A Set Chance

02/26/2026

Teaching kids what to do with their “hot angry spots.” 🔥
Big feelings deserve safe tools.

💛 A SET CHANCE

02/25/2026

🧠 Emotion Mind. Reasonable Mind. Wise Mind.

In DBT, we talk about three states of mind:

Emotion Mind
When feelings are in charge. Reactions are intense, fast, and driven by mood.

Reasonable (Rational) Mind
When logic leads. Decisions are based on facts, analysis, and structure.

Both are important.

But growth happens in the balance.

Wise Mind is the integration of emotion and reason —
the grounded place where we can feel deeply and respond thoughtfully.

It sounds like:
“I’m overwhelmed… and I can handle this step.”
“I’m hurt… and I want to respond in a way I’ll respect later.”

At A SET CHANCE, we help clients strengthen that steady internal voice — where emotions are validated and decisions are intentional.

Because emotional regulation isn’t about shutting feelings down.
It’s about learning how to use them wisely.

💛🐎💙

02/23/2026

What is Co-Regulation?

Before a child can regulate themselves…
they have to experience regulation with someone safe.

That’s co-regulation.

It’s when one calm, steady nervous system helps another overwhelmed nervous system settle.

It happens through:
• Tone of voice
• Breathing pace
• Body posture
• Presence
• Emotional safety

Now here’s where horses are powerful.

Horses are prey animals.
They are deeply attuned to the nervous systems around them.
They don’t respond to words — they respond to energy.

If a child is anxious, the horse feels it.
If a child slows their breathing, softens their body, and becomes grounded… the horse responds to that too.

In equine-assisted sessions, children learn:

✨ How their body feels when it’s dysregulated
✨ How to slow their breathing
✨ How to soften tension
✨ How to notice shifts in the horse
✨ How their internal state impacts connection

The horse becomes a mirror — but also a partner in calming.

Co-regulation with a horse is powerful because:
• There is no judgment
• There is no criticism
• There is only feedback and presence

And when a child experiences safety in their body…
self-regulation becomes possible.

Healing doesn’t always happen in an office chair.
Sometimes it happens walking beside something steady.

Every Being Can Succeed if Given A Set Chance. 💛🐎💙

02/23/2026

I don’t have the words to fully explain what these past three days has meant to me.

I’ve followed EquiLateral: The Equine-Assisted EMDR Protocol and Golden Horse Counseling for a long time, and to finally witness this work unfold in person has been something I can only describe as soul-level alignment.

I’ve always said, “I know that I know.”
And this weekend confirmed it — this is where I belong. This is where I fit.

Like so many of the clients I serve, I wrestle with the same quiet fears:
Am I smart enough? Strong enough? Will they like me?
Can I truly help others when I’ve walked through my own adversities?

Here’s what I’m leaving Arizona with — a renewed and restored sense of enough.

I have always been enough.
And so have you.

Healing isn’t about becoming more worthy.
It’s remembering that you already are. 💛🐎💙

How amazing to be apart of a community of like minded persons. All hungry to learn, ready to be vulnerable and be humble beginners in this work that allows us to slow down and truly partner with horses.

Also beautiful full circle moment for me to be in the place that started a new journey to the place I am now, with a teacher who was (is) as hungry as I was to learn and grow in uncomfortable places.

Grateful to be an considered an EquiLateral®️ Consultant and continue to create a spaces where others feel supported in their growth and learning ❤️🐴

02/23/2026

🥹

62% of child care programs in West Virginia report staff shortages that limit the number of slots available to families.

02/21/2026

Here are some recent statistics and data on depression and related mental health issues among youth (especially teens) in West Virginia (WV):

📊 Depression Among Teens in West Virginia
• Approximately 18,000 West Virginians aged 12–17 experience depression. 
• Nearly 1 in 2 teens in WV reported feeling sad or hopeless for more than two weeks in the past year—an indicator often linked with depression. 
• In one fact sheet, 18,000 West Virginia adolescents are reported as having major depressive episodes each year, and about 25,000 youth experience at least one episode of major depression annually. 

📍 Comparative State-Level Youth Depression
• Nationally, about 18% of youth ages 12–17 have had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. 
• According to 2024 rankings, West Virginia’s youth depression rate was around ~21.5% — higher than the national average and among the higher state rates. 

📉 Youth Mental Health & Su***de Risk

Depression is strongly linked with su***de risk, which is also a serious concern in WV teen populations:
• Nearly half of teens in WV report prolonged sadness/hopelessness (indicative of depressive symptoms). 
• Youth su***de rates in WV rank relatively high compared to other states (though su***de itself isn’t the same as depression, it’s related and often preceded by depressive symptoms and ideation). 

💡 Note on Mental Health Service Gaps
• Many West Virginia teens do not receive needed mental health support, even when experiencing depression

02/19/2026

💛🐎💙

02/17/2026

February 17th ....the Year of the Fire Horse begins 🌑🔥🐴

With the arrival of the new moon, a new year opens ....not with noise or fireworks, but with intention. Chinese New Year follows the rhythm of the lunar calendar, and this second new moon feels like a threshold rather than a starting gun. A moment to step forward when the ground is ready.

The Fire Horse carries ancient energy.
Movement. Freedom. Courage. Truth.

This is not a year for shrinking or playing small.
Nor is it a year for rushing blindly.
Fire Horse energy asks us to move because we know ... not because we’re pushing.

Fire brings clarity and passion.
The Horse brings instinct, loyalty, and momentum.
Together, they ask us to trust our inner knowing and keep going even when the path feels untamed.

It’s a year for choosing authenticity over approval.
For honouring what sets your soul alight.
For listening closely to your body, your rhythms, your animals, your intuition.

The new moon reminds us that all beginnings are quiet at first.
Seeds are planted in darkness.
Plans are whispered before they’re spoken aloud.

February 17th invites us to set intentions that are honest and alive ..
not perfect, not polished, just true.

Let this be a year of brave steps.
Of forward motion that feels aligned.
Of fire that warms rather than burns.

The Fire Horse is moving.
And if you listen carefully,
you can already feel the ground shifting beneath your feet ✨🌑🔥🐴

02/17/2026

⸻

What looks “bizarre” is often just a nervous system doing its best to survive.

Behind behavior is a story.
Behind reactions is experience.
Behind withdrawal, anger, or silence is often protection.

At A SET CHANCE, we don’t label.
We listen. We regulate. We heal.

You don’t have to hide here. 💛🐎💙

02/14/2026

Roses are red…
The horses keep it real.
They may be dramatic —
But the love is always genuine. 💌🐎

Happy Valentine’s Day from A SET CHANCE 🫶❤️

Every Being Can Succeed if given a SET CHANCE.

💛🐎💙

02/12/2026

This isn’t just an office.

It’s a place where your nervous system can slow down.
Where hard stories are spoken softly.
Where healing happens beside warmth and steady presence.

The fire is intentional.
The calm is intentional.
The safety is intentional.

At A SET CHANCE, every being can succeed if given a set chance.
And safety always comes first. 💛🐎💙