I was a highly sensitive, somewhat shy child. I often felt a little lost and overwhelmed. Animals always gave me a sense of balance. My childhood was filled with feeding orphaned animals from eye droppers and helping those no longer healthy enough to stay on this planet to peacefully pass to the other side. I believed I could feel the pain of an injured spider, or the sadness of a baby separated from its mother. These feelings were not limited to animals and bugs. The sight of a child sitting alone at a lunch table was enough to send me home sick from school.
I had to find my way through the wobbly maze of loving animals and humans for who they were rather than my vision of what they should be. Along the way I found my voice and built fair and honest boundaries while keeping kindness intact. A mare of mine was particularly helpful in teaching me these lessons and it was through this process that I began to see where my life was headed. I had an uncertain vision that gained strength as I found my partners in Soulful Prairies and the horses.
The property presented itself at a time in my life when the demands of my twenty-five-year-long career as a mom were becoming less time-consuming. I marched passionately towards another of my life's callings. There is a creative love affair that this land and I have, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I have been given to blend my energies with the legacy this piece of the earth possesses. As I worked diligently to unveil the offerings of Soulful Prairies, she confidently pushed me towards the necessarily uncomfortable unknowns that brought me to a place of trusting my gifts.
If we take note, rise to the occasion, and see our vulnerabilities for what they are, we create a deep richness that will cascade into the corners of our lives. A richness that brings peace, not only peace within, but also one that ripples out and changes everything.
If you are interested in working with me in making these changes, learn more about my Equine Gestalt practice here or book a session.
Education:
Bachelor's Degree in Social Work
Master's Degree in Counseling
Double Certified Master Equine Gestalt Practitioner ~ Four Year Program
Natural Lifemanship Training
Therapeutic Gong and Sound Techniques Training
Horse Experience:
Over 30 years of riding experience
Natural Horsemanship Training and Clinics
Hooved Animal Humane Society Investigator
Work History:
Jennings Teen Group Home Social Worker
Department of Children and Family Services
Caseworker ~ Licensing Representative ~ Investigator
Wheeling Police Department Social Worker Intern
Omni Youth Services in-home counselor
Served on the Board of Directors:
Hope Through Horses, 2017-Present
World Citizen, 2020-2022
The experiential nature of the method, developed by Melisa Pearce, involves the horse as an active partner with the practitioner in the client's exploratory process. The integrative approach to the equine's interaction combined somatic awareness guidance and Gestalt methodology, assists the client in examining their life and choices made with the focus on designing a positive future.
Natural Lifemanship teaches the science and art of connection. This model is based on the belief that an attuned, connected relationship with self and with others is the key to healthy development, mental health, and well-being. It is also the vehicle of change when it comes to healing the psychological and relational wounds of trauma.
Developed by Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt in 1980, Imago Relationship Therapy is a form of relationship and couple's therapy that focuses on relational counseling to transform any conflict between couples into opportunities for healing and growth. Through Imago Relationship Therapy, couples can learn to understand each other’s feelings and “childhood wounds” more empathically, allowing them to heal themselves and their relationships.
4706 Alden Rd | Woodstock IL 60098
