A Perspective of an Intern
Welcome to Freckles Farm! Whether a client decides to work with one of the minis or a full-grown horse in an equine therapy session, the goal is the same: to recognize emotional and physiological responses in the relationship with the horse. This allows the client to become more self-aware of their own emotional states and how that relates to bonds with others.
As a counseling intern, I have come into this environment unfamiliar with being outside an office setting. However, with my background in Biofeedback, I am able to recognize some of the physiological processes when working with clients. For example, equine therapy is about managing such physiological responses. If a client may experience anxiety during a session, they are able to, with the help of the partnered horse, find coherence and successfully come back down from that intense state. This allows the person to manage their own emotional states when facing anxieties even outside of the session as it trains one’s resilience.
Meet our Equine Therapy Staff
Malaika is the owner of Freckles Farm and human mother to most of the animals at Freckles Farm. She has been working with Dr. Meola since 2014 in the equine-assisted field and has been involved with the field for several decades. She assists as the equine professional in many sessions at the farm when it is beneficial to the participant. She co-facilitates groups and incorporates her own training in yoga, Reiki, and HeartMath into sessions.
When looking for the right therapist, it can be a challenging step to seek help yourself. A foundational approach that Dr. Meola takes with her clients can be perfectly summed up in her own words, “Mane Source Counseling is a private practice I started in 2017 with the vision of creating a resource for those who are looking for a non-traditional therapy setting to help reach their goals and overcome challenges. If you are looking for direction, support, and encouragement in your life right now, MSC offers you a safe space to do this work in either an office-based or farm-based setting.”
Written by Crystal Felix, Counselor Intern, ECU Counselor Education