A Place for Growth
Every day the animals and people at our facility offer the opportunity for growth, support, and healing to those struggling from the impacts of trauma, overcoming the challenges of disabilities, or striving towards a better experience of life. Through research-based programs, lead by trained and certified instructors and therapists, we are able to help individuals find a new path forward into a better view of themselves and the world around them.
Psychotherapy Supported By Horses and Other Animals
Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy is a form of mental health treatment that offers individuals the opportunity to work with animals and a therapy team experientially to discover new insights and try out new behaviors. The animal works as a partner with the therapy team: assisting in relationship and comfort building; reflecting back patterns and emotions that might not otherwise be noticed; and offering the opportunity to try out new patterns of behaviors.
Our licensed therapists specialize in working with children or adults who have experienced trauma, abuse, family loss or separation, grief, attachment challenges, or adoption. We are able to accept clients ages 4 years old and up. We accept Medicaid insurance or also have a sliding scale for payment. Please contact us if you would like to discuss how we may be able to help, or fill out the form below, and we will get in touch with you to discuss services.
Therapeutic Riding
Therapeutic Riding is a form of riding or horsemanship for individuals who have a physical, mental, emotional, or developmental disability. Specially trained instructors and well-trained horses, along with a team of volunteers, work with individuals to target goals that improve physical movements and development, speech, emotional/behavioral regulation, core strength, and mood. The movement of the horse provides for the building of new neural pathways for the rider; while the support of the therapy team greatly increases social relatedness, self-esteem, and confidence. Therapeutic Riding is not able to be billed through insurance; clients pay based on a sliding scale with an emphasis in making treatment available to all in need.
Veterans Programming
Through 8 years of working with VA Western Colorado Healthcare system, Harmony Acres has become a central place for local Veterans to gather and experience the benefits of horses, animals, and community. Through grants from the Adaptive Sports Program, the Clough Family Foundation, and other community supporters, Veterans can participate in any of our programming at no cost to them. Veterans' families are also eligible for reduced-cost sessions.
Veterans respond well to our outdoor and low-pressure environment, which emphasizes relationship-building with the horses and team prior to any therapy work. Individual plans are tailored to their needs, and may include elements of therapeutic riding, psychotherapy, or simply just spending time with the animals and team. We also have a large Veterans' volunteer program, with at least 20% of our active volunteers being Military Veterans.
If you or someone you know are a Veteran who would like to learn more about Equine- and Animal-Assisted Therapies, please contact us today.
Peer Mentorship and Youth Resilience Programs
Peer Mentorship is based on a Peer support model which is defined by the Colorado Providers Association (COPA) as a “framework where individuals with common lived experiences provide mutual help….based on core principles of: empowerment, person-centered approach, mutual respect, voluntary participation, and trauma-informed care.”
Harmony Acres Peer Mentors are trained adult staff members with lived experience in the area of youth and family mental health needs. They have an additional 60 hours of specialized training in trauma-informed care, self-advocacy, empowerment, drug and alcohol treatment and prevention, and skills-building.
Peer Mentors work one-on-one with youth, or occasionally in small group settings, in order to assist participants with skills building related to confidence, self-esteem, self-advocacy, social-skills building, and other social/emotional needs. Our program works with youth from ages 7-25 and specializes in youth that have emotional or behavioral difficulties related to a physical, intellectual, or developmental diagnosis including autism and neuro-divergence. The incorporation of animals and experiential activities in the treatment process is useful for youth who may have differing styles of learning or processing information.
Peer sessions typically take place one time per week at one hour per session. The youth and family will receive an intake from a qualified mental health professional prior to starting services, in order to ensure their needs are being met and they are placed in the correct level of treatment. Sessions typically take place on the ground (i.e. not mounted on horseback) and incorporate work with our special ly-trained therapy animals in order to enhance relationship-building and experiential learning opportunities.
Harmony Acres additionally offers Youth Resilience Groups in small group sizes of 2-8 youth per group. These groups are typically lead by a Peer Specialist and may also include a qualified riding instructor. Groups include social skills and leadership building opportunities through guided interaction with staff members, animals, and each other. Group sessions are typically one time per week, 1-2 hours long, and run for 6-8 week segments.
Harmony Acres is able to accept Medicaid or CHP+ for programming or has a sliding scale with a low cost to ensure access to all participants.
Please fill out the below referral form if you know of a youth that you would like to participate in this programming.