My vision was to create a therapeutic clinic that feels like a home, a place you can kick up your feet, relax, and feel safe.
I am a practical therapist who is able to adapt to the needs of individuals and families to support them in their journey to discovering peace of mind.
My training in a variety of evidence-based therapies, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), and play therapies allow me to be flexible in meeting your needs whether you are a child, teen, or adult.
Equine-Assisted Therapy
Equine Assisted Group and Individual Therapy is offered in collaboration with EAGALA certified staff at Symatree Farm. We have a fabulous team dedicated to helping children, adolescents, and adults reach their goals.
Individual therapy sessions include ground exercises and interactions with horses (no riding). Each session focuses on the unique and specific needs of the individual, leading to a powerful and special experience.
This is not your ordinary stress reduction or mindfulness group. Our Hoof the Stress group focuses on strategies for managing stress in our daily lives, with an experiential twist. Sessions will include opportunities to learn and practice a variety of strategies including the practice of mindfulness and living more fully in the present. Sessions include individual and group activities with the addition of horses as extended group members. Sometimes group members will work together to achieve a common goal and other times they will enjoy individual experiences with horses. We will reach outside of ourselves to communicate and connect with horses, group members, and enjoy a restored sense of belonging, purpose, resiliency, safety, community, and acceptance of self and others. As herd animals, horses are experts in life skills and working with them leads us to a deeper understanding of ourselves. Join us at Symatree Farm with approximately 20 rescued horse friends in a quiet, country setting to increase your peace of mind.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is a powerful, holistic and effective approach to healing, where horses are an integral part of the therapy team. As herd animals, horses are experts in the art of life skills, and working with them leads us to a deeper understanding of ourselves. As prey animals, horses are very sensitive to non-verbal cues so they provide us with immediate feedback, mirroring our experience, feelings, and behaviours.
Through activities and interactions with the horses, clients become more aware of what’s going on inside themselves – they begin to see the self-limiting or unhealthy patterns that can block success. With this enhanced self-awareness, the door is open for clearer processing of feelings, behaviour, and relationship issues. Through working with the horses we learn what is going on within ourselves. It is amazing what can happen when you connect with a horse!
Equine work is often used as an adjunct therapy for people who have experienced trauma (including PTSD), substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, relationship and communication problems, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Symatree Farm also offers Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) programs, which focus on educational and life skills goals.
Kathy is an Advanced Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) facilitator and the Program Director for Symatree Farm.
A lifelong respect for horses, combined with a strong belief in the value of experiential learning and an intense desire to help others, naturally led her to Equine Assisted Learning.
Whether she's facilitating a session, tending the herd, working on curriculum design, greasing farm machinery, or swinging a hammer, it all comes together in fulfilling her dream... bringing horses and people together.
Barb is EAGALA certified, endlessly motivated and always cheerful! Her energy, enthusiasm and heart are unparalleled... she's famous for talking about "long term plans", and then making those "long term plans" come together within weeks!
As an equine expert in the Peace of Mind Therapy and Consultation and Symatree Farm's Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program, Barb's patience and gentle observations are key in helping design exercises specific to the needs of our clients.