The healing power of animals: Where therapy meets the barnyard

Colleen Stegenga
Sep 10, 2026
3 hrs ago

Therapy horse — Diesel, an Arabian gelding, is one of two new therapy horses at Embracing Change Counseling. "Animals help our bodies remember how to feel safe," counselor Colleen Stegenga said.
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There is something that happens when a child buries her face in the warm fur of a newborn calf or feels the rumble of a purring cat settle against her chest. Before she has the words for it, before any therapist could name it, she is already being regulated. Her nervous system is calming. Her breathing slows. The world, for a moment, makes sense.

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Colleen Stegenga, LCSW-PIP, QMHP, is a licensed clinical social worker and third-generation farmer specializing in agricultural mental health. She is certified in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and EAGALA equine psychotherapy. Embracing Change Counseling Services serves clients throughout South Dakota and North Dakota and Nebraska via telehealth and in-person sessions. She can be reached at 605-306-6383, colleen@embracingchangecs.com or visit www.embracingchangecs.com.