Equine Gestalt Sessions - What Is It?
If we all knew that we held exactly what we need within us to find our own perfect answers, what potential would be unlocked?
The Equine Gestalt Method believes that through experiential opportunities within a counseling environment we can begin to open to our own truths and see ourselves as we are meant to be. Gestalt also finds strength in an experiential process where individuals can feel their way through their process. By combining Gestalt with my background in social work and counseling I have found a beautiful balance.
I continue to learn and grow daily and have also studied in the fields of Imago Relationship Therapy and Natural Lifemanship. Each brings new depth to my practice in areas of trauma, individual growth and relational growth.
As I meet with clients we find a path together that feels comfortable and on target for their specific goals. Our sessions can include phone calls and farm visits.
You do not have to have any experience with horses and we always move at the pace that feels right to you. The sessions can take place in a pasture, in the arena, in a round pen or out in a big open field.
It is in the middle of nature with creatures that are highly in tune to our energy, where we begin to see with clarity and dance with the possibility of being fully ourselves.
Horses are prey animals and therefore have a heightened sensitivity to the environment for their survival. Their innate ability to sense others' energies gives them the beautiful gift of reflecting our personal strengths and struggles. Insights through the joint work of a practitioner and a horse can be revealing and life changing.
Equine Gestalt Practitioner
Melisa Pearce, developed the Equine Gestalt Counseling Method. The experiential nature of the method involves the horse as an active partner with the practitioner in the client exploratory process. The integrative approach of the equine's interaction combined with positive counseling, somatic awareness guidance and Gestalt methodology, assists the client in examining their life and choices made with the focus on designing a positive future.
Touched By A Horse Website
Natural Lifemenship Student
Natural Lifemanship teaches the science and art of connection. Quite simply, we believe that 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. Science teaches us that this is so, and why this is so. What science is unable to teach is how connection feels in the body; how a connected and attuned relationship feels different than a disconnected, non-attuned relationship. Having a science-based understanding of the importance of connection is not the same thing as being able to cultivate relationships that are deeply connected. This is in many ways an art. It is something learned through experience.
Natural Lifemanship Website
Imago Relationship Training Student
Developed by Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt in 1980, Imago Relationship Therapy is a form of relationship and couples 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 so they can move toward a more “Conscious Relationship.”
Imago Website
Education
- Bachelors In Social Work
- Masters in Counseling
- Equine Acupressure course work at Tall Grass Acupressure Institute
- Equine Gestalt Counseling Certification
- Studied under Mehtab in Austin Texas to learn gong techniques and use of sound in a therapeutic session
Horse Experience
- 26 years riding experience
- Various Natural Horsemanship training workshops and clinics
- Investigator for the Hooved Animal Humane Society
Work History
- Social Worker at Jennings Teen Group Home
- Department of Children and Family Services case worker, foster home licensing representative and investigator of abuse and neglect
- Wheeling Police Department Social Worker Intern
- Omni Youth Services in home counselor
I am forever grateful to Linda for her exquisite skills to guide, support and encourage. My spirit has been restored! In heartfelt appreciation. ~ Irma
