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2009 Training

Applications are now being accepted.

The Epona Apprenticeship Program is an advanced interdisciplinary training for riding instructors, educators, and mental health professionals who want to master the art of employing horses in the work of human development using the Epona Approach™. It is designed to meet the rising equine industry standards, adequately teach the evolving Epona Approach™, and provide necessary personal and horse time for each participant.

The Fast Track Program is a three-week program available to those who have completed the pre-requisites outlined below.

Between seminars, apprentices will have research, written, and riding assignments to complete and personal phone consultations with group facilitators, Linda Kohanov, and other Epona staff.

Due to the intensive nature of the training, apprentices will collectively have one integration day off each week for rest, reflection, and renewal. Otherwise, apprentices must be present from starting time the first day through ending time the last day.

Epona Fast-Track Apprenticeship Program Overview

The entire program is designed to assist participants in discovering their unique gifts, honing their powers of adaptability and innovation, sharpening equestrian and facilitation skills, improving written and spoken communication skills, and carving out their own niche in this fast-growing, multi-faceted field.

We make every effort to bring together a diverse, well-balanced, mutually supportive, conscientious group of self-motivated individuals who are either already active in this field or seriously planning to start their own practices. Those who successfully complete the program will be listed on the Epona website as recommended practitioners of this work, and they will receive referrals from us as people contact Epona searching for Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning (EFEL) and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) practitioners in their areas. EFEL is an educational model, and at Epona we employ the emotional message chart, the false self/authentic self paradigm, the body scan, the boundary handout, and other tools to assist the clients in their personal awareness of feeling states, body sensations, boundaries and intrusive destructive thoughts.

At Epona we teach individuals, through the Way of the Horse, to take their experiences home and make changes in their lives, if they choose. Our hope is that they can use these tools and experiences to change irrational thoughts and dysfunctional patterns, which have kept them stuck in a survival mentality, and help them to move into a thriving place for more creative and productive lives.

Only apprenticeship program graduates who are qualified Mental Health Workers, according to the regulations of the state where they will practice, will qualify to integrate EFEL principles with their therapeutic or counseling approach. However, it is essential to distinguish between EFEL and mental health models, particularly the area of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP).

Psychotherapy is a long-term process involving one-on-one therapeutic sessions with a client and the therapist. It requires an intimate connection and at least weekly sessions. While qualified therapists apprenticing at Epona are assisted in examining how they might integrate EFEL principles into an EFP Practice, psychotherapy is not taught in Epona programs.

Program Pre-Requisites

The requirements for entrance into the Fast Track program are:

  1. The completion of an Introductory Epona workshop, either at the Epona Conference Center or with one of Epona’s Approved Instructors. (Click here for a partial listing of introductory workshops offered by Epona Approved Instructors.)
  2. The completion of additional advanced workshops via one of two paths:
    • Attending the Epona Advanced Study Experience (EASE).
    • Attending two (2) advanced workshops at the Epona Conference Center. Eligible workshops are: The Sentient Herd, Rasa Dance, Keeper of the Mysteries, Pioneering Spirit, Charting Your Own Course, and Riding Between the Worlds. (Click here for an updated list of advanced workshops currently offered at the Epona Conference Center.)

2009 Program Dates

Epona Fast-Track Apprenticeship Tuition

The $9,800.00 (USD) tuition is payable in installments by check or VISA, Master Card, Discover, or American Express. No individualized payment plans or scholarships are available. All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Lodging and Meals

The tuition cost includes lunch and dinner on workshop days, but does not include lodging. Rooms in the conference center residence are available at $90.00 per night plus tax and are reserved for the entire program on a first-come, first-served basis by payment of a $180.00 deposit.

Payment Schedule

Application

Listed below are the items and steps that comprise the Apprenticeship Fast Track application. Please provide the information in a Microsoft Word document that is a maximum of four (4) pages using text only — no photos or graphics.

  1. Date application and include name, address, phone number, and email address.
  2. Education.
  1. Professional Experience in one or more of the following fields:

Note: Specify the number of years of experience you have in each area and the particular nature of each category (e.g. Dressage Riding Instructor for seven years, High School teacher for ten years.)

  1. Describe your initial experience with Epona. Indicate nature of experience (workshop, private sessions, or an intensive), the name(s) of facilitator(s) and workshop(s), and dates. Indicate which of the Epona concepts or activities were difficult to integrate when you returned home? For example, the concept of emotion as information, authentic community building skills, or the false-self/authentic-self metaphor. Which of the concepts were most useful?
  2. Horse Experience (you do not have to be an advanced rider to do this work, but some experience with horses is essential).
  3. Describe your attraction to the field of Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning. Why are you attracted to the Epona Apprenticeship Program?
  4. Given the requirements and energetic demands of the Apprenticeship Program, describe how you will integrate it with your personal and work life during the year of training.
  5. Describe your goals in this field (e.g., running your own EFEL center, adding EFP to your counseling practice, creating a more holistic, emotionally supportive rider instruction program, etc.).
  6. Indicate the state of your mental and physical health.
  7. Knowing yourself as you do, if you were to run into a problem during the apprenticeship year, what might it be? How do you imagine the program could help you acknowledge and address that issue?
  8. If so advised by an Epona instructor, are you willing to seek outside help in an area where there seems to be a deficiency?
  9. Indicate your capacity to send and receive emails with Microsoft Word attachments via computer on a routine basis. If you do not currently have this capacity, indicate whether or not you are willing and able to acquire the necessary setup and knowledge. (This electronic exchange among Epona personnel and apprentices is integral to providing professional, personal, and logistical support.)

Applicants will receive email notification as to whether or not they passed the paper-screening phase. Phone interviews for those passing will be scheduled by Carol Roush or Mary-Louise Gould. The application process will continue until the program is full and a waiting list is established.

Personal Commitment

In addition to the three on-site six-day training sessions and ongoing support from small group facilitators, apprentices will have four (4) hours of individual consultation with Linda throughout the year, and four (4) hours with other designated Epona staff of their choosing.

We do not expect apprentices to be able to handle the intensity of this work without their own issues surfacing from time to time. However, in order to consistently maintain the safety needed for clients and horses, apprentices must be able to quickly identify their triggers and the behavior patterns that follow.

One of Epona’s principles is identifying and differentiating between congruent vs. incongruent feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. For instance, as individuals we have good and bad days, outside stresses, and unexpected circumstances that contribute to fluctuations in wellness and awareness. When it comes to mirroring hidden emotions, horses do not distinguish between the client and the facilitator. Thus apprentices must also learn to process any of their own incongruities that may arise while facilitating others. This is an opportunity for the apprentice to model, in the client's presence, how to process the information.

There is a fine line between being "real" and being professional, a balance that apprentices are encouraged to develop. They will succeed as long as they maintain self awareness, integrity, and consistency with their words and are willing to ask for and receive feedback from instructors, other facilitators, and clients.

For more information contact booking@theeponacenter.com or 520-455-5908.

 

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