Catalyst Living Skills

Working with horses to reach my full potential

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A weekly program for adults and children

Catalyst Living Skills offers several weekly programs for children and adults , with a focus on:

Communication
Self esteem
Decision making
Creativity
Co-ordination and motor skills
Focus and observation
Relationships

To achieve our goals we work with horses, other animals on the farm, in nature and do some creative activities.

Horses are great teachers

Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) has been shown to teach people about themselves and their interaction with others around them. Through EAL sessions, you can develop confidence and coping skills, whilst making friends, having fun and building your social and communication skills.

Horses are the MASTER teachers of life skills. They demand personal leadership and can teach you how to learn, develop and apply these skills to your life.

In EAL, horses are a “barometer”. They react to your' emotional responses, whether they are calm, confused, frustrated, or excited. A horse's reactions provide an EAL facilitator with insights that can help them guide and assist the journey of building foundational life skills.

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What's a life skill?

Catalyst Living Skills programs are guided by the six essential life skills identified by the World Health Organization (1999)

Communication and interpersonal skills.
Decision making and problem solving .To understand problems, find solutions alone or with others, and then take action to address them.
Creative thinking and critical thinking. To think in different ways about problems, and find new solutions, or generate new ideas, coupled with the ability to assess information carefully and understand its relevance.
Self-awareness and empathy (emotional intelligence). To understand yourself and be able to feel for other people as if their experiences were happening to you.
Assertiveness and equanimity, or self-control. To stand up for yourself and other people, and remain calm even in the face of provocation.
Resilience and the ability to cope with problems. To recover from setbacks, and treat them as opportunities to learn, or simply experiences.

To develop these abilities Catalyst Living Skills programs take an interactive approach using games, puzzles, and other teaching techniques to keep the participant wholly involved in the sessions where their focus is on having fun rather than on learning something new.

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What we do

We run Equine Assisted Learning programs combined with creative, nature and farm based activities in small groups and with individuals. Many of our clients are supported by the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

We don’t offer therapy but rather teach the life skills to function effectively in society.

We do not dig to discover feelings. Nor do we try and figure out “how” or “why” the participants got to where they are at. Rather we teach to be mindful, to regulate emotions and to work effectively with others.

Building confidence and self esteem through achievement is the primary goal for most of our clients and is central to pretty much everything that we do. Our horses are willing partners supporting people to achieve things they never imagined in an active, challenging and fun way.

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Group Program

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Our small group programs offer a combination of equine assisted learning with creative arts and crafts, nature and farm based activities. We try to allow our clients to direct the program as much as possible rather than insisting on them undertaking activities they don't want to do. Participants work on confidence, trust, co-operation, and communication. Groups are small and are organised by age, ability, and objective.

Group programs are often the best way to learn new skills. Working with others and the horses offers the opportunity to undertake many more activities rather than working alone. Our clients often find working with a partner can help them better regulate their emotions, deal with challenges, communicate with others and work together to find solutions to the problems they are trying to solve. Our primary aim is for all of our clients to reach their potential so our activities have a strong focus on building self esteem and success.

Sessions take place on a weekly basis and are designed to meet the needs of each group. The childrens' group is about an hour long while the adult groups are generally two hours.

The children’s program runs on Saturday mornings and during the week. The adult program currently runs between Tuesday and Friday..

Since we began we have found that our group sessions are popular, effective and often the best way to learn new skills.

We offer a variety of group programs for people looking to build skills and to generally have fun. During the week we run several programs for both children and adults. Our groups are very small with a facilitator working with no more than two clients at a time which means you are always busy and included.

Children who come during the week are over 8 years old , are home schooled or come after school in the afternoon. Many are looking to learn ways to manage specific issues such as anxiety or emotional regulation and ADHD and autism is common. Our children s group program is for one hour.

At the moment we have a couple of adult groups and we are planning on starting a a couple more at the beginning of 2024 if there is interest. These groups have 4 participants and two facilitators. We began by offering the group for an hour but found that they wanted to do so many things that they have grown to two hours to give us enough time to do more farm based activities like feeding the sheep and chickens, together with something a little creative in the classroom and then working with the horses. Our adult groups are best suited for people with a mild to moderate learning disability.

Safety for our clients, the horses and facilitators is paramount. We require all of our participants to have the capacity to follow instructions. As most of the sessions are held outdoors in a sand arena our group sessions may not be suitable for people with significant mobility or balance issues. Contact us to have a chat about your needs.

We generally undertake a one hour assessment for potential clients to establish individual needs and abilities to ensure an appropriate program is provided as well as providing an opportunity to a prospective client to experience some elements of EAL.

The total cost of a program depends on the number of weeks length of the program which can range from 4 weeks to ongoing. Groups are supported by two facilitators to ensure everyone's needs are met.

Adult sessions are $85 per hour per person depending upon the number of participants and the level of support required. A 2 hour group session will be $170 (plus GST). Adult sessions run weekly throughout the year. We generally close over the Easter and Christmas holidays but aim to offer at least 45 weekly sessions over the year.

