Professional Resources

This is a must have on the shelf if you are a therapist working with horses and takes you through the different types of equine assisted activities and the research that has been published to date.

Leif has been a supervisor and mentor to me so I know opinions on the sector, but if you can't work with her directly this is a good go to. She recommends many of the things I also believe in such as the use of the farm and other activities to take the pressure off the horses, so she also presents a niew of the equine and farm milieu in general.

One of the most academic books of its time.

I loved this book. Both professionally and personally, it gave me so much breadth across this clinical area and made sense of my own life experiences. There are so many take home messages for therapists working with trauma, it's impossible to list them all so I'll tell you what I liked most.

One thing I did love was that he mentioned occupational therapy several times as well as animal assisted therapy as being an important part of a team approach. Another think I took from the book, apart some self satisfaction that we are on the right lines at Barefoot Therapists and Gadara Farm, was his criticism of labels like 'trauma informed' and 'trauma sensitive' which he dais have no standards and no recognised training. Apparently there are whole towns who promote themselves as trauma informed. Wow.

Another thing I loved was the focus on a developmental approach. This is so important, as we know so many kids who have experienced trauma to work from where they are socially and emotionally.

I loved his focus on First Nation's people, and his story of visiting the Mauri people in New Zealand where his medical model was challenged when he asked about drugs, depression and anxiety. They said it's all the same. As we often try and break it down, we miss a key factor, which is connectedness, which is key to being healthy people.

Dr Bruce Perry was critical of social media as the main way to socialise - which I agree with. While we can use it as a helpful resource we do need to be careful to still connect face to face for connectivity. And what I am most interested in is helping people organise their lives and stresses so they can actually do this in their own lives - professionally or personally.

I love the notion that many therapists cannot be healers because they are too busy defending themselves (Carl Rogers). I love the acknowledgement that for some of us the intuitive presence of us as a therapist almost transcends the goals at times.

Our disclosures must show /maturity and positive adjustment' (Charles H Kramer). This resonates with me. Setting up Sarah Munn Therapy Teachings there was an intention to share my journey and my healthy adjustment to my own disabilities and thos of my children's.

Over the years I have seen the benefits of self-disclosure in effective work with parents. However, we are taught about keeping strict professional boundaries. The world is changing and understanding how to be 'in relationship' with our clients is more important than ever. As is our own return to healing.This book clearly articulates the unseen and unmeasured side of what we do.

A great read for therapists working in emotional wellbeing.

With the explosion of mindfulness David Treleaven is concerned about meditation being offered in all walks of life, sometimes by untrained and inexperienced providers, where signs of trauma are being missed and not referred on to professional therapists with experience in the field.

This book informs therapists and meditation teachers of their scope of practice when including meditation for the benefit of people who have experienced trauma. It is also a stark reminder of the difficulties and discomfort some people experience in the body and mind during mindfulness which often go unnoticed and can break down trust and safety.  A promotion for systemic reform and social justice, this book is for therapists and meditation teachers who offer full sessions or just want to add in a little bit of meditation to other practices.

If you won’t know how to work with trauma if it surfaces, then you need to have a good network of referral pathways to professionals who can follow up with trauma recovery and healing.  Treleaven says we need to be clear that we have a full history of any trauma.

We know at Barefoot that people with difficulties in relationships, social connectedness or disability often experience systemic traumas, as do other marginalised groups which he talks about extensively including First Nations people.

Treleaven also guides against cultural appropriation where meditation providers do not understand the lineage of their items and can cause offence. He recounts a story of a teacher using a singing bowl when one of the students looked at it and said that in her culture it is used at funerals. She was not impressed with the teachers lack of knowledge of his tools.  

Another reiteration that trauma continues through generations in our DNA so some of our clients can be quick to elicit a stress response. Even to positive stress when doing something exciting like riding a bike or a horse can be triggering to some people.  

The book reminds us that workers who experience lots of descriptions and information about traumatic events can also experience PTSD. They can raise personal things up for therapists and meditation or yoga teachers working in this space so it is a reminder to take care of yourselves.  I loved this book and as I finish my meditation training it is good advice to ‘notice’ those we seek to help (which is hard with your eyes shut).

At Barefoot Therapists we find purposeful movement outside with an end goal, working in nature, in rhythm and with animals can all be helpful in the healing process and can be a good introduction to mindful practice before we ask them to be still and notice themselves.