Take Heart Counseling & Equine Assisted Therapy

Take Heart Counseling & Equine Assisted Therapy Empowering individuals and families to find hope, healing and wholeness through therapeutic work with horses.

We provide Licensed Professional Counseling services in the Reading, Lancaster, and Lebanon areas of Pennsylvania. Equine Assisted Therapy is experiential and metaphorical in nature. Studies are proving it to be an effective alternative or addition to traditional therapy. Some sessions may be more learning-oriented, meaning you may practice skills which translate into other situations you may be facing. Some sessions will be more psychotherapeutic, in which deep healing through corrective experiences may occur. Working with horses provides an organic environment for experiencing, understanding, and discussing one's feelings and behaviors, in which individuals are challenged to grow and change. Session activities are tailored to fit a client's needs and will vary. Each session will end with a time of processing and discussing the activities. Non-therapeutic services and events offered at the Three Horse Ranch / Take Heart facility include: leadership-teamwork improvement, basic horsemanship and riding-lessons by highly qualified trainers, kids’ animal events (with mini-horses, a mini-donkey, and fainting goats), as well as fundraising events, such as public Open Barn Events, Worship at The Ranch events, and other special events as announced.

Why volunteer at Take Heart? Especially now?Its cold and wintery, who wants to be out in that? Why NOT be out in it? Why...
01/08/2026

Why volunteer at Take Heart? Especially now?

Its cold and wintery, who wants to be out in that? Why NOT be out in it? Why NOT get outside, breathe the fresh air, move your body, enjoy beautiful and crisp mornings, and feel the warmth of the horses? It is going to be cold and wintery even if you stay inside, so why not beat the cold and do something that will invigorate you and warm you up?

When you choose to spend your time volunteering at Take Heart, you immediately become a part of something bigger than all of us. You join a mission of bringing hope and healing to our community.

The care of our horses are foundational to our mission. Having a team of dedicated staff and volunteers ensures that our horses are well cared for so they can do this important work.

Join a fun and caring team. We pride ourselves on having a welcoming environment filled with peace and no drama. Here you can learn different aspects of horse care and handling, enjoy time spent outside with nature, and get some therapeutic benefits as well.

Our consistent and dedicated volunteers get discounts on our horsemanship services as well.

Want to join our team? Reach out to Volunteer@TakeHeartCounseling.com today. We will send you our volunteer packet, answer any questions you have, and let you know when our next volunteer orientation is.

Please note:
Minimum age to volunteer is 10 years old. All volunteers under the age of 16 MUST have a parent/guardian volunteer alongside them.
Volunteers over the age of 18 must complete a background check and child abuse clearance.

Hope. Healing. Horses.

Coming home after serving in the military or as a first responder can be harder than most people realize. Even when the ...
01/06/2026

Coming home after serving in the military or as a first responder can be harder than most people realize. Even when the uniform is off, the memories don’t always fade. Some people carry with them images they wish they could forget, sounds they can’t unhear, or moments that left them feeling stuck. These experiences can show up as anxiety, anger, or a deep sense of being on edge without knowing why.

For many, healing doesn’t come from talking alone. It takes something quieter and more patient. That’s where horse therapy for PTSD can make a real difference. Horses connect without words, helping people feel seen and safe again. In quiet moments beside a horse, healing can begin, step by gentle step.
Working with horses helps many people learn how to build trust again, not just with the animal, but with themselves and others too. The skills that develop beside a horse can transfer into daily life.

These quiet changes may not look like much on the outside, but they can mean everything inside. Feeling a steady pulse, hearing the sound of hooves on the ground, breathing slowly, all of it can help a person reconnect with things that felt lost.

Building these skills slowly helps people feel supported and stronger over time. Every moment spent in the company of horses adds to a feeling of steady progress. This new sense of trust can gently carry over into other relationships, making it easier to connect with friends, family, and the wider world again.

Read more...
https://www.takeheartcounseling.com/how-horses-help-veterans-and-first-responders-heal-from-ptsd/

Hope. Healing. Horses.

What would be kindest for you today?Sometimes, when days are hard - this is the most important question you can ask your...
01/05/2026

What would be kindest for you today?

Sometimes, when days are hard - this is the most important question you can ask yourself. Winter blues... the struggle is real.

Here are some tips for surviving winter blues, seasonal affective disorder, or just feeling down or depressed this time of year: https://www.takeheartcounseling.com/the-long-gray-finding-brightness-in-the-dark-days/

If you need a little extra help, reach out to us! We are running a Winter Blues discount- 25% off your first 3 sessions.

https://www.takeheartcounseling.com/contact/

Hope. Healing. Horses.

