A Set Chance

04/11/2026

🐎💛 Helping Children Process Trauma with EMDR 💙🐎

💛 What It Looks Like in Session

Instead of asking a child to “talk about the trauma,” you might see:

🎨 Play-Based Processing
• Drawing the “feeling” or memory
• Using toys, sand tray, or figures to tell the story indirectly
• Creating a “safe place” through imagination

👣 Bilateral Stimulation (EMDR core)
• Tapping games (hands, knees, or with therapist)
• Walking, swinging, or rhythmic movement
• Tossing a ball back and forth
• Even brushing or rhythmic patting

🐎 With Equines (💙)
• Walking beside a horse (natural left–right movement)
• Grooming (rhythmic, regulating)
• Observing and naming what the horse is feeling (externalizing emotions)
• Practicing grounding and safety in real time

⸻

🧩 Why This Works

EMDR helps the brain “unstick” traumatic memories.
Play helps the child access those memories safely without overwhelm.

Together, they allow the child to:
✨ Process without having to fully verbalize
✨ Stay regulated while doing hard work
✨ Build mastery and control over their story
✨ Rewire how the body holds the trauma

04/09/2026

Sometimes the moments that stay with us the most are the ones we didn’t plan.

I saw this man riding through New Mexico on this day three years ago and felt something in my spirit say, “Stop.”
So I did. We turned around, chased him down, and asked for a picture.

Not because I knew exactly why… but because I knew it meant something.

At that time, I was stepping into private practice—uncertain, hopeful, and holding onto a vision I couldn’t fully explain yet. I told him I was going to use his picture for when I opened my private practice. Well I’m posting the picture according to FB memories on this day.

This moment reminds me of that season.

Of courage.
Of listening to that inner pull.
Of honoring the path—even when it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.

Sometimes healing… and purpose… look a lot like trusting the moment in front of you.

💛🐎💙
A SET CHANCE
Every Being Can Succeed if given a set chance.

04/09/2026

If you suspect abuse or neglect, you can report it or learn how the Centralized Intake process works by visiting bss.wv.gov/centralized-intake-abuse-and-neglect.

04/08/2026

Narcissist!!!

Just some information, I see this word used out of context so often!!

I know that word is everywhere right now—used in conversations, on social media, and often to describe anyone who has hurt us.

But clinically… that’s not accurate.

There is a difference between narcissistic traits and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).

Narcissistic traits can show up in anyone:
• being self-focused during stress
• needing validation
• defensiveness
• moments of limited empathy

That’s part of being human.

A true diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder is something very different.

It is a long-standing, rigid pattern that includes:
• grandiosity
• a persistent need for admiration
• lack of empathy across situations
• exploitation of others
• and significant impairment in relationships and functioning

And here’s the part most people don’t realize:

Only about 1–2% of the population meets criteria for NPD.

That means the majority of people being labeled as “narcissists”…
are not.

They may be:
• emotionally immature
• struggling with trauma
• operating from insecure attachment
• lacking relational skills
• or simply not meeting your needs

But that does not automatically equal a personality disorder.

Words matter.

Overusing clinical terms doesn’t just spread misinformation—it takes away from the complexity of real mental health diagnoses.

We can hold people accountable for harmful behavior
without mislabeling them.

And we can recognize patterns
without turning every painful relationship into a diagnosis.

Education matters.
Accuracy matters.
And so does compassion.

💛🐎💙

04/07/2026

🐎 WISDOM FROM THE HERD – Week 3

At A SET CHANCE, one of the most powerful lessons we learn from the herd is this:

👉 Regulation comes before resolution.

Horses don’t rush to fix.
They don’t analyze the story.
They respond to what is happening in the present moment—especially what is happening in the nervous system.

When a person enters the space dysregulated—anxious, shut down, overwhelmed—the horse doesn’t demand explanation.

Instead, the horse:
• Notices
• Responds
• Regulates alongside

This is called co-regulation.

