Bring Joy to the World this Season with Connected Growth & Wellness
Join the winter fun by sponsoring our participants, lesson and therapy horses, or our newest providers finishing their certification!
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Support our Training Program for Therapists, Educators, Instructors and Equine Specialists
There is such a demand for equine facilitated mental health services and education in Michigan, and throughout the United States! We are honored to be a part of the solution by our commitment to train at least ten new therapists and educators every year at our Midwest location to help grow availability of quality, credentialed services. Typically about half of our training class needs partial or full sponsorship to complete their PATH Intl coursework and credentials, and donors like you help create a ripple effect with your contribution to their education.
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Support our Workshops and Discovery Days that Help Bring Healing to Many
Fitz, AKA Fitzy Claus above, loves nothing more than to do Meet & Greets with adults and kids who want a chance to connect with a horse. From making dreams come true in a Make-a-Wish fashion, to hosting healing Discovery events and workshops in collaboration the Arabian Horse Association and first time lessons for the Keystone Initiative, his love for humans knows no end. Fitz and Decko have both been part of recovery programs for students impacted by school shootings and have completed trauma-informed training for therapy horses.
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Provide Access to Life-Changing Mental Health Opportunities for Those Who Need Them
We are so fortunate to have access to incredible lesson and therapy horses like Cooper in a warm, safe barn and positive environment. These horses help provide mental health sessions using PATH Intl’s Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy model, and bring healing, hope and help to those experiencing a variety of conditions. Most frequently, our program works with issues such as Anxiety, Depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder, OCD, Chronic Illness, Disordered Eating, Grief and Loss, PTSD, ADHD and Adjustment Disorders.
How do horse-assisted mental health services work, and why do they matter?
Kids, adults and families need opportunities to heal from a variety of events, experiences and traumas. We offer sessions for all ages, with licensed providers, in a non-intimidating environment with innovative treatment modalities and the non-threatening presence of horses, who are prey animals and show incredible authenticity and mirroring. While these sessions are not inexpensive to set up and hold (with our instructors and providers sometimes contributing horses or equipment themselves to help lower cost for participants), the value they bring is unquestionable - once someone sees how quickly healing comes and how well it lasts, they tend to be sold on this model for life. We are so grateful to be able to offer it in Mid-Michigan and train new educators and clinicians around the world through PATH International’s curriculum!
Horses of Hope Want to honor a special horse in your life?
Take a minute to write an introduction to a horse (or any pet for that matter) that tells their story if you’d like it featured on our social media pages. We will be featuring up to 20 horses this holiday season as a way to say thank you for the generosity of donors in helping us expand our healing work.