tools to assist the clients in their personal awareness of feeling states, body sensations, boundaries and intrusive dysfunctional thoughts.

At Epona we teach individuals, through the Way of the Horse, to take their experiences home and make changes in their lives, if they choose. Our hope is that they can use these tools and experiences to change irrational thoughts and dysfunctional patterns, which have kept them stuck in a survival mentality, and help them to move into a thriving place for more creative and productive lives.

Only apprenticeship program graduates who are qualified Mental Health Workers, according to the regulations of the state where they will practice, will qualify to integrate EFEL principles with their therapeutic or counseling approach. However, it is essential to distinguish between EFEL and mental health models, particularly the area of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP).

Psychotherapy is a long-term process involving one-on-one therapeutic sessions with a client and the therapist. It requires an intimate connection and regular sessions. While qualified therapists apprenticing at Epona are assisted in considering how they might integrate EFEL principles into an EFP Practice, psychotherapy is not taught or practiced in Epona training programs.

Find out more about the program:

For more information contact Mary-Louise Gould at ml@theeponacenter.com or 520-975-6126.

 

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