We work with a team and network of Equine Programming certified facilitators, social workers, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and corporate and life coaches to support programming. Delivery teams are determined by client needs. Our community members include:

Michael Hartmann, MSW (equiv.), RSW, Team Lead, PTSD/Trauma & Addiction Program, Bellwood Health Service. Michael supports our Equine Support for Post-Trauma Growth offering with Bellwood Health Services. Michael completed his MSW at the University of Muenster, Germany, followed by post-graduate training in addiction studies in Lueneburg, Germany. Subsequently, he participated in an intensive year-long clinical extern program at Hincks-Dellcrest in Toronto where he focused on Brief Therapy with families, couples and individuals.

Michael joined Bellwood in 1990 where he has worked in a variety of roles, including that of Recovery Counsellor, where he provided aftercare services for clients; and Therapist, where he facilitated group and family therapy for the inpatient population. Michael also coordinated the Bellwood Outpatient Counselling department. In 2008, Michael became Bellwood’s Manager of Continuing Care and Volunteer Services.

In 1995, Michael left Bellwood to help establish a treatment facility, the Gwich’in Healing Program, in Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories. He held the positions of Assistant Program Director and Director of Aftercare during his time at the Gwich’in Healing Program. Michael returned to Bellwood in 1998 as a therapist and is currently the Team Lead for Bellwood’s Addiction and PTSD/OSI Treatment program for members of the Canadian Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada, RCMP and First Responders.

Susan Hardy, Associate Equine Program Facilitator, The Mane Intent: Susan is a co-facilitator of the Building Internal Resilience Through Horses Program. Susan is a certified FEEL™ (Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning) facilitator. Susan brings to this work over 20 years in corporate learning and management. She has provided personal and professional coaching, organized international conferences and facilitated workshops enabling professional growth using Jungian typology. Her many years of volunteer work with children and seniors have afforded her experiences that strengthened her both personally and professionally. She owns and operates her own farm called Phoenix Acres near Hastings, Ontario.

Beverley Clifton, Associate Equine Program Facilitator, The Mane Intent: Bev is a co-facilitator of the Building Internal Resilience Through Horses Program. Bev moved to the Kawartha Lakes area in 2016 after leaving a long-term career as a high school teacher. In her work with The Mane Intent, Bev is able to combine her life-long work as an educator with equine facilitated learning to benefit others. Even before her years as a member of the Ontario College of Teachers, Bev has always been a believer and advocate of life-long learning. She owned and operated her own salon for nine years before becoming a teacher to share and teach her trade and experience with young people. Bev developed a safe and humanistic approach to teaching and delivering curriculum; and as an educator, thousands of students have learned and gained life-long skills enabling them to become self-sufficient contributors to society. Throughout her career in education, Bev received awards and recognition and has continued her studies at the University of Waterloo and Brock University.

Paul Fox, Registered Psychotherapist, Family/Individual Counsellor, Reiki Master:
Paul is a co-facilitator of our Equine Relief for First Responders offering. Paul has a Master of Arts Degree in Counselling Psychology. He has been working with clients in Peterborough Ontario and surrounding area since the late 1990s. Over the years he has been involved in family & individual counselling and has received training in diverse practices such as Somatic Experiencing, Hypnosis, Reiki, Philosophy, Integral Theory, trauma Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR), Shamanic Journeying, Remote Viewing, and Spirituality, to name a few. Paul is an Approved Blue Cross Provider for: Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and an approved EFAP Provider for Peterborough Police

Sonya Vellenga, Executive Director, Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre: Sonya is the lead for the Building Internal Resilience Through Horses project. Her work experience includes 18 years of service in Child Welfare and over 6 years of Teaching experience at Fleming College in a variety of areas including a course that explores Family Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence across the Lifespan. This project fits in well with the Centre’s vision of providing opportunity for young people who are working towards equitable and respectful change in their relationships and their communities.

