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Risewell Foundation Direct Therapeutic Services
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy (OT) is a therapeutic service that focuses on helping individuals achieve their desired daily activities by addressing sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive challenges. Occupational therapy utilizes everyday life tasks (occupations), as both the means (tools) and ends (goals) to therapy, OT promotes health, well-being, developmental gains, rehabilitation, and increased participation in important life activities. These activities can include self-care, family responsibilities, work, volunteering, education, role responsibilities (mother, friend, etc) and leisure pursuits to name just a few.
In essence, Occupational Therapy allows you in engaging with meaningful activities, making them more productive and sustainable while reducing support needs. Most patient populations can benefit from OT services, from neurodivergent children facing developmental challenges to adults seeking improved motor control, endurance and emotional regulation, improving occupational performance is essential to everyday life.
Dr. Courtney McIntyre, OTD, OTR/L specializes in occupational therapy services that enhance sensory processing, executive function, sensory motor skills, and emotional regulation. Dr. McIntyre is an AHCB Certified Therapist and provides evidence-based practices include the use equine movement as a treatment tool, Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI), development/relationship-based therapies, sensory based feeding, and strengths-based learning strategies. Dr. McIntyre’s focus extends to neuro and identity-affirming care, allowing each individual to explore their authentic self. She provides caregiver and community support and training to validate and reinforce these ideals in everyday life.
Why Use EQuine Movement
Multidimensional Mass Practice
Multidimensional Mass Practice
Multidimensional Mass Practice
An average horse takes approximately 100 steps per minute, providing clients with repetitive, rhythmic, and variable input through multidimensional movement on a dynamic base of support. During a single session, clients experience up to 3,000 typical movement patterns that can enhance their daily life function.
As the horse changes tempo o
An average horse takes approximately 100 steps per minute, providing clients with repetitive, rhythmic, and variable input through multidimensional movement on a dynamic base of support. During a single session, clients experience up to 3,000 typical movement patterns that can enhance their daily life function.
As the horse changes tempo or moves through geometric figures, clients must adjust their posture to maintain balance. This adjustment leads to increased core stabilization, postural control, protective reflexes, endurance, weight-bearing, and motor planning. Additionally, the horse’s movement provides sensory input to vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, and visual systems, facilitating changes in sensory integration and attentional skills.
Rhythmic Sensory Rich
Multidimensional Mass Practice
Multidimensional Mass Practice
Astride a horse in a forward-facing position the pelvis moves in a multi-dimensional pattern and rhythm similar to typical walking. Additionally, clients can be placed in various other positions, such as hands-and-knees, backwards, sideways, or lying prone or supine over the barrel of the horse. Each position targets different cognitive a
Astride a horse in a forward-facing position the pelvis moves in a multi-dimensional pattern and rhythm similar to typical walking. Additionally, clients can be placed in various other positions, such as hands-and-knees, backwards, sideways, or lying prone or supine over the barrel of the horse. Each position targets different cognitive and physical systems to achieve specific therapeutic goals. The unparalleled ability to adjust the amplitude and quality of a horse’s rhythmic stride while delivering purposeful, dynamic, and sensory-rich therapeutic engagement makes the use of equine movement a highly effective tool for therapeutic change.
Health Care
Multidimensional Mass Practice
Health Care
Healthcare services incorporating horses are highly regulated. The use of equine movement in occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech language pathology treatment is well supported within the research and falls within evidenced based practice.
Occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy incorporating equine movemen
Healthcare services incorporating horses are highly regulated. The use of equine movement in occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech language pathology treatment is well supported within the research and falls within evidenced based practice.
Occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy incorporating equine movement is a medical treatment and may be billed to third parties for reimbursement. Therapy is commonly covered within health insurance plans.
A small number of private insurers have exclusion policies related to the inclusion of animals or hippotherapy within treatment.
Risewell Foundation will be taking insurance and is in the process of credentialing with many insurance panels. Want to request we look into taking your insurance? Send us a message: