Her office is not your typical 12’ x 12’ therapy space, which is exactly why clients have chosen to work with Rachael Schneider. For many people who struggle to trust, traditional in-office counseling sessions (talk therapy) can be stressful and often provoke feelings of anxiety, thereby defeating the very purpose of therapy.
Rachael has joined the rapidly expanding Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program at Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center to help children, teens and adults in Central Oregon access counseling services that can make a very real difference.
Because Rachael’s office is a big, beautiful barn on a 20-acre facility, she welcomes her clients to the barn wearing jeans, boots and an open smile. After a brief facility tour and staff orientation, it’s right to work with the horses.
Rachael has a masters in social work and is a licensed clinical social worker and has been practicing as a licensed mental health provider for fourteen years. She joins fellow therapists practicing at Healing Reins, Anna Thedford (MA, LPC), Cherie Skillings (MS, LPC) and counseling intern, Lisa Bradley (MA, R-DMT) to work with individuals struggling to overcome anxiety, depression, substance dependency, attention deficit disorders, eating disorders, grief and loss, marital dysfunction and more.
Using animals as therapy partners is not a new idea. In fact, it was psychoanalysis pioneer Sigmund Freud who first suggested that having animals present in treatment sessions helped calm the client to achieve better and more immediate results. Nationwide, the power of the horse is being harnessed to provide in-the-moment, hands-on learning that provides instant feedback and emotional relief to enhance mental health outcomes for people of all ages.
What makes mental health services delivered at Healing Reins stand out is that the Center is able to provide therapists and their clients everything necessary for a professional and safe counseling session – all under one roof. It was in direct response to increased referrals from county mental health agencies seeking services to benefit their clients that Healing Reins launched this program in 2015.
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy sessions involve grooming, leading, and round-pen work designed to build trust between the client and the horse. Sessions do not involve riding. It is the hands-on learning and the bond developed through carefully guided activities that allows the client to communicate their needs, face their fears and resolve issues through the language of shared experience.
Healing Reins is a nationally accredited PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) Premier Center – the only organization of its kind in all of Central Oregon. Therapists working at Healing Reins are supported by knowledgeable, extensively trained staff certified to help facilitate counseling experiences, specially selected and trained horses, and clean and confidential learning spaces so that their only job is to focus on the needs of the client.
“I have been using equine therapy as a core component of my practice for the past eleven years,” explains Rachael. “Horses are one of the most powerful therapeutic facilitators because their ability to resonate, reflect and connect with human emotion is obvious and profound. Equine therapy allows my clients to tap into the subtle and unconscious barriers that may be preventing them from moving forward. Equine therapy helps them to open up and develop real-world coping skills. I have chosen to practice at Healing Reins because they give me the support I need in order to do my best work as a therapist.”
Healing Reins relies on community support to keep program prices affordable and to continue serving the more than 1,400 families each year. Sixty-five percent of children, teens and adults who are referred to Healing Reins for health services are low income and rely on free or reduced rates in order to access these essential health services.
Diamonds & Dust will be held on Saturday, September 10 and is the most important fundraiser of the year for Healing Reins – please consider attending it, not only for the great food& drinks, live music, fantastic auction items and experiences in the uniquely fun atmosphere, but to help Healing Reins continue providing its life-changing services to our community.
For more information on Diamonds & Dust, please visit diamondsanddust.org. For information about Healing Reins’ programs and services, please visit healingreins.org or contact Program Director Polly Cohen at pollyc@healingreins.org or call 541-382-9410.
