The Lennox Wave: Issue 212
December 2022
Maxime discusses the moment she fell into the world of Equine Therapy and the profound determination to take on as a career. She then goes on to discuss her future plans of offering children's wellbeing programs.
Sugar Beach Ranch sits on 60 acres of unspoilt coastal beauty south of Ballina with endless deserted white sandy beaches, eagles soaring overhead, whales breaching on the doorstep and beautiful native coastal vegetation.
It is the perfect place to come and heal. Here, therapist Maxime Willems provides experiential forms of mental and emotional health support with equine-assisted learning. Maxime grew up in Belgium on a dressage stable and found refuge with horses while she experienced struggles after her parents divorced. I wasn't aware of that at the time, but it was my safe space, she said.
As an adult, she continued to work on dressage stables however, 'it never felt right,' she said. 'I felt tense and the connection with the horse was ost and the horses had intense anxiety. There was too much performance pressure.' During her work as an NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner, Maxime was introduced to equine therapy, and she explains that the 'pieces came together. I was blown away by the depth of the practice and finding a reconnection again with the horses. They are such aware animals.'
Now fully certified through The Equine Psychotherapy Institute, Maxime brings her skills to individuals, families, schools and corporates in the natural setting of Sugar Beach Ranch.
Why horses?
The presence of horses in a learning environment can have profound mental, emotional and physical benefits for humans.
Horses are non-judgemental herd animals, live in close connection with each other and can support us when exploring relational themes such as personal boundaries, trust, attachment, intimacy and vulnerability.
As horses have highly evolved senses and an incredible ability to read subtle body language, they can often provide clients with immediate feedback about their experience, facilitating increased self-awareness and offering new perspectives.
Through modelling, horses can teach us how to use feelings as information and to express emotions in a meaningful and healthy way. As horses live in a state of total awareness, they also can model us how to effectively ground ourselves and return to a regulated state that feels tolerable
Maxime states that 'clients are offered safe experiences with our horses in the natural surroundings of Sugar Beach Ranch for social-emotional and relationship skills building connections with self and others, and personal development.
I love that with each session; I am outdoors and able to be fully present with the person in front of me.'
Throughout the school holidays, Maxime will lead Horse Wisdom School Holiday workshops for children. The workshops will explore socio-emotional and relationship skill building out in nature, together with a beautiful and calm herd of horses and a supportive group of peers from whom to learn. 'Horse wisdom can remind us to experience life at the moment, experiment and keep trying something new,' she said.
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