ADVANTAGE RANCH Center for Equine Interactive Concepts (CEIC)  is the home of an innovative way to utilize horses and rural life experiences to help kids.  We help with a new technology called Equine Interactive Counseling™.   The Equine Interactive Counseling™ method involves a teamwork approach using horses, parents, the community and CEIC certified coaches. This method builds skills in communication, observation, dedication. Children learn to set goals, work toward their goals, solve the problems that arise along the way, and evaluate their own progress. Through this process they authentically experience achievement and increased self worth.  This is how ADVANTAGE RANCH helps children turn their present reality into the dreams that become their future.

CHILDREN

 The unique component is how the team creates a horse based conduit to help children.  The horse is nature’s perfect partner for a child.  The body of the horse has natural physical linkages to that of the rider.  The mind of the horse has natural linkages to that of the child.  This is so important.  The horse can read the child, is sensitive to the child’s fears and feelings,  and is responsive to the child’s attitude and direction.  The horse is caring and observant of the child. When the child learns to be caring and observant of the horse, magic happens.  Our Equine Interactive Counseling™ Coaches are trained to bring this magic alive.

HORSES

 We designed these programs so that they will be available in your communities; you will not have to go far from home to get help for your child.  In order to staff the community based centers ADVANTAGE RANCH Center for Equine Interactive Concepts  offers a comprehensive Equine Interactive Counseling™ training program for adults.  This 120 hour training program can be completed in two weeks and qualifies as an internship or independent study at many colleges.  While this is a career enhancing opportunity for college students, our trainees come from many different backgrounds.  Some trainees are social workers, guidance counselors, and professional therapists; others come from the horse industry.  We are proudest of the trainees who are just ordinary parents with an extraordinary dedication to help children. Upon completion of our course, Coaches are CEIC certified to provide Equine Interactive Counseling™ services at the community level. 

COACHES

 Concurrent with the training program at ADVANTAGE RANCH we offer ongoing  Equine Interactive Counseling™ services for children residing on our campus.  We can start your child’s program with a two week or longer stay at the Ranch.  Follow-up service is then available locally.  Like the campus program, community based centers offer a wide variety of services that are customized to meet your child’s needs.

 Our support of the community based centers includes standardized business and program resources to help your coach provide you with the top quality service.  ADVANTAGE Resource furnishes books, tapes, planning guides, public relations activities and consulting services.  Use of these tools assures uniformity of Equine Interactive Counseling™ services from one community to another.  If you relocate, your child’s program will remain consistent.  These same materials are used at ADVANTAGE RANCH, where they have been developed and tested.

RESOURCE

 The ADVANTAGE RANCH Center for Equine Interactive Concepts research initiative is unique in the therapeutic riding industry.   As part of the certification process, our coaches use standardized measurement tools that help them track each child’s progress.  Use of standardized measurement tools yields results that are valid and reliable.   Every  CEIC Coach at the community level sends each child’s outcome data  to our central research office.  This has resulted in the only significant data base in the country for horses used as therapy.  Our research initiative enables parents to clearly see their child’s progress. The Equine Interactive Counseling™ data base provides valuable information for fund raising, grant writing, and promotion of community based centers.

RESEARCH

 Meeting the financial needs of ADVANTAGE RANCH and its students is accomplished through the establishment of an educational charity, ADVANTAGE Foundation, Inc.  Backed by an endowment fund, the Foundation will offer grants and scholarships for children, student loans for participants in the ADVANTAGE RANCH Center for Equine Interactive Concepts coaches training program, and start up funds for the community based centers.  Through ADVANTAGE Foundation, Inc., we can assure that no one will be denied Equine Interactive Counseling™ services because they cannot pay for them.  This benevolence policy is practiced at ADVANTAGE RANCH and encouraged at all community based centers.

FOUNDATION

 Our present location is in the scenic Blue Ridge mountains near Blacksburg, VA.   We operate a community based center that provides Equine Interactive Counseling™, training and consulting, and development services for new community based centers.  Our goal is to help open 120 new community based centers each year.  The ADVANTAGE RANCH vision is growing.   To meet our new goals we plan to relocate and develop a new campus with facilities to train and certify and the Coaches needed to staff these new community based centers.  During the next decade Equine Interactive Counseling centers can realistically expect to help improve the lives of nearly one million children.

Your monetary support can help us reach these important goals.  For more information on how you can help please contact ADVANTAGE Foundation, Inc. at 2182 Mt. Tabor Road, Blacksburg, Virginia  24060.

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