Culturally Competent
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
PBJ Connections, Inc.
 Founded in Central Ohio in 2006
 Two locations
 Serving Deaf/HOH clients for three years
 Provide individual, family group EAP to
youth/families
 Focus on behavioral and mental health issues
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Deafness as a Disability
 Audiology
 Etiology
 Prevalence
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Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
Etiology
 Malformations
 Genetic determinants
 Waardenburg Syndrome
 Usher’s Syndrome
 Birth trauma/prematurity
 Illness
 Rubella
 Meningitis
 Infections
 Aging
 Exposure or physical trauma
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Prevalence of Hearing Loss
Percentage of Hearing Impairment in General
Population
90
80
82
70
70
60
50
53
47
40
Hearing Impairment
30
30
20
10
Hearing
18
0
Adults 45-64
Adults 65-74
Adults 75+
Compiled by the National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD). June 2010
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Prevalence of Hearing Loss - Continued
Compiled by the National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD). June 2010
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
Prevalence of Hearing Loss - Continued
Compiled by the National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD). June 2010
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
Deaf Culture Quiz (True/False)
 American Sign Language is “iconic” or picture-like.
 ASL is used around the world.
 Many Deaf parents use spoken English with their
children
 Most Deaf persons read at a 4th grade equivalency
level.
 Only people with hearing loss can be members of the
Deaf Community.
 Lip-reading comes easily to Deaf people.
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
 Add picture
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Deafness as a Cultural Minority
 A minority is a sociological group that is subnormal
with respect to a dominant group in terms of social
status, education, employment, wealth and political
power.
 The Deaf community is often regarded as a linguistic
and cultural minority rather than a disabled group,
and many Deaf people do not see themselves as
disabled at all. Rather, they are disadvantaged by
technologies and social institutions that are designed
to cater for the dominant group.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_group
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Aspects of Deaf Culture
 Language
 (ASL/English sample)
 Values & Beliefs
 Collective not individualistic (other cultures)
 Behavioral Norms
 (attention getting, leave taking, “blunt”)
 Literary traditions and arts
 History
 Shared institutions
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
Audism
 Institutionalized oppression - Subtle long-term conditioning of the






public to view the minority group members as less than; the
marginalization is normalized and accepted by the public.
Ambivalence - Mixed negative feelings about oneself based on
society’s view of being deficit.
Fatalism or passivity - Passively taking whatever happens, feeling
that you can do nothing to change things.
Horizontal violence - Frustration at the disenfranchisement resulting
in violence and hostility that members of an oppressed group take out
on one another.
Benefactors are perfect - Mistaking privilege for perfection.
Emotional dependence on the oppressor - Feeling powerless and
believing only members of the majority group can change things.
Fear of freedom - Wanting but simultaneously fearing equality and
empowerment.
From: So You Want to Be An Interpreter ,3 Edition
rd
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Potential Treatment Benefits
 Parentified Child (Parent/Child role reversal)
 Empowerment
 Language/communication
 Behavioral management
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Clinical Aspects
 Theoretical approach
 Pre-treatment issues
 Length of treatment
 Cultural competence of treatment team
 Systemic buy-in
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Systemic Epistemology
Cultural/Political
Professional
Informal Network
Family
Psychological
Biological
From Harvey, 1989
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Service Delivery
 Language variables with Deaf/HOH clients
 Interpreting variables
 Environmental variables
 Equine Variables
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What we’ve learned…
 Interpreting has its limitations
 “Buy-in” by vested interests is crucial
 Pre-treatment needs to be considered
 Impact of Team’s non-verbal/facial expressions on Deaf clients
 Motivation is conditional
 Repetition is not redundant
 Equine language has imitations
 Culturally competent staff is necessary
 Modifications we have made
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Future plans for PBJ Connections
Deaf Services
 After school groups with Deaf/HOH clients
 School-based groups with Deaf/HOH clients
 Addition of Deaf clinician to staff
 Seeking to add Deaf equine specialist to staff
 Addition of pre-treatment sessions for Deaf/HOH
clients
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
Resources
 ADA Information Services
http://www.ada.gov
 Gallaudet Research Institute
http://wwwgri.gallaudet.edu
 National Association of the Deaf
http://nad.org
 Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
http://www.rid.org
CopyrBght PBJ Connections - 2011
Additional Resources
 Michael A. Harvey, Psychotherapy with Deaf and
Hard of Hearing Persons: A Systemic Model
 Neil Glickman, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for
Deaf and Hearing Persons with Language and
Learning Challenges
 Elizabeth Bruce & Cynthia Shultz, Non-Finite
Grief and Loss: A Psychoeducational Approach
 Janice Humphrey & Bob Alcorn, So You Want To
Be An Interpreter? (3rd Edition)
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011
Contact Information
 Holly Jedlicka, MSW, LISW
 http://www.pbjconnections.org
 (614) 395-1395
 holly@pbjconnections.org
 Karen T. Tinsley, MA, CI, NCC, LPC-CR
 (614) 353-1567
 karen@pbjconnections.org
Copyright PBJ Connections - 2011