In the beginning . . .
Serving clients in the substance abuse/co-occurring field for nearly a decade provided a solid foundation for me to venture toward becoming a licensed mental health counselor. Full disclosure, I had no intention of going back to school at 50 years of age, yet I am grateful I did.
It all began while escorting clients from an addiction treatment center to equine assisted therapy. Upon meeting Dr. Giselle Faubel, president of Equulibrium®, I realized a major shift was happening in my life. At the time, I was not very fond of horses as past encounters with these animals were much less than pleasant. I remember her saying, “Don’t worry, you are one of us.”
By the time I met Dr. Faubel, I had been around the addiction world personally and professionally for close to 14 years and what I witnessed in an hour and half of time was amazing. High end addiction treatment in South Florida is one of the most difficult gigs I have experienced thus far, and these folks after spending time with the horses were talking, sharing, shifting, and engaging.
I was well versed in experiential therapies but had no clue what was happening with this herd of horses. When I want to get something done, I want to learn from the best and Dr. Faubel had been doing equine therapy for close to 20 years. Connecting with her was the momentum that swung the pendulum toward where I am now, and I am forever grateful. Clearly, I could go on and on about client and personal experiences with horses, but I invite you to stay tuned as I will continue to update this space with stories from the farm as well as the road.
My qualifications include:
- Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor
- Master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling
- Trained in eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) through EMDRIA
- Trained in clinical hypnosis with Rapid Resolution Therapy®
- Candidate, Certified Rapid Resolution Therapy® (RRT) Specialist
- Advanced training as a trauma-focused equine assisted psychotherapist and equine professional through Natural Lifemanship
- Dually certified as an equine specialist and equine assisted therapist through Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA)
- Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning through PATH International
