Counseling Services at Reins of Life

Reins of Life offers a treatment modality called Equine Assisted Psychotherapy which is an experiential form of therapy where horses are involved in the sessions.  “Experiential” means that you will be involved in hands-on experiences with the horses designed to reflect things going on in your life.  The process is not always about interacting with the treatment team, although that will happen at times, but is about providing you the opportunity to experience, explore, problem-solve, discover, be creative, gain insight and experience practical applications of what you are learning in the moment.  The process is about “doing” along with the “talking.”

Why Horses?

There are several reasons we choose to use horses in this work, but primarily it is due to their nature as a social and prey animal. Because of their nature, they have an extraordinary ability to read our nonverbal communication – our body language – and pick up on messages we are sending which we are not always conscious we are doing.  With this, they start responding to us in familiar ways, reminding us of other people and things in our life.  It is through this that horses become metaphors (symbols) providing us the opportunity to work on ourselves in relation to those aspects of our lives.

Horses do not know our past, education, gender, race or other labels we may apply to ourselves and each other.  They are in the moment and can be a part of this relationship without the biases we humans put on each other. This provides even more value in the insight they can provide us about ourselves.

Learn More about Equine Assisted Psychotherapy in Northeast Georgia

 Interested in pursuing Equine Assisted Psychotherapy? Contact Us to get in touch.

A word about our counseling team:

Dawn Jameson

Dawn Jameson is a 2001 graduate of the University of North Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and is currently pursuing her equine assisted psychotherapy certification through Reins Of Life. Dawn has a long background working with individuals suffering from trauma such as domestic violence, rape, substance abuse, suicidal ideations and more. She works with all genders, ages and learning levels but has a specialty for teenagers and young adults. From her diverse corporate experience, Dawn brings to the table a unique equine-focused approach to team development, mentoring and leadership. Dawn’s love of horses and interest in nontraditional therapies allows her to reach multiple clients and  groups through EAP. 

Cheryl Harris

Cheryl Harris, along with her husband Steve, were foster and contract parents for the State of Georgia for fifteen years, serving mostly teenage girls in their homes. As a result of this intensive work, Cheryl saw first-hand the shortage of quality intervention programs in this rural area. Reins of Life was born out of Cheryl's dream of combining her love for horses and her love for serving children into a program that would benefit both. Cheryl is a certified equine facilitator in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and received training from O.K. Corral.

Kayla Lawton

Kayla Lawton is a master-certified horse trainer under Ken McNabb, a nationally known natural horsemanship trainer. She has passed the Fundamentals of Natural Lifemanship certification, and specialized training in using horses in trauma-informed care. Kayla has grown up around, volunteered, interned, and worked at Reins of Life. She started volunteering in 2012 and has been involved in one way or another with the program ever since. She firmly believes horses can play a huge role in the helping and healing of those in need of mental health services and she has seen it help not only herself but countless other people, which solidifies that belief. Kayla co-facilitates mental health counseling services.