Heartland Equine-Assisted Counseling

04/04/2026

The Rescued Hearts Film captures the essence of The Horse, The Heart, The Humility, and The Healing that IS POSSIBLE with Horses. Highly recommend pausing for 180 minutes to see and understand the math and the magic of the herd! ❤️🐴🐴🐴❤️

03/26/2026

03/19/2026

Teachers, Therapists, Nurses, Physicians, First-Responders! This one is for YOU!

🌿 🐴 Equine-Assisted Wellness for Helping Professionals🐴 🌿

For REGISTRATION please follow this link: https://andrea-metcalf.clientsecure.me/contact-widget

A restorative morning to reconnect, recalibrate, and return renewed.

You care for others every day.
This space is for you!!
Therapists. Social workers. Nurses. Educators. Physicians. Case managers.
You hold stories, trauma, systems stress, and ethical weight.
Over time, even the strongest helpers feel depleted.
This experiential workshop offers space to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the parts of yourself that exist beyond your professional role.

Saturday, May 9, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Heartland Therapeutic Riding, Inc.
19655 Antioch Rd.
Overland Park, KS 66213
(913) 897-3939
www.htrkc.org
andrea@htrkc.org
$150 per participant *Limited to 12 participants to maintain intimacy and depth.

Reserve Your Spot
https://andrea-metcalf.clientsecure.me/contact-widget

What You’ll Experience
🐴 Grounding and mindfulness with horses
🐴 Nervous system regulation practices
🐴 EquiLateral:The Equine-Assisted EMDR Protocol ®, A “Horse Resource” installation
🐴 Reflection on provider mental health & sustainability
🐴 Gentle exploration of bias and self-awareness
This is not a riding workshop!
No horse experience is needed. Just a willingness to pause.

Why Horses?
Horses respond honestly and immediately to human nervous systems.
They invite presence.
They offer co-regulation.
They help us reset without judgment!
Many professionals leave feeling:
• Emotionally lighter
• More centered and embodied
• Clearer in perspective
• Renewed in purpose
• Better resourced to return to practice

🌿 🐴 Equine-Assisted Wellness for Helping Professionals🐴 🌿

For REGISTRATION please follow this link: https://andrea-metcalf.clientsecure.me/contact-widget

A restorative morning to reconnect, recalibrate, and return renewed.

You care for others every day.
This space is for you!!
Therapists. Social workers. Nurses. Educators. Physicians. Case managers.
You hold stories, trauma, systems stress, and ethical weight.
Over time, even the strongest helpers feel depleted.
This experiential workshop offers space to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the parts of yourself that exist beyond your professional role.

Saturday, May 9, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Heartland Therapeutic Riding, Inc.
19655 Antioch Rd.
Overland Park, KS 66213
(913) 897-3939
www.htrkc.org
andrea@htrkc.org
$150 per participant *Limited to 12 participants to maintain intimacy and depth.

Reserve Your Spot
https://andrea-metcalf.clientsecure.me/contact-widget

What You’ll Experience
🐴 Grounding and mindfulness with horses
🐴 Nervous system regulation practices
🐴 EquiLateral:The Equine-Assisted EMDR Protocol ®, A “Horse Resource” installation
🐴 Reflection on provider mental health & sustainability
🐴 Gentle exploration of bias and self-awareness
This is not a riding workshop!
No horse experience is needed. Just a willingness to pause.

Why Horses?
Horses respond honestly and immediately to human nervous systems.
They invite presence.
They offer co-regulation.
They help us reset without judgment!
Many professionals leave feeling:
• Emotionally lighter
• More centered and embodied
• Clearer in perspective
• Renewed in purpose
• Better resourced to return to practice

03/19/2026

WELCOMING CASSIDY HAAG, LMSW, C-AAIS

Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS)
Candidate working towards PATH, intl. Equine-Assisted Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL)

I’ve always been interested in integrating animals into healing work as I grew up with my dog who helped me during rough patches and I realized how much of a difference she made to my mental health. I also grew up taking riding lessons (English and western) and I also got involved with my local 4-H horse club and competed in horse shows. I have seen both the mental and physical benefits of working with animals through myself and others.

I believe each person's journey is unique and deserves empathy and understanding. I view mental health as a changing spectrum influenced by biology, environment, and life experiences. Healing is more than the absence of illness. It involves well-being, realizing abilities, managing stress, and working productively. I use a holistic approach, addressing both symptoms and underlying causes by considering the mind, body, and spirit. I believe in resilience, self-compassion, and growth, viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and development.

Cassidy’s professional experience includes The Family Service & Guidance Center as an Attendant Care Provider where she provided respite care with adolescent clients. At the Lilac Center, Cassidy co-led adolescent IOP and provided 1:1 therapy. Currently she also practices at Clarity Counseling where she provides 1:1 therapy and Emotional Support Animal (ESA) evals and letters.

***NOW ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS ON FRIDAYS!***

Sign up here: https://andrea-metcalf.clientsecure.me/

03/14/2026

If we arrive tense, the horse often becomes alert.

If we arrive calm, the horse softens.

Horses reflect the nervous system standing in front of them.

Which is why time with horses can be such a powerful teacher.

- The Way of the Horse 🐴

03/12/2026

OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WE WILL BE INTRODUCING SEVERAL NEW TEAM MEMBERS AT HEAC!!

Today we are introducing DUSTY GRIER, LPC!
***NOW ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS ON WEDNESDAYS!***

Sign up here: https://andrea-metcalf.clientsecure.me/​​​

Licensed Professional Counselor, State of Kansas (LPC)
Candidate working towards PATH, intl. Equine-Assisted Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL)

*Dusty is currently working towards Clinical Licensure and is practicing under the clinical supervision of Dr. Lee Harris, DBH, MS, LCPC, RPT-S, NCC

Dusty is a Licensed Professional Counselor and graduated from Southern Arkansas University with a Master’s Degree in Clinical & Mental Health Counseling in 2021. Dusty holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Psychology from The University of Central Arkansas. He has extensive experience working with clients in acute care settings, individual therapy, and residential programs where he practiced individual, group, and family counseling. His specialties include Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, and PTSD treatment. Dusty incorporates various therapeutic modalities including CBT & DBT with a person-centered approach.

As a kid he always dreamed of having his own horses and would often “pick out” his horse while watching westerns. He has always had the utmost respect for horses for the value that they bring to our lives. Upon moving to the Kansas City area six years ago he realized that he felt called to work with kids, teens, and young adults. Being able to combine “work” with his admiration of horses is a dream come true.

“For one to fly, one needs only to take the reins.” – Melissa James

WELCOME DUSTY! WE ARE THRILLED TO HAVE YOU JOIN OUR MENTAL HEALTH TEAM!

https://andrea-metcalf.clientsecure.me/

03/07/2026

The countdown starts now!

🐴Tux N' Boots🐴 - April 24th in 2026! Mark your calendar for Heartlands biggest event of the year🎉

Have you bought your tickets yet👀Cocktail hour, dinner, inspiration, live auctions and dancing... its going to be another fabulous night!

👏Ask us about donating auction items or volunteering for the event!
👏Want to be a sponsor? We have opportunities starting at $3000... Help us make a difference💗

Follow the link to purchase tickets or a full table, as well as donate or become a sponsor! https://my.onecause.com/.../vevt:ae429214-d2b4.../home/story

03/07/2026

❣ Let her ride, too.