Positive STEPS

influencer.

Young clients at S.T.E.P.S. With Horses do play therapy in a ranch environment.

POSITIVE STEPS

equine therapy’s mental health benefits

HORSES ARE MAJESTIC CREATURES. Their manes, big eyes, strong bodies and peaceful dispositions are awe-inspiring—so it’s no wonder that equine therapy is a powerful tool for mental well-being. We spoke to Hallie Sheade, co-founder of S.T.E.P.S. With Horses—located in Cresson, a city just outside Tarrant County— about the transformations they’ve seen in children and adults from all over Dallas-

Fort Worth.

DFWCHILD: Tell us about the origins of S.T.E.P.S. With Horses.

Hallie Sheade: My husband Paul Ziehe, a [U.S. Marine Corps] veteran, and I started S.T.E.P.S. in 2017 to expand equine-assisted mental health services and to increase access to these services. I have a Ph.D. in counseling, and I’m a licensed professional counselor supervisor as well as a registered play therapist supervisor, and have been practicing equine-assisted counseling for

more than 10 years. I’ve seen many clients [The horses] notice many cues indicative of struggle to access high-quality mental health a person’s emotional state, such as breathing services, with cost being the main barrier. rate, heart rate, body language, facial expresThat’s compounded by the fact that many sions, tone of voice, even scent. The feedback clients, especially military and at-risk youth, the equine provides assists the client in gaining are reluctant to try office-based approaches. insight into thoughts, feelings, behaviors as We created S.T.E.P.S. to help fill that gap. they’re happening in the moment. The coun-

C: You mentioned military and at-risk youth; selor helps them connect those experiences to are they your primary clients? any challenges they’re facing. The clients also HS: We specialize in working with military have the opportunity to practice problemservice members, veterans, their family mem- solving, decision-making, calming skills and bers, at-risk youth and others with mental communication skills that can be applied to health needs. Most commonly, we [work daily life. with those] experiencing posttraumatic stress, C: What about equine therapy for kids? aftereffects of trauma, depression, anxiety, HS: We use an approach I developed, Equinechild behavior problems, and social skills and Partnered Play Therapy, for kids ages 4–10. self-esteem issues. We recreated the traditional play

C: What makes interacting with therapy room in a ranch environhorses so restorative? ment. Miniature equines are HS: Research has demon- invited into the therapy strated numerous benefits process, and the child has the of interacting with animals, opportunity to include the such as reduced blood equines in their play as they pressure, reduced anxiety, work through things. [The increased [positive] hor- kids] can express themselves mones and decreased stress … but also project their feelhormones. It’s also been shown ings onto the equine. that animals help facilitate rela- C: Can you tell us about a child tionship development you have worked with? between people. The HS: Sam [whose name presence of horses sup- has been changed for ports the development privacy] started coming of a strong therapeutic to us at age 7. Sam’s relationship. father served in the As prey animals, equines are constantly STEP UP military, and Sam and his parents lived all over aware of everything S.T.E.P.S. (which stands for Spectrum the world. His parents and everyone in their of Therapeutic Equine-Partnered brought him to counselenvironment. For this Services) With Horses is always in need ing because he had diffireason, they have a high of donations in order to provide no-cost culty getting along with level of attunement to services or financial assistance; the kids his own age. Sam human feelings, even organization is also in the process of would tell his parents those feelings that we raising funds for a facility. You can donate that he often felt sad ourselves may not through stepswithhorses.org. and angry; he had years consciously know we’re of problem behaviors, experiencing. That including tantrums and makes equines ideal trying to hurt himself, partners in counseling. They’re inherently [which] resulted in frequent hospitalizations. genuine and authentic, non-judgmental, When he first began working with [us], Sam empathic. We view equines as true partners in was very unaware of how his behavior affected the healing journey. those around him. He would frequently

C: How does treatment work? run to the horses screaming and waving his HS: It focuses on lessening symptoms or hands. He was unconcerned that the horses disorders. It can also help people cope with moved away from him. Over the next several challenges and experience greater meaning in weeks, Sam began to try out different ways of their lives. Interaction with equines is used in approaching and talking to them. He noticed conjunction with a variety of counseling tech- [the horses] wanted to be close to him when niques, including trauma processing, cognitive he was calm and quiet; they chose to approach behavioral strategies, motivational interview- him on their own accord. By befriