Twenty-year-old Megan Shook began riding at The Shea Center when she was five and continued intermittently until the age of 13. Born prematurely, Megan spent her first three months in the NICU, and even as an infant, she showed sensitivity to loud sounds. Diagnosed...
Matthew Thompson began participating in The Shea Center’s Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) program in 2022, after learning about it from his wife, a Shea Center volunteer. During his service in the Iraq war, Matthew experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and...
In equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) clients work on improving their quality of life by working towards a variety of goals. These could include improving communication skills, setting and maintaining boundaries at work or school, learning healthy coping skills to...
By: Leeanna Rice, MSW, LCSW, ESMHL, CTRI The Shea Center offers mental health services, which include Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP). EAP is defined as a clinical therapy service provided by a licensed mental health professional utilizing equines to improve...
by Kelli Navarro, BS, ESMHL If you’ve ever spent time around horses, you probably have felt an emotional connection with them. Did you know there’s an evidence-based explanation behind this? Horses can hear a human’s heartbeat from several feet away, according to a...
Concerning mental health statistics, including rising rates of depression and anxiety, along with increasing awareness about the importance of mental health, and its interdependence with physical health for overall individual and communal well-being, became the...
Leeanna Rice, originally from Southeast Idaho, received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Idaho and attained her Master of Social Work degree, with an emphasis in military mental health, from the University of Southern California. ...