Combining psychology and horses to support positive outcomes for young people.

Marnie Vertigan is an endorsed Educational & Developmental Psychologist who specialises in working with children and adolescents alongside her herd of horses and ponies. She is passionate about combining her love for animals with traditional psychological approaches to work towards greater benefits for young people.

About

Stable Minds Equine Assisted Psychology is located at a beautiful property in Nar Nar Goon North, on the outskirts South-East Melbourne. Marnie Vertigan is an endorsed Educational & Developmental Psychologist who specialises in working with children and adolescents alongside her herd of horses and ponies.

Marnie has extensive experience providing high quality psychological services for a broad range of issues for young people and their families and social networks. She is trained and experienced in a range of evidence-based psychological approaches as well as Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, having trained with the world class Equine Psychotherapy Institute. She is passionate about combining her love for animals with traditional psychological approaches to work towards greater benefits for young people.

Sessions may be room-based (in a stable) or outside in nature, and may include horses or ponies as supports and co-facilitators. Clients are invited to have physically and emotionally safe experiences with horses for the purpose of exploring personal experience in relationship, building self-awareness and awareness of patterns or habits that are no longer serving them well, developing psychological and social skills and addressing therapeutic goals. Marnie combines this experiential form of therapy with other empirically supported therapeutic approaches to provide the best opportunities for clients to grow and heal. Other therapeutic approaches include psychological methodologies that can only be delivered by a qualified psychologist, including CBT, ACT, DBT, REBT.

  • Grief and loss

  • Disability

  • Learning difficulties

  • Emotional dysregulation

  • Low confidence and self-esteem

  • Clients looking for alternatives to room-based therapy

  • And more

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Trauma

  • Autism

  • ADHD/ADD

  • Stress

All experiences with the horses are ground-based and do not include mounting or riding the horses. No experience with horses is necessary.

Marnie works with clients experiencing:

Meet the Herd

  • Hope

    Hope is a lovely lady who adores being pampered, as well as hanging out with her best mate, Albi. She is a Shetland mare who has done some showing in her past. Having mothered a foal, she is very nurturing. She is a bit of an introvert and is more likely to wait for you to come to her…unless you have treats! She lives up to her name, providing hope and healing.

  • Albi

    Albi is an adorable Shetland Pony who loves people. He spent his youth being ridden and loved by young kids. He was often seen with children on his back, riding down the main street of Seville. He has since enjoyed spending his days with his best mate, Hope, doing some showing, and now enjoys his work as a therapy pony. He is a sweet gelding who loves being pampered and he will be the first one up to you for a cuddle or a scratch.

  • Charlie

    Cheeky Charlie is a large Standardbred who thinks he is the boss of the herd. He likes to explore and will get in to anywhere he can. He can open some gates with his mouth and will get into the shed to scoff all the feed if he gets the chance!

    He is very aware and always knows exactly what is going on around him. He is an anxious boy and can be wary of humans, but when he learns to trust you, he loves a good scratch and can be quite playful when he is in the mood.

Services

Individual psychological therapy or group sessions are available. Sessions are generally outside (in nature) or may be room-based (in a stable) and typically include horses or ponies.

Individual psychology sessions are tailored to meet specific therapeutic goals. Group sessions are psycho-educational in nature, with each session focussing on a different theme or skill in each session.

Consultation Times

Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday mornings.

Fees

Individual sessions run for 50 minutes and cost $230.

Group sessions typically run for eight to ten sessions and cost $150 per session.

A doctor’s referral is required for Medicare rebates under a Mental Health Care Plan. You may be eligible for funding via NDIS or rebates through your private health fund.

Cancellation Policy

Sessions will go ahead in all except extreme weather conditions, e.g. catastrophic danger fire rating days or severe electrical storms. All efforts will be made to contact you before your session regarding any cancellations but if unsure please check emergency.vic.gov.au for information.

When your appointment is booked, you are holding a space that is no longer available to other clients. Please advise as soon as possible when you know you will not be able to attend your appointment so as that place may be offered to other clients.

Please note that 48 hours’ notice (2 clear business days) is required for appointment cancellations to avoid cancellation fees.

Contact us.

For further information or to make an appointment, please call 0481 222 242; email stablemindspsychology@gmail.com or complete form below :

A reply will be sent within 48 hours.

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