The Horse's Purpose

The Horse's Purpose is a Mental Health Therapy Program in St. Mary's County, MD, serving all ages, individuals, and families, specializing in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Julie Devine, a Licensed Mental Health Professional, partners with a horse professional and a number of horses to provide a safe and non-judgmental therapy environment.

Walls got you blocked in? Try our "al fresco" approach. We meet outside on a private farm in Hollywood. The opportunity to interact with horses and other farm animals in a safe environment provides a therapeutic aspect that can not be found in an office setting. The focus of this therapy model is on interactions with the animals and space rather than on words and talking.

Why Horses you ask? Horses are naturally non-judgmental, mindful creatures who live in the moment. They are prey and herd animals which make them extremely sensitive to emotions and body language - of both other horses and human. Not only are they gorgeous, but they are also helpful in providing us with immediate feedback to our actions and emotional state. Also they provide a clean slate on which to build metaphorical representations of one's life.

This approach is highly effective because of the unique interactions with the animals that provide a life size sand tray for building awareness of one's own areas of strength and weakness, and freedom to practice new skills and tools to find one's own solutions.