The Saturday children's group is $85 per session. GST of 10% for eligible clients will also be applied. Sessions can be purchased in advance in blocks of 4 for $340 inclusive of GST. The timetable for the children's group generally follows the school term although we still run a reduced number of classes during the school holidays.

The assessment takes about an hour and is $120 (plus GST). If a written report is required (for all NDIS clients) there will be an additional charge of $60.

1:1 Program

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In the 1:1 program, the horse is both the teacher and student. The participant will learn how to effectively work with the horse and ask the horse for certain behaviours, building a strong connection.

The horse will react and give very clear and honest feedback to the participant. In each session, objectives
are established and as the participant achieves them, the facilitator will encourage discussions about the "hows and whys" and how they might be used in the participant's daily life.

This program is very intense, active and enjoyable. The length of a course, can be adjusted to the participant's needs. However our goal is generally for the participant to join a group where they can work with a partner and undertake a wider range of activities. Each session is approximately 1 hour long however, for some a half hour session may be more appropriate. New clients will undertake an initial assessment to ensure we have a good understanding of the individual goals and abilities to ensure an appropriate program is developed.

1:1 sessions are only offered on weekdays.

The 1:1 program is ideal for people seeking to develop mindful skills and strategies to communicate effectively, manage emotions and develop confidence.

This program is suitable for adults and children over 10 years of age and can be modified for participants with special needs. We undertake a one hour assessment for potential clients to establish individual needs and abilities to ensure an appropriate program is provided as well as providing an opportunity to a prospective client to experience some elements of EAL.

Whilst we try to be as inclusive as possible there are some clients that may not be suitable for EAL as ensuring client safety is our number one priority.

Corporate Workshops

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People experience real change and growth through awareness, relationships and by experience. Our workshops aim to help you identify, explore and expand your capacities together in the moment, in action with our expert team and leaders - our horse herd!

We suggest an initial discussion/meeting where we can understand your goals and expectations so that we can develop the most appropriate workshop program.

Workshops are run over a full or half day. They begin with an introduction to the herd and some safety information followed by multiple games , exercises, discussions and observations in the paddock and arenas.

Truly experiential learning opportunities for corporate teams or groups where you don’t just listen to a talk or role play exercises on high functioning teams and leadership development - you experience it.

Horses are non judgmental and with skilled facilitation can offer unique feedback to each individual, providing a safe space for clients to experiment with authentic contact, team connection and leadership development. Each workshop is tailored to meet the specific needs of your team such as:

Communication and interpersonal skills
Conflict resolution
Dealing with difference and change
Self awareness and awareness of others
Working efficiently and effectively together

The total cost of a course depends on the number of participants and the chosen program as it will be dependent upon the number of facilitators required and the length of the workshop.

An example may be a group of 4 to 6 participants for a full day workshop including lunch, morning and afternoon tea might be in the region of $4,000 (plus GST). This might include three facilitators and a small herd of ponies and horses over the day.

Family Groups

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Horses can be very effective teachers and working as a family in a positive and fun manner can help establish strong bonds.

We suggest an initial assessment where we meet with all of the family members and establish your goals and expectations so that we can develop the most appropriate program to meet your need

Families can choose to participate in either a 2 session course or 6 week course.

Option 1: 2 sessions with a short break between them, each 1 hour long.
Option 2: 6 sessions over 6 weeks, each 1 hour and 15 minutes long.

Family life can be hard! The family program enables families to work together to develop their communication skills and ability to trust and work cooperatively.

The family program can be challenging but fun. We require that all participants must be willing to participate in the program.

Chronic Disease Management Workshops

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A four session pilot program ran in June and July. A small group of adults with 2 facilitators combining art and Equine Assisted Learning this short course to develop the skills to live better with chronic disease/disability.

Activities focused on:

Managing pain
Emotional, physical and mental well being
Self esteem
Decision making
Goal setting

Participants actively engaged in the program and rated the program as excellent. They were very keen for the program to continue and for the program to have a longer duration of 8 to 10 weeks. Catalyst Living Skills has decided for the moment to put this program on hold as it requires substantial resource development and we are not sure if there if sufficient demand for the program.

In June and July 2023 we ran a four week program for adults living with a chronic disease. The group program was a two hour session that combined general discussion, education, art therapy and equine assisted learning for a group of 5 adults from 50 to 72 with a variety of physical and mental health issues.

Home: About Ruth

About Ruth

Owner and Lead Facilitator

At Catalyst Living Skills I have combined my educational experience with my horse knowledge and love of animals to create a unique and creative learning experience for both children and adults. Working with horses we work to create focus.build communication empathy and social skills

I have over 30 years’ teaching in the United Kingdom and then ACT, in schools, colleges, special education and alternative settings with extensive experience in designing programs for children and adults that meet their individual needs.

I am trained in Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) and have worked as a qualified riding instructor for more than 25 years. I have a small team of quiet and well-trained horses and ponies located on my small property in Googong.

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