There is a growing demand for animal-assisted services as people increasingly turn to animals and alternative therapies to help with mental health challenges.
Equine Assisted Therapy Australia (EATA) is doing what it can to bring animals into the lives of those who can benefit from them most.
Over the weekend EATA held another successful fundraiser for Animal Therapies Limited (ATL) in Eudlo on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The two-day event was booked out with more than 24 members of the public taking part in hour-long equine-assisted therapy sessions offered by EATA for $20.
Former EATA graduates, who now work as equine-assisted mental health practitioners, travelled from across the state to take members of the public for their sessions.
EATA Director, Jane Faulkner, said it was a wonderful weekend of supporting the local Eudlo community as well as connecting with others within the EATA community.
“The highlights included seeing EATA graduates support one another’s growth and confidence in this work.
Hearing the amazing feedback from clients following their sessions and working, and learning, from the horses,” she said.
This is the third consecutive year that EATA has run a fundraising event for ATL.
Jane said she was grateful for the work ATL does to further community education, understanding and access to animal-assisted services (ASS).
“ATL does so much work to educate the wider community about AAS and to support people to access services by providing funding.
ATL has helped to improve the standards, quality and recognition of AAS in Australia.”
ATL provides funding for animal-assisted mental health support, to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
Founder Wendy Coombe said the charity makes a difference to individuals and families who would otherwise ‘fall through the cracks.’
“ATL is a small charity with no employees, and we work hard at meeting the growing demand for animal-assisted mental health support and other services.
However, ATL does not receive government funding and needs donations and fundraisers like this to fill the gap when we don’t have existing funding rounds to help.
100 per cent of the money raised will go towards our mental health outreach program offering free animal-assisted support to vulnerable individuals – particularly those who have experienced violence, neglect, or trauma and cannot engage in conventional therapy,” she said.
The waitlist for animal-assisted mental health support is growing.
In order for ATL to help as many as it can, it needs to build sustainable income to ensure that all those in need get help, Wendy said.
“We hope to have enough funds coming into the charity, so that we have no one on a waiting list.
We also have a goal to prevent mental illness, and we would like to see the education departments in every state and territory offer fully funded animal-assisted therapy, wellbeing and engagement to all in need, just as the Victorian Department of Education has done.”
EATA’s fundraiser for ATL was held at Sunshine Farm in Eudlo on the Sunshine Coast.
Property owner and equine-assisted mental health practitioner Bluey Gilkes said hosting the fundraiser was a great opportunity to share what she and her partner had created at the farm.
“The event was better than I ever could have imagined, and we had perfect weather.
It was a powerful weekend of collaboration, growth and genuine connection.
It was also an amazing opportunity to raise money for ATL while sharing the benefits of equine-assisted therapy with our community,” she said.
EATA looks forward to continuing to support and work with Animal Therapies Limited.
