The poor outcome prognosis of Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) and Autistic (ASD) youth has challenged mental health providers. SED/ASD children/adolescents do not respond well to traditional therapy and are in need of innovative treatment modalities. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is an experiential modality of mental health treatment that is a collaborative endeavor between a licensed therapist and equine professional while utilizing horses as an instrument for emotional growth. Specifically, it is asserted that EAP is an effective treatment modality for SED/ASD youth due to EAP's use of non-verbal skills through experiential means. The purpose of this study is to examine the possible empirical validity of EAP as a treatment modality for SED/ASD youth. A meta-analysis was conducted on 17 studies that facilitated EAP sessions with SED/ASD children/adolescents, utilized outcome measures (i.e., behavioral, emotional, functional), and reported data in which a Cohen's d could be computed (i.e., means, standard deviations, t-scores). An overall mean effect size of Cohen's d = 0.67 was generated, indicating EAP has a moderate to large effect on outcome measures with SED/ASD youth. SED children/adolescents appear to benefit more from EAP when sessions are facilitated with a Manualized treatment protocol. Limitations include a dearth of empirical research, no distinction between EAP Models, lack of variance between studies, attrition of participants, a need for control groups, and a lack of diversity among subjects. Clinicians should ensure EAP is conducted with a standardized protocol and be aware EAP may be more effective with SED youth.

Keywords : equine assisted psychotherapy, severely emotionally disturbed children/adolescents, autistic children/adolescent