Your are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.~Psalm 32:7Hope. He...
01/04/2026

Your are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
~Psalm 32:7

Hope. Healing. Horses.

Happy Work-aversary, Erin! Congrats on FIVE years at Take Heart! 🥳🥳🥳🥳Erin is the epitome of empathy and compassion. Her ...
01/03/2026

Happy Work-aversary, Erin! Congrats on FIVE years at Take Heart! 🥳🥳🥳🥳

Erin is the epitome of empathy and compassion. Her ability to facilitate powerful healing experiences with horses provides you with a unique and effective approach to overcoming grief, loss, or trauma. If you are unsure where to start your healing journey, Erin will make you feel comfortable right away and help you explore your experiences from a body, mind, soul, and spirit perspective for holistic healing. She works with a variety of clients - from foster/adoptive families, to women reconnecting with their God-given identities.

Thanks for a great five years, and here's to many more!

Hope. Healing. Horses.

“Why should I start horsemanship lessons in the winter?”Why wait? Yes, winter is cold, but here's why we love winter les...
01/02/2026

“Why should I start horsemanship lessons in the winter?”

Why wait? Yes, winter is cold, but here's why we love winter lessons:

🐎the toasty feeling when you nestle your bare hands into their thick winter fur under their mane

🐎the experience of riding ba****ck (warm!) — bonus points if there is snow to ride in!

🐎seeing the horses' "dragon breath" when they snort

🐎new ways to interact with horses in the fields

🐎walking into a barn full of horses happily munching hay, and all their heads peek over the stall doors at you

🐎discovering how horses' winter coats are miraculously designed to keep them warm and dry

🐎hunkering down indoors with (or without) your horse to do a horse-care deep-dive lesson and learn something you might not otherwise

🐎new ways to play with your horse — ground driving to practice low-key skijoring, anyone?

🐎plus all the benefits of getting outdoors during a season where we are all a little too cooped up...

PS, Connected Horsemanship lessons make a fantastic Christmas present....🤠 Ask about our Monthly Lesson Package, where you buy 4 lessons and get 10% off!

Book your first Connected Horsemanship lesson with Kody or Brooke:
https://calendly.com/kody-takeheartcounseling/horsemanship-lesson

https://calendly.com/brooke-takeheartcounseling/horsemanship-lesson

Hope. Healing. Horses.

Happy New Year from all of us at Take Heart!May 2026 be filled with joy and peace. May you challenge yourself this year ...
01/01/2026

Happy New Year from all of us at Take Heart!

May 2026 be filled with joy and peace.
May you challenge yourself this year and push yourself outside of your comfort zone.
May you have healthy and connected relationships with yourself and those around you.

We can't wait to see you at our events this year! Stay tuned for upcoming dates on special group offerings and more!

Hope. Healing. Horses.

https://www.takeheartcounseling.com/contact/

New Year's Eve thoughts-Here we are at the end of 2025... Some of us are still processing 2020; some of us still think t...
12/31/2025

New Year's Eve thoughts-

Here we are at the end of 2025... Some of us are still processing 2020; some of us still think that 2005 was just a couple years ago and can't admit that we are already over a quarter of the way through this century.

Another year around the sun. Another year of highs, lows, celebrations, tragedies, surprises, growth, setbacks, twists, and turns.

I have been spending the last few days full of cheese and reflecting on the beautiful mix of the good and painful parts of this past year. I truly believe everything (yes, even the most painful things) happens for a reason- even if I never get to know that reason on this side of Heaven. (I have hope knowing that one day, I get to sit with God and finally see the whole picture)

With that in mind, I am filled with gratitude as I leave 2025 behind, taking what I have learned, and look forward to the next adventure of 2026.

Celebrate your wins, give yourself grace for your falls, and look around you to find the beauty in it all.

Happy New Year!

~Nicole Rabe, BS, Business Operations Manager

Hope. Healing. Horses.

https://www.takeheartcounseling.com/contact/

We are hiring for a part-time barn assistant position!Want to work at a ranch with a mission? Love horses?Applicants sho...
12/30/2025

We are hiring for a part-time barn assistant position!

Want to work at a ranch with a mission? Love horses?

Applicants should:
🐎Have some prior horse handling experience
🤠Be able to work weeknights and weekend shifts.
🤠Have a flexible schedule
🐴Be able to work well independently and with a team
❤️Agree with the mission of Take Heart
🤠Want to be a part of a team that supports each other and have fun!

