Yawardani Jan-ga (Horses helping in Yawuru language): Using equine-assisted learning to improve the social and emotion wellbeing of Aboriginal young people and prevent suicide

Yawardani Jan-ga is an equine-assisted experiential learning program delivered weekly by a trained Aboriginal EAL Practitioners utilizing horses as facilitators to assist Aboriginal young people to develop life-transferable skills such as self-awareness, healthy boundaries, self-regulation, persistence and improved social and emotional wellbeing. A standard dose will be a curriculum of 10 sessions of 45 minutes to 1 hour delivered one-on-one at the field site, with the final two sessions being delivered in pairs or small groups. It is intended that sessions be delivered weekly. However, the intervention will be personalised. For each session, activities within the curriculum are selected depending on the emotional state and preference of the young person on the day. Depending on how quickly the young person acquire each skill, they may need to repeat sessions before they progress to the next and, therefore, require more (or less) than the expected standard 10 sessions. A young person may re-join the research at any time after they have graduated if they feel the need for another dose, provided there is the capacity to accommodate them. Voice-recordings, videos, and photos of participant's progress are taken during sessions and kept in a clinical file. Attendance and progress through the curriculum is monitored weekly to track progress of young people as they move through the program. Aboriginal EAL Practitioners have receive a minimum of 3 x 1-week blocks of training in EAL by a recognized Equine Psychotherapy Training provider co-facilitated by an Aboriginal Equine Psychotherapist with more than 8 years experience. As part of their ongoing continuing professional development, practitioners will be required to engage in discussion about issues arising in their sessions with PI Coffin.