"Viewpoint Centre has been amazing. X first came and attended the course in 2018.
Animals especially horses are their passion -
Katie is totally non judgmental and trust worthy.
The patience and calmness needed is astounding whilst demonstrating the natural horsemanship.
Depending on the student the course was offered either on 5 consecutive days or alternating.

The horse/ pony can’t shout/ be mean to you but provides feedback through their body language just as we do although with us it is often subconsciously.

So many times these children are bamboozled by words/ threats/ actions that they find difficult to comprehend or are simply hurtful.
Whilst a huge animal can show you their vulnerability and how they feel so much more comfortable with your decisive demeaner and strong leadership.
It is all about working TOGETHER not ordering/ controlling/ back mailing.

X finds talking about emotions, especially her own, very difficult, uncomfortable and demanding. One way around this was studying the horses body language eg are their ears pricked up, are they chewing/ licking, if their head down and relaxed etc mean we could addresd emotions from a horse perspective for a less direct approach eg “I wonder what Beau's ears would look like if she was in an unfamiliar environment” rather than “what do you feel when you are doing sone thing new”
This provides a pathway towards emotional regulation.

One of the mantras that X has taken from the course and actually said to people is “there is more than one way to do something” this allows her to feel empowered, work out alternative ways to find solutions. Instead of feeling judged and give up and shut down.

The energy breathing that is learnt has transposed into our everyday life with my husband and I modelling it too. X will be aware that she has to get her energy up and how animals feed off of this.

Recently when showjumping X declared she had to put her nerves aside and keep her energy up.

I never cease to be amazed how patient X is eg asking the horse to kick a yoga ball and persevere as a partnership working through the obstacle.

Lastly when X does Liberty with Beau it makes me cry … the link they have with each other, trust, working as one, the smile and enjoyment on X face is a feeling I want to bottle up then sprinkle out and reply on sone of those very difficult, dark, lonely days I can have.

What does viewpoint offer that others don’t … incredible support eg the restart programme and top up sessions.
Plus the parent session after the course which I found so useful … and something that both carers can come to and up pick situations.
So often we are fighting for our children to get help etc but rarely to we, as parents, receive it.

X is fortunate enough to volunteer one morning a week, caring, feeding, watering, and grooming etc the animals.
This as provided X almost with a peer mentor as well as a friend who she feels totally at ease with and can discuss situations that have happened to them and life experiences.
I can honestly say this is the highlight of X's week … we even have to plan out family holidays around the volunteering so that libby doesn’t miss it.

Quite simply it is X's sanctuary to learn and grow, feel understood and valued, build her self esteem and transpose the skills she has learnt from the horses into her every day life. X can feel nurtured and empowered in her very own “happy safe space”

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I am a mother of a teenage daughter with a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD encountering behavioural issues.
I had got to a point where I felt that I was losing my daughter to either a life of crime or hurt if not worse.   This may sound dramatic but that is how I felt.
When my daughter was recommended to The Horse Course and subsequently The Viewpoint Centre I did not hold out much hope. 
How wrong can you be.  It may have only been a week but I can truly say I was amazed at the progress made as were my daughter’s support team.
She had gone from a teenager not knowing how to deal with day to day issues and other situations in anything but a negative manner to the daughter I knew could be caring and capable.  Whereas previously her reactions would have been explosive in all aspects she is now able to utilise what she has learnt from Katie and her team to remain calm and think situations through.
I had the opportunity to partake in one of the sessions with my daughter which only reinforced my trust in the help that was being given.
Katie and her team are amazing and I have no hesitation in recommending them and the work they do.
If only more teachers and support workers would take a course with them then there would be a brighter future for a lot of young people.

They have given me back my daughter and I will be forever grateful."

 

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"Since going to Viewpoint, our daughter is far more aware of herself and her responses and now is starting to articulate what she needs and what she's feeling in a more constructive manner. She seems more self-reflective too and can identify her different emotional states with the different horses she's been with, both at Viewpoint and elsewhere.

We can't emphasise the importance of parents being with their child during the sessions enough. Not only did we have a unique insight into the therapy itself but were able to observe our daughter's behaviour with the horses, looking from the outside in. We also found ourselves learning how to read the horses' body language too! It was a special way to bond with our daughter so we could share in the experience after the sessions and understand what she was experiencing. You will miss the subtleties of your child's progress during the week and beyond, if you're not part of the therapy session.

Katie is amazing; professional, dedicated and passionate about her work. The changes don't happen overnight but they are life changing. We can't thank you enough, Katie!"

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"My 11 year old daughter suffers from high levels of anxiety where leaving the house for any reason creates a major challenge. She took part in the 5 day course with Katie and loved it despite her struggles to get there. Myself and my eldest daughter attended each session and were able to observe and also take part in some of the activities.