For more information and to apply, email Nicole@TakeHeartCounseling.com

Hope. Healing. Horses.

Happy Gotcha Day, Zeke, Zeus, and Apollo!Apollo, Zeus, and Zeke (a.k.a. The Big Three) were lovingly donated in December...
12/29/2025

Happy Gotcha Day, Zeke, Zeus, and Apollo!

Apollo, Zeus, and Zeke (a.k.a. The Big Three) were lovingly donated in December of 2021. Apollo and Zeus grew up together, doing light farm work and trail rides. Zeke is Zeus's son and has spent his whole life with his dad and Uncle Apollo.

They are truly gentle giants. Zeus and Zeke have a special father-son bond that you don't normally see in horses. Apollo has such a calm and safe presence that many of our clients are drawn to. Zeus and Apollo are both wonderful in holding space for big emotions. Zeke has a strength and beauty that is inspiring. And they are all just so darn cute!

We are so grateful for these three and all the lives they have changed in the last four years. Here's to many more!

Share with us your Big Three moments!

Hope. Healing. Horses.

Studies show that up to 90% of kids with complex trauma are likely to be misdiagnosed. And realistically, it's probably ...
12/29/2025

Studies show that up to 90% of kids with complex trauma are likely to be misdiagnosed. And realistically, it's probably closer to 100%.

Diagnoses are just a label for a cluster of symptoms. They don't always accurately reflect the root cause.

Kids with complex trauma have been neglected, abused, abandoned, and harmed in unimaginable ways. Of course they've learned to survive by shutting down, creating chaos, exploding, hiding pain, anger, or pleasing.

But then they are labeled with ADHD. Autism. Bipolar. Depression. Anxiety. ODD. Conduct Disorder. Called bad, liars, manipulative, entitled, defiant. It might not check all the boxes for PTSD, the behavior gets mislabeled.

These kids have been failed by adults in their lives. They have been hurt and learned how to protect themselves; have never felt safe around those who should protect them. They don't know where their next meal is coming from, or when the next explosion will happen.

These kids deserve to be seen. Their behavior is them trying to communicate something important!

Foster and adoptive parents - we see you too. We see the late nights spent holding a kid who can't stop the memories. We see the strain to remain calm when your last nerve is bombarded by big, dysregulated emotions. We see the love you pour out in big and small ways, in the structure and boundaries you set up, in giving until you are exhausted, and how much it sometimes costs you emotionally to teach another what real love looks like.

Horse therapy takes healing to another level. Incorporating movement, rhythm, safety, structure, and real-time feedback from a gentle animal - we can teach kids with complex trauma how to truly connect. We can teach parents how to walk with these kids through the good, the bad, and the ugly... and how to overcome their own backgrounds so they can move forward as a family.

We don't believe that trauma has to hold anyone back, and we want to see your kids and your family become all you can be and live life to the fullest.

Reach out today to experience healing with therapists who understand and horses who change lives:
https://www.takeheartcounseling.com/contact/
Hope. Healing. Horses. Since 2014.

Yet, I still dare to hope when I remember this:The faithful ove of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great i...
12/28/2025

Yet, I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The faithful ove of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
~Lamentations 3:21-23

Hope. Healing. Horses.

Address

699 Wooltown Road
Wernersville, PA
19565

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+17179177137

Website

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Our Story

Equine Assisted Therapy is experiential and metaphorical in nature. Studies are proving it to be an effective alternative or addition to traditional therapy. Some sessions may be more learning-oriented, meaning you may practice skills which translate into other situations you may be facing. Some sessions will be more psychotherapeutic, in which deep healing through corrective experiences may occur. Working with horses provides an organic environment for experiencing, understanding, and discussing one's feelings and behaviors, in which individuals are challenged to grow and change. Horses live "in the moment," and have distinct individual personalities. As herd animals, they are extremely relationship-oriented. Horses intuitively and honestly mirror the emotions of those around them, creating opportunities for us to increase self-awareness and practice building relationships. Bonding with horses facilitates a process in which clients can gain insight into their circumstances and how they currently interact in them through experience, as well as practice change in a forgiving environment. Along the way, clients develop confidence, patience, mutual respect, responsibility, problem-solving abilities, healthy coping techniques, and other life skills through interactions with the horses. Session activities are tailored to fit a client's needs and will vary. Each session will end with a time of processing and discussing the activities. Therapist Meagan Good, M.A has been inspired by horses throughout her life, and works to integrate Christian Counseling and the healing power of the horse-human bond through equine assisted therapy.