STEPS With Horses is an equine-assisted mental health services organization exclusively focused on providing mental health services. We have a strong team of counselors and equine specialists who strives to create a safe and therapeutic environment for you to grow and heal.
We are proud to offer a variety of services to meet former and current service members' individual needs, as well the needs of their family members.
Services through which service members can become involved:
- Equine-assisted psychotherapy and counseling (clinical professional counseling services that incorporate equine interaction provided by mental health professionals working with equine professionals)
- Therapeutic horsemanship (non-clinical services focused on horsemanship and riding provided by certified equine professionals).
Based on availability, military veterans and dependents may qualify for FREE services!
Why STEPS?
STEPS specializes in serving military veterans and service members as well as their family members. STEPS also focuses on serving at-risk youth and others in the community with mental health needs. We work with clients starting at age four and address a wide variety of mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression and mood disorders, trauma and posttraumatic stress, grief, relationship problems, attention-related problems and ADHD, anger issues, and social skills. We utilize evidence-informed counseling approaches, relational equine-partnered counseling, and equine-partnered play therapy. Both approaches emphasize the importance of a mutually beneficial relationship between the clients and the equines. Equines are regarded as sentient beings free to determine the nature of their participation in the sessions. The relational focus is also emphasized in the non-clinical services such as therapeutic horsemanship in which clients learn to attend to not only their experience but also the equine's experience. STEPS staff utilize the equines' responses to the client to help clients gain increased self-awareness, empathy, and insight to help them meet their personal goals and improve their quality of life. The relationship that you will form with the horse(s) is a crucial component of the counseling process.
All services, both clinical and non-clinical, are coordinated by licensed mental health professionals. This structure ensures that all clients are appropriately evaluated and placed in mental health services to best meet their needs. Clients who elect to participate in STEPS non-clinical therapeutic horsemanship services after completing counseling have the opportunity to maintain progress in a therapeutic environment by strengthening their horsemanship skills. Unlike other counseling programs, these clients can access ongoing post-counseling support and continue to meet with their counselor for check-ins, minimizing the client’s risk of relapse or regression through early detection and ongoing support. Furthermore, STEPS non-clinical staff regularly consult with STEPS clinical staff to address any mental health concerns that may arise during therapeutic horsemanship activities. We call this approach the Spectrum of Therapeutic Equine-Partnered Services (STEPS) Model.
