"Nature is the one place where miracles not only happen, but they happen all the time."
- Thomas Wolfe
Therapeutic Programs
We offer therapeutic programs, which can be either open group programming or private, closed groups. We also have access to referrals and resources for individual, couples, or family therapy sessions.
Our group experiences are geared towards providing support to individuals who are experiencing times of stress and emotional or mental unrest, in a supportive and sympathetic environment. We believe that having a safe place to find comfort, relief, respite, and exploration amongst others who are undergoing similar life challenges can provide one of those most profound experiences: one of acceptance and the understanding that we are not alone in our struggles.
Summer Riding & Horsemanship Programs
Horses teach us about both our inner and outer worlds. Our experience is that this summer program will open up your child’s world in many ways. The five-day experience will provide a rich outdoor experience.
To reserve your child’s spot please contact Brittany Foust at brittany@bodynsoulequestrian.com or 720-899-0120 or Liese Foust at liese@nature-heals.org or 720.582.8077.
Students will have the experience of learning about horses and horsemanship both on and off the ground. Hands on experiences will include safety skills, grooming, daily care of the horses, barn management, and tacking up and English riding skills. Lessons will start with riding in the ring. If skills and attentiveness progress, students have the opportunity for trail rides and games on horseback. There will be horse related crafts and learning games.
Our goal is not only to have students experience the joy and freedom of riding which can be very empowering, but also to explore relationship dynamics between horse and rider, and to instill a sense of responsibility for their care. Also, there is the inevitable frustration that will arise with learning new skills with animals that do indeed need to be partnered with and not controlled. In our experience, all of this translates to a week of tremendous growth and excitement. Ages 6-12.
Healing Through Horses:
Grief is a normal and natural part of life. However, that does not make it easy to cope with the loss of a loved one. Our Healing Through Horses group, partnered with Healing Circles and Hospice, is an Equine Therapy support group for youth ages 5-17 who have experienced loss and are undergoing various stages of grief.
Horses as Healers:
This equine therapy support group is our adult version of Healing Through Horses for those adults who have recently experienced loss. In this group, the participants will find support in others who have also recently experienced loss. We will use horses to express loss as well as help teach healthy tools for grieving.
Becoming a Herd:
LGBTQ youth are twice as likely as their straight peers to be physically assaulted or harassed at school. They are four times as likely as their straight peers to attempt suicide. However, for LGBTQ youth with supportive parents or mentors, the suicide rate drops from 57% to 4%. Because of this, we provide an equine therapy group for LGBTQ youth and allies, focusing on building a community, finding support, and encouraging empowerment in a safe and secure environment.
STRIDING FOR CHANGE:
Horses don’t judge; they don’t make demands; they don’t show up as anything other than who they inherently are. Because of this, horses only care who you are in the very moment you are with them. This enables them to give unconditional acceptance to troubled youth who are revealing their true selves. This unconditional acceptance provides a healing platform for youth to begin to feel what a healthy, positive relationship is like. Our equine group looks to support at-risk youth learning to develop responsibility and make healthy decisions in an empowering manner.
BOUNDARIES AND BALANCE:
As women in our society, we are asked to hold and maintain a wide variety of roles. Often, there is very little time left for our own needs to be met. This monthly drop-in group is a way for women to come together, establish a supportive community, and with the help of our wonderful horses reconnect with nature and our own beings.
Being embodied in daily life can be a constant struggle, and boundaries can be difficult to maintain and claim. This group aims to support you as you develop the inner resources to reestablish your inner sense of balance. Join us whenever you can:
DEMETER’S JOURNEY: AN EXPLORATION OF MOTHERHOOD
Women’s traditional roles have required them to develop emotional and social intelligence. Historically, society has emphasized women’s strengths flourishing in the areas of bonding, communicating, and understanding amongst children, men, and other women.
Today, there are many paths for women. The decisions to become a mother or not, to pursue infertility options or adoption are complex choices. This group seeks to support women in these and other aspects of mothering by exploring the archetypal myth and energies of Demeter, the mother goddess, and the gifts that she can offer to women embarking upon motherhood.
This unique group works with our mares that are in various stages in their own process of motherhood. Join us for the exceptional opportunity to bond and connect with other new moms, moms to be, or women who are trying to start a family, both of the two legged and four legged variety. During this 6 week group, women will be able to create relationship with several of our broodmares. They will meet the broodmares before they give birth, and then watch them transition from being in foal, to being first time moms.
COURAGE ON COURSE:
A young adult empowerment group that focuses on building confidence and healthy boundaries, by working with equine partners.
This program aims to help young adults learn to stand their ground, practice self-care, and ask for help. Our facility provides a safe, fun, and challenging environment in which the participants learn to grow. Youth explore important skills such as asserting healthy boundaries, managing obstacles, overcoming challenges, coping with distractions, developing positive self-worth and body-image, as well as making empowered choices. We have received funding from the organization 100 Women Who Care of Boulder, and the Schulze Family Foundation for this program, it is free to participants. Please contact Liese@nature-heals.org for more information!
Taking the Reins
The 1975 proceedings of the Children, Nature, and Urban Environment Symposium concluded that despite children needing opportunities to explore wild places and to learn about nature for healthy maturation, they are unfortunately not having these opportunities. Subsequently, many studies have been done confirming the importance of the outdoors for children as they grow. In nature, friendships develop, conflicts are more easily resolved and children who are going through difficult life experiences are much better able to deal with their emotions, express themselves, and positively interact with other children.
For children in grades K-3rd. This group focuses on building self confidence, and empowering children to confront any life trauma that has impacted their lives this far. We have received funding from the Longmont Community Foundation for this program, it is free to participants. Please let any families with children that would benefit from this program know about it and send them to our website or email liese@nature-heals directly for more information.
Men's Mentoring Group
Nature Heals has created a space where men ages 18-25 can enjoy a community integrated with nature and animals. This drop-in, group mentoring experience for young men will be offered monthly, and will allow young men to come together for supportive connection and relationship with each other, and with other positive and supportive men. Using the powerful, regenerating elements of nature, friendship, and mentorship, we work to cultivate self-awareness, self-acceptance, confidence, and empowerment in young men.
Areas of focus include self-care, planning and organization, self-discipline, avoiding the traps of addiction and distraction, relationships, sexuality, communication, collaboration and self-advocacy. This group is open to allow for interested participants to come and experience without needing to make a long-term commitment. Over time, we hope that young men will crave the deeper connection and commitment found in a closed group that we will form as the need and interest emerge.