“The True Self is not our creation, but God’s. It is the self we are in our depths. It is our capacity for divinity and transcendence.”
–  Sue Monk Kidd

Who Can Benefit from
Equine-Assisted Mental Health Services?
(Also Referred to as Equine Therapy or Horse Therapy)

At this time we are not offering equine-assisted mental health services with licensed professionals.  Please read how these services are beneficial and contact Kelly for local referrals.

Sometimes it is necessary for adults, teens and/or children to seek help with mental health.  This service is also referred to as “Therapy” or “Counseling” and is defined as “the treatment of mental or psychological disorders by psychological means”.

How does it work? Licensed mental health professionals (LPC, LMSW, PhD) partner with trained and certified equine professionals to provide services to clients who are dealing with the symptoms of past traumas that often include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, attachment disorders, insomnia, panic attacks and relationship struggles. Traumas can include medical procedures or diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, car accident, relational abuse, childhood neglect,  maternal stress in the womb, war, divorce and more.

What We Offer

The fully licensed mental health professionals offer equine, art and nature therapy. This is “real” therapy that is experiential, meaning that our clients actually experience sensations waking up inside the body that indicate safety and healing.  We do all of our work in a natural quiet private setting that provides the opportunity for human brains to regulate and begin to heal. Activities taking place during therapy sessions are specifically targeted to therapeutic goals which are set during intake sessions and are re-evaluated throughout the process.  Often our therapy teams work in tandem with Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals.

The process of healing is facilitated by working with horses, primarily on the ground in a variety of settings, in order to reconnect via safe authentic relationship with ourselves and others.  This modality causes new neuro-pathways to form in the brain; this is not a band aid. The brain learns that it is safe and can release the fight/flight/freeze/appease triggered responses that often cause the symptoms listed above.

 

What is Trauma-Informed?

Every certified equine professional is trauma-informed through training with the Natural Lifemanship Institute.  All have years of experience supporting clients and know the efficacy of working with horses and art in nature.

“Trauma-informed care is a neurosequential model of therapeutics that aligns therapeutic activities with stages of brain development in an attempt to facilitate healthy reorganization of neurological pathways under the assumption that such reorganization of earlier stages of brain development will ultimately benefit higher-level cognitive functioning.”- Natural Lifemanship Institute

We work with both adults and children to help heal from the symptoms of past trauma.

“This modality is an innovative trauma-specific intervention. It is a specialized and highly effective mental health treatment model for individuals and families impacted by complex trauma.” – Natural Lifemanship.

This modality has gained national attention due to its efficacy in healing – with scientific data to support the effect it has on the brain.​

Additional resources: Trauma and Healing