Equine Assisted Psychotherapy for Combat Veterans with PTSD

Thesis (M.Nurs.), College of Nursing, Washington State UniversityPost traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious problem for numerous post war combat veterans who have experienced violent and traumatic conflict scenarios. The importance of determining and making available effective treatment regimes for this disorder has become increasingly more acute due to the growing number of combat veterans being identified and diagnosed. The purpose ofthis article is to provide a brief review of equine assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of combat veterans with PTSD and to discuss practice considerations for practitioners working in an outpatient care setting