HEAL-Human-Equine Alliances for Learning™–  began in Washington State as a non-profit charitable organization in 2000.  HEAL brought together therapists, horse specialists, and youth advocacy workers from the south Puget Sound region, who were seeking alternatives to office-based therapies, especially for challenging clients.  The HEAL  mission was 3-fold:

1. To provide equine-facilitated MH therapy for clients with complex issues.
2. To research the effectiveness of equine-facilitated mental health therapy.
3. To educate about, and promote, equine therapy in mental health and education.

HEAL’s clinical treatment teams were led by Leigh Shambo, one of the organization’s founders.  Shambo, a lifelong equestrian instructor/trainer, had recently earned an MSW and was working as a therapist in Community Mental Health. By 2004, members of the HEAL team led horse-based sessions for individuals, therapy groups, workshops and demonstrations, at the HEAL Center in Chehalis WA, and other locations in the Pacific NW.

HEAL research on EFPL began in 2006, with a modest clinical trial on group equine therapy for patients with PTSD.  The data showed significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and dissociative symptoms, along with increased life role satisfaction . Qualitative data showed improved confidence and self-regulation (consistent with subsequent HEAL studies (2009-2011).  Results were published in the Scientific and Educational Journal of Horses In Education and Therapy International (HETI, 2010 and 2011). The study groups used a psychoeducational method blending therapeutic principles with horsemanship ‘join up’ savvy, which became the HEAL Model™ of EFPL (Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning). HEAL presentations and live demonstrations with horses have been featured at professional conferences for Mental Health, Education and Addictions Recovery, in the US, Canada, the UK, and Norway.

HEAL today is privately managed by its Director and Senior HEAL Instructor, Leigh Shambo, supported by the HEAL Advisory Council (current members shown below).  HEAL’s educational purposes have expanded in response to the demands of an evolving field.  In 2008, HEAL started it’s first Advanced Certificate program, the HEAL Facilitator Training Program (FTP).  Shambo and her late husband, David Young, co-authored the book, “The Listening Heart: The limbic path beyond office therapy,” published in 2013, which has reached readers across the globe.  In 2019-2020, the HEAL Certification courses were translated into on-line formats for practitioners.  This format (completely online, but also interactive and experiential) has become very popular for its efficiency, convenience and recognition.

The HEAL Model ™ offers practitioners a clinically responsible and effective method with strong theoretical support to guide and shape EFPL services within each individual’s scope of practice. Today, HEAL-trained Clinicians and educators can be found in over 30 US states and 6 countries.

Leigh Shambo is one of HEAL’s original founders (2000) and the main author of the HEAL Model™.  Leigh’s contributions to the field of Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning (EFPL) include published outcome studies on EFPL for patients with PTSD, and her book, “The Listening Heart” (published in 2013).  Leigh’s husband and coauthor David Young (1928-2021) further strengthened the HEAL Model by integrating the neuroscience of affect regulation in PTSD and attachment functioning.  Leigh has represented the HEAL Model™ at many conferences in both mental health and therapeutic horsemanship. After 20+ years in EFPL practice, she continues to train HEAL-Certified practitioners and designated HEAL Trainers in the US, Canada and Europe.

Kristin Fernald is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. She has a private practice serving individuals and couples with a specialty in emotional and body-centered psychotherapy.  A 2011 HEAL  Gold-level Facilitator Training graduate, Kristin offers EFPL services as part of her psychotherapy practice on Lopez Island. As a Designated HEAL Instructor, Kristin is available to facilitate HEAL workshops and trainings in the US and internationally.

Sandy Matts has taught riding to hundreds of kids and adults, and also holds a Masters’s degree in counseling psychology. While volunteering at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, Sandy became a NARHA-Certified Instructor.

She is a HEAL Facilitator Training graduate. As the lead therapist and Executive Director of Raven Rock Ranch, she combines all of her passions and talents in one role. Raven Rock Ranch rescues horses and pairs them with at-risk children.

Jeanette Lysell, 2013 HEAL FTP Gold-level graduate, became passionate about horses as a child and her life has always been involved with horses.  Jeanette was the first in Norway to take the equine profession certificate, followed by the riding teacher education at the Norwegian Equestrian School. She also has education in Bodynamic (body-oriented psychotherapy), Scandinavian continuing education in trauma therapy, and is a  HEAL FTP Gold-level graduate and HEAL-Designated Instructor.  Jeanette directed an equine-facilitated program for young adults in in-patient treatment for addictions and co-occurring disorders  for 20 years at Oslo University Hospital. She holds a bachelor’s degree in child protection work.  Jeanette now offers EFPL services at her farm to adults and children with special needs.

Norunn Kogstad, owner of Lundehagen Farm, is a physician specializing in psychiatry and psychodynamic body-oriented psychotherapy. She is a graduate of the HEAL FTP Gold-level training in 2013.  She works for a local hospital and runs a horse farm in Norway where she lives with her growing family and offers HEAL Courses. Norunn is a Level 1 Centered Riding Instructor. Her EFPL  practice is focused on groupwork with children and adults.  She is active in EFPL research and integration of practice models in EFPL.

David Young was a highly-awarded scientist and engineer, who studied EFPL extensively.  His childhood love of horses rekindled in his retirement years, a time when David started several colts from scratch, and developed an interest in the therapeutic potential of EFPL.  His dynamic friendship with Leigh Shambo grew into love and marriage and together they deloped a unique training approach for therapy horses that honors instinct, enhances limbic connectivity, and develops the equine capacity for seeking, problem-solving, and communication with humans.

David’s strength as a researcher and interest in heart-based biofeedback informs the HEAL Model™ of EFPL with the latest discoveries in the neuroscience of emotional and relational functioning in humans. David serves as an equine specialist for groups, and for marital or family sessions.

R.I.P. David Young.  Thank you for your heart for people and horses, and for what you’ve contributed to HEAL!