Catalyst Living Skills

A unique approach to reach your full potential

Programs for adults and children

Catalyst Living Skills offers counselling 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 creative activities.

Horses are great teachers

Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) has been shown to teach people about themselves and their interaction with others around them. Through EAT 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 EAT, horses are a “barometer”. They react to your' emotional responses, whether they are calm, confused, frustrated, or excited. A horse's reactions provide an EAT facilitator with insights that can help them guide and assist the journey of building foundational life skills.

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Home: About 1

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 Therapy 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 offer therapy to develop the life skills needed to function effectively in society, building on our individual strengths, finding our own solutions, being mindful, regulating our emotions and working 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 programs

Our small group programs offer a combination of equine assisted therapy 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.

Group sessions for both adults and children are run during the NSW school term times mainly after 4pm and at the weekend.

We offer a variety of group programs for people looking to build skills and to generally have fun. Our groups are small with a facilitator working with no more than three clients at a time which means you are always busy and included.

We run after school and Saturday groups for children over 8 years old. 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 75 minutes..

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 and opportunity to try out EAT 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 EAT.

The total cost of a program depends on the number of weeks length of the program which can range from 6 weeks to ongoing. Groups are supported by two facilitators to ensure everyone's needs are met.

Group sessions are $60 per hour per person depending upon the number of participants and the level of support required. GST of 10% for eligible clients will also be applied. Each session costs $75 plus GST. Sessions are purchased in advance by the term. Afterpay is available.

The initial assessment and try out of EAT costs $75 plus GST.

One to one programs

Home: 1:1 Program

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.

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 EAT as ensuring client safety is our number one priority.

Catalyst Living Skills

Catalyst Living Skills

Programs for adults and children

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Horses are great teachers

What's a life skill?

What we do

Group programs

One to one programs