We also took part in the Non-Verbal course which was really interesting and very beneficial. We were both so happy that we were able to be part of the experience because the course itself is so unique that for a child to explain a session to you would be very hard. The course highlights the subtleties that we often use in communication, that can go unnoticed and the power of positive, clear intention to succeed in achieving and communicating clearly. This then boosts confidence and both self awareness and awareness of others.

My daughter has without doubt enjoyed every session and benefited very much from taking part. I would highly recommend this course". 

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"Just wanted to let you know K has turned her life around, since September she has achieved 99.1 % attendance, she has made a few friends and attends most lessons. I have a typical stroppy teen, but now I get to see her smile again and she comes out again, she still struggles with some situations but she has learnt to adapt and face her fears, I believe her experience at view point helped her understand what anxiety was and how the mental and physical symptoms effects her, she can now calm herself if she feels a panic coming on her favourite technique is a long walk. I still recommend viewpoint and I’m very grateful K had the chance to spend a week with yourselves."  

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"It was really fun.  I was anxious when I started but I soon found that I was more relaxed and calm. They were amazing people and they made me feel very welcome.  If I didn't understand something, they would show me and take time to help me understand it.  They never let me give up.  My horse was so patient as well and so friendly, which helped me to relax. I also made a good friend while I was there and it was just an amazing week."

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"L shared with me the photobook that her Mum made of her week and you could easily see that working in your setting suited her needs. The progress in the “star” chart that you gave us showed that in the right setting and with the right level and type of support, she can respond, interact and feel confident when learning something new. As a school we felt really pleased that we could give her the opportunity to have that experience, thank you.  Our educational psychologist was also impressed as this is a very different approach to the normal provision of support to match her needs."

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"I just want to thank you for working with K last week - she loved her course... She told me she understood how the horse training helps her stay calm. 

K has returned to school really well and is working on building up her time there. She is showing signs of being more confident and going out without overthinking as much as she was before the course.

My mum and myself enjoyed watching on Friday...seeing K working with Sox we could see how the horse course was helping K with her anxiety. Overall all the family have seen a big change in K and a much happier girl again."

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"It has really opened my eyes about working with animals. I spend the evening looking at courses that i can do at my local college working with animals"

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"it’s put a smile back on M's face and I’ve feel I’ve got my daughter back again" -  Mum of participant

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"I really really enjoyed it and it made me realise that my thoughts and actions affect others so I found my own way of calming myself when feeling anxious or angry or in a bad situation. So it has really helped and been enjoyable." 

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" I loved working with the horses. It was fun. I felt proud of myself. I would love to work more with horses. I was gently and friendly with the horses. I have learnt how to wait"

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“ The horse course was good, it helped me to understand and know animals better. It definitely helped me with my anxiety and breathing because the calmer you are then the calmer the horse is. You learn to control your breathing and control a situation. The horse is your anxiety and in understanding how to control the horse helps you understand how to control your anxiety. I definitely recommend it.”

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"Absolutely AMAZING.Viewpoint Centre is very welcoming and clean with stunning views. The way Katie works with the horses and my son - it’s so good and rewarding to see. Katie teaches him how to think for the horse and look for a better solution for the horse to overcome its anxieties and fear, that it’s possible to help overcome his anxieties and fear encouraging him into looking and thinking of other solutions to approach the situation with small adjustments.  He was like a Cheshire Cat with a smile from ear to ear. It made my day seeing him smiling like that.

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Viewpoint is a very special charity, excelling at providing a place where a young person can find a safe space in a beautiful calming environment to just be for a few hours. it gives them the time and space without any expectation or pressure, letting them have the opportunity to clear their minds of all the other stuff that may be going on within their lives and engage with the wonderful horses, ponies and other animals that do not judge them in any way .

Viewpoint really are offering a lifeline to young people and their families.
My daughter attended the restart course in August 2023 during a period of time where things were extremely difficult for her but no matter what was going on and whatever her mood was before arriving, it would change the minute we were driving down the road to Viewpoint, a comment made one day as we were entering Dormansland was "this is not Dormansland this is my dreamland "and for the few hours she was there, it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

What she gained from her experience was the chance to spend time within an environment where no one was judging her, lecturing her telling her what she should or should not be doing and with the guidance and support she was given she was able to make her own choices and learn that there were never any wrong choices as she was learning for herself that if something did not work as expected to try a different way and see what happened. It helped her to gain confidence, not give up and believe in herself and her ability to make decisions that could provide the positive outcome she wanted to achieve. For myself as a parent of a child in crisis at that time, it was the best week we had shared together in a very long time. It gave me hope and made me more determined than ever that we could not give up and accept this was how things were going to be for her and that we would do everything within our power to help her move forward in a way that could work for her and make her feel happier and more positive for her future again.

All the above is just some of what makes Viewpoint stand out from other interventions, in a time where there are more young people than ever needing help and support, they do whatever they are able to do to offer that to as many as they can. There is no sitting in a classroom being talked at, instead they are listened too, shown empathy patience, and understanding and guided to ‘Do The Right Thing ‘"

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