Dr. Kateryna (Katia) Keefer, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Trent University: Katia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Trent University and is the research lead on the Building Internal Resilience Through Horses Project. Her program of research is focused on the developmental dynamics and applications of socioemotional competencies in the promotion of wellness and resilience across the lifespan. As an emerging scholar, Dr. Keefer has co-authored over 30 journal articles and book chapters on the topics of emotional intelligence, resilience, mental health, and psychological assessment; delivered numerous invited talks and conference presentations on these topics; and is currently co-editing the Springer Handbook of Emotional Intelligence in Education.

Katie McKeiver, Social Worker, Building Internal Resilience Through Horses: Katie has been involved with other projects at Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in the past including The Clothesline Project, Weaving Our Voices, The Tea and Talk Toolkit, and the Volunteer Hours In a Box. Some of Katie’s other experience includes mentoring youth at a therapeutic farm, and working with youth in remote northern Ontario communities. Katie holds a Bachelors of Social Work from the University of Victoria and has over 5 years experience in Social Service in the City of Peterborough. Katie is committed to practicing trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, critical social work. Providing therapeutic services to marginalized youth, who have experienced trauma, is a deeply personal, passion for Katie and it shows in her work.

Viviane Burmester, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, and Horse Handler, The Mane Intent: Viviane had the courage to reach out to us in 2015 to explore an opportunity to complete a 5 month internship with the business. We are really glad she did as she has been a wonderful asset to our team. Viviane arrived in March, 2017 from Hamburg, Germany and is here for five-months completing an internship that is part of her studies in International Management at the University of Applied Science in Hamburg. She fell in love with Canada a few years ago, when working on a Ranch in Alberta and she is happy that she got the opportunity to return. Horses have been part of her life since she was years old and it is a true gift for her to see them as ”healers” in such a wonderful program. It is a true gift to us to have Viviane as part of our team.

Janet Crocker is a registered psychotherapist with a practice in Belleville, Ontario. Janet co-facilitates our Illuminating Your Path to Wellness Workshop. Janet’s approach is based on Gestalt, which emphasizes awareness of who we are, what we experience and how we respond to the world in any given moment. Deepening the connection with self, clarifying how we truly feel and what we need/want, understanding our reactions and what has shaped them — all lead to greater self-acceptance and create possibilities for change. Janet graduated from the Gestalt Institute of Toronto as a therapist in 1993. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Ryerson University, complemented by studies in psychology at the University of Toronto and adult learning at OISE. Janet also brings to her work extensive exploration and training in expressive arts techniques. Over the past two decades, Janet has combined psychotherapy, corporate consulting and teaching into a successful career focused on personal and organizational transformation. She is a member of the Canadian Association of Psychodynamic Therapy (CAPT).
Heather Grieve, Physiotherapist and Breathing Educator:

Heather Grieve, Physiotherapist and Breathing Educator: Heather is a co-facilitator for our Power of Breathe offering. Heather graduated from Queen’s University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science (Hon. Physical Therapy). She has subsequently worked with a broad range of clients at private orthopaedic and sport injury clinics located in Kingston, ON; Dublin, Ireland; Fredericton, NB; and Peterborough, ON. She currently bases her practice within the Murphy Therapeutic Group in Peterborough, ON.

Over the years, Heather has taken an extensive range of post-graduate physiotherapy courses and certifications. In 2012, Heather completed a course entitled ‘An Introduction to Breathing Assessment and Re-education’, not realizing how this experience would set her up on a new and exciting path. She found this course so inspiring, she soon pursued more extensive coursework in the field through the Graduate School of Behaviour Sciences (University of Wyoming) as well as completing the comprehensive Buteyko Breathing Educator training course with Chris Bauman, MA (via BBE Canada). This past fall, she was invited to attend further studies in Australia with another world class breathing educator, Tess Graham, PT. Because of the potent health benefits Heather experienced for herself and witnessed in others during this coursework,  her entire clinical practice is focused on breathing re-education. It is her goal and passion to share how learning healthy breathing habits can be a powerful tool in attaining health and well-being.