And it matters because—

🧠 A dysregulated brain cannot process trauma
🧠 A dysregulated body cannot access logic
🧠 Healing doesn’t begin until the nervous system feels safe

This is why, in trauma-informed care and approaches like EMDR, we focus first on:
✔ Grounding
✔ Safety
✔ Nervous system stabilization

Only then can deeper processing begin.

💛 You don’t have to “figure it all out” first.
🐎 You just have to feel safe enough to begin.

The herd already understands this.

04/06/2026

We’ve gotten several veterans recently and are so excited for this.
Please continue to get the word out into the community. We are a community care provider.

At A SET CHANCE, we are honored to serve those who have served.

Working with veterans is built on a trauma-informed, clinically grounded approach that integrates Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and EMDR to support healing beyond traditional settings.

For many veterans, healing is not just about talking—it’s about reconnecting:
• with the body
• with trust
• with a sense of safety

Horses offer a unique opportunity for co-regulation, presence, and non-judgmental connection, allowing the nervous system to begin to settle and process in ways that words alone cannot always reach.

This program is designed for veterans navigating:
• Trauma and PTSD
• Anxiety and depression
• Reintegration challenges
• Emotional disconnection

Healing doesn’t have to happen within four walls.

At A SET CHANCE, we meet you where you are—and walk beside you as you find your way forward.

💙🐎💛
Every Being Can Succeed if given a set chance.

04/05/2026

✝️💛🐎💙🐰🐣🌷☂️

Darkness will turn into light and love will always win!

Happy Easter!

04/03/2026

There’s something about moments like this that don’t need words… but somehow say everything.

Two very different horses.
Two very different energies.
And yet—standing in the same space, grounded, calm, connected.

This is what I think about when I talk about healing.

Not forcing.
Not fixing.
Just being.

Horses don’t ask you to explain your story.
They don’t need the details of what you’ve been through.
They respond to what’s real—your nervous system, your presence, your truth in that exact moment.

And in that space… something shifts.

Sometimes healing looks like this:
A quiet hand.
A lowered head.
A breath you didn’t realize you were holding… finally released.

It doesn’t always happen in an office chair.
Sometimes it happens right here—on the ground, in connection, exactly as you are.

💛🐎💙

04/03/2026

“I don’t know.”
I will never be the type of therapist that tells you there will be quick answers or tells you what you want to hear.

Some days there are more “I don’t knows, rather than answers and honestly, there doesn’t need to be.

Because sometimes the most healing thing isn’t solving—
it’s sitting.
Feeling.
Exploring together.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to begin healing.

You just need a space where it’s safe to be human.

And that’s what we do here 💛🐎💙

04/02/2026

“3 years ago, this was just a moment in time, I took this picture at the Ghost Ranch in New Mexico.

My father had just been diagnosed with cancer and I was in the beginning stages of going into private practice. My life was going to change faster than I could keep up and there were days I didn’t think I could keep up.

Today, I see this picture differently.

Healing, growth, and perspective don’t happen overnight—
they’re built in the quiet spaces, the stillness, and the work no one else sees.

At A SET CHANCE, we honor that process. 💛🐎💙

04/01/2026

What an informative article!

💛🐎💙

EMDRIA member Dr. Elizabeth Warson shares a case study outlining the benefits gained in an Equine-Assisted EMDR approach with a neurodivergent child.

03/31/2026

I’m honored to have completed training in the EquiLateral approach—an Equine-Assisted EMDR protocol developed by Sara Jenkins—integrating EMDR therapy with the presence and responsiveness of horses.

This work supports trauma processing through:
• bilateral stimulation
• nervous system regulation
• co-regulation in a safe, grounded environment

Healing doesn’t always happen in an office chair.
Sometimes it happens in movement, in connection, and in the quiet presence of a horse.

Grateful to bring this work home to West Virginia and expand access to trauma-informed care in our community.