Our Qualified Staff

Partners & Certifications

Steph Peek, Associate Clinical Social Worker & PPSC

Head Therapist

My journey becoming a certified equine therapist began in 2014 when I had gone to Hawaii with family and was in a very depressed state. One day I looked at my sister and said, “I don’t care what we do here — I just want to ride a horse.” This is something I had never done, but I quickly found that riding atop a horse, bumping along with the horse’s bilateral movement (shifting back and forth as the horse strode), my distress began to melt off me from the top down. I later learned that bilateral movement shifts the brain, removing one from the amygdala (the seat of emotions) and shifting into the frontal lobe (the thinking brain). I knew in that moment I wanted to bring this style of healing to youth without means to access it as well as those that had never experienced it. Returning from Hawaii, I obtained my Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, became trained and certified by the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA), obtained my Pupil Personnel Services Credential, studied expressive arts therapy, and attained my license, all to further my qualification to do this work properly as a mental health professional.

EAGALA will only certify a therapist if they have a degree in a relevant field with a code of ethics (such as my MSW degree). My social-work training and experience are particularly relevant to this work. Social work focuses on helping people in the context of their environment, and social workers are advocates for their clients, not just one-on-one therapists. I work with clients directly, but also connect with parents, teachers, school personnel, foster-system staff, and more. Recognizing that a person’s struggles aren’t separate from their social context is an important part of understanding who they are and being able to meet them where they are at in the moment.

Among the personal qualities that make me particularly suited to this work are my empathic nature (I am sensitive to the feelings of others around me), strong communication and listening skills, background in expressive arts (as a singer-songwriter and theater actor), an affinity for the outdoors (hiking, nature, traveling), and connection with animals including my dog that occasionally works with me alongside the horses.

I am also adept at thinking on my feet, which enables me to be flexible based on clients’ needs at the time. I can bring in various effective therapy methods that are beneficial for different clients facing different struggles, particularly CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), psychodynamic theory, and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Horseback riding is also beginning to be recognized for the similarities to the clinically proven therapy technique called EMDR, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, due to the bilateral movements the horses create while moving.

As a youth, I didn’t feel nurtured or supported. I was depressed in high school, and nobody noticed or offered support. I felt I had no voice or anyone to talk to. I felt isolated. Ever since that time, I’ve wanted to help young people work through their own experiences. Today, I am privileged to provide support for young people as well as adults. Equine-assisted learning and therapy can be particularly impactful for foster and formerly unhoused youth, as well as people on the autism spectrum and those with ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder), PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), or attachment disorders. Because this work can often have dramatic effects in a very short time, I have the special joy of sometimes seeing rapid improvement in a client, something that traditional, office-based therapists may not experience often. I would be honored to have a chance to work with you.

Certifications and Education

• Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) 

• MSW with a focus on Children, Youth and Families from Cal State University East Bay 

• Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC)

• Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW)

Memberships and Organizations

• National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

• California Society of Clinical Social Workers (CSCSW)

• Equitopia

• Horse Dream USA