Steph is a devoted animal lover, wife and mother to two beautiful little girls, and is passionate about helping others on their journey to self-discovery and healing with the assistance of animals. She has a bachelor in Psychological studies and has also completed her Masters in Counselling for both Children and Adults. She is a fully registered Counsellor with the Australian Counselling Association. She has also completed the intensive course at the Equine Psychotherapy Institute in Daylesford with Meg Kirby, where she trained to become an Equine Assisted Psychotherapist. Steph is now a supervisor with the Equine Psychotherapy Institute supporting other practitioners. Steph continues her education to become an advanced practitioner and has excitingly begun her education to become a Somatic Experiencing trauma therapist and is in her second year of training.
Steph's own journey began as a teenager as she began to deal with repressed trauma, which resulted in anxiety and an eating disorder in her teenage years. Steph has been on a long and windy road to recovery with the help of family, friends and mental health practitioners. Steph realised that one thing always remained constant in her life, her contact with horses and animals. For the last 22 years horses have always been her haven or safe place, she noticed how she felt undeniably different when she was with them. Her anxiety seemed to drift away and she was no longer labeled as the girl with the eating disorder, she never felt judged and felt that she could fully be herself when in their company. She found their innate ability to help her become fully present to what she was experiencing, ultimately healing. Steph knew she wanted to share this with others, in the hope that others would find their time with the horses to be healing.Steph began to wonder if this wonderful work had a place in the modern world of psychology and could be utilised in a therapeutic setting. Steph began the process of developing a more holistic approach to her relationship with horses, quickly realising that the possibility of merging her two passions, helping others and animals could be successfully combined.
Steph now works with her herd of horses, dogs, goats and chickens to help others to reconnect with themselves. For some this means healing the past, for others it is just being true to the present moment and what they are experiencing in the here and now.
Meet Steph and the animals and learn about equine assisted therapy
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"I highly recommend Melbourne Equine Assisted counselling to anyone needing personal growth. Anyone struggling with issues should contact Steph. This is a safe place, steph and the horses helped me so much, such a positive, beautiful experience." Renee
"A traumatic experience left me feeling very anxious, fearful and emotionally unstable. Making contact with Steph was the best decision I have ever made. Her style of support is empowering, insightful and therapeutic. Through participating in her session I learned how to make deeper connections with the environment and my surroundings, my inner feelings and emotions and how to accept my fears. By working with Steph and her horses Mermaid and Grasshopper I learned to acknowledge and accept any sense of anxiety present and not run away from it. I really appreciate your ability to listen intently and thankful for the skills and strategies that I was able to take away from my session with Steph and her animals to control the whirlwind that was going through my mind. I highly recommend the services Steph has to offer." Alicia