Free Rein

28/12/2025

I mean, in a nutshell 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

18/11/2025

When chaos is familiar, peace feels uncomfortable. The adjustment is hard. Give yourself grace today 🤍

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12/11/2025

01/11/2025

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! 🎃

08/10/2025

The first thing you learn in a graduate program for counseling is how to bracket your own personal values so that they will not interfere or place bias on the therapeutic relationship. While it is not feasible to expect a human to completely ignore their own beliefs and maintain neutrality at all times, there is no gray area in the non-consensual integration of the practitioner’s faith in session. The ACA Code of Ethics requires that licensed counselors uphold the right of client self-determination while maintaining awareness and respect for individual differences to include sexual orientation. Counselors are mandated by the board to adhere to principles including beneficence and nonmaleficence, doing good and avoiding harm. Empirical research has shown that talk therapy is helpful to those within the LGBTQ+ community for a variety of reasons including increased coping skills, self-acceptance and confidence, and personal empowerment. Traditional therapy effectively decreases suicidal tendencies for both LGBTQ+ youth and adults. Conversely, there is a direct correlation between conversion “therapy” and increased risk of suicidal ideation and attempt by almost double. There have been no ethically-regulated, empirically-backed studies that prove the efficacy of this horrendous practice since its inception in 1899. None. The risk of harm in telling a client, especially a child, that they could change if they tried hard enough is astronomical.

It is my belief that if you are professionally unable to bracket your own beliefs and agendas as a licensed mental health counselor, you should place great effort into the search for another career.

Upon licensure, I will maintain my counseling office as an inclusive, safe space for everyone regardless of background.

06/10/2025

Okay family systems 😂

28/07/2025

And just like that, day 4 is finished and my Equine Facilitated Learning practicum is complete. It’s hard to put into words what this means to me. As a little girl who dreamed of just being able to touch a horse while lining her headboard with knockoff Breyer, I’m now able to recognize that I made little Stephanie’s dreams come true in more ways than one. We couldn’t afford lessons when I was young but my dream of working with horses only became stronger. During my twenties, I was finally able to fund my own riding lessons only to find that there was an anxiousness there. My fear of being in the saddle devastated me but I continued to stay connected to barns in my area, chasing the peace I felt on the ground. Years later, here I am. I’ve embraced the apprehension I feel while riding and cultivated it into something truly magical. Working in partnership while standing eye to eye with horses is where I’m meant to be. Not jumping, showing, barrel racing. But joining with these stunning animals to learn and teach life lessons in the most unique way. THIS is my calling. This is living authentically. This is Free Rein.

I’m so glad you’re here 🤍

27/07/2025

Days 2&3 of ’s EFL practicum are in the books! ✔️ Feeling much more confident in my facilitation skills and we even got to play with the Masterson Method today. SO cool!! ✨

25/07/2025

Day #1 of practicum is done and man oh man was it beautiful 🤍

21/07/2025

What good are you believing for yourself today? 🤍

24/06/2025

How often do you spend time observing the world around you? So frequently we are either worrying about the future or reliving the past, not noticing our bodies or the way they feel. How often do you connect to the present? What can you do to ground yourself more frequently?

19/06/2025

Please feel free to reach out with any questions! Thank you for your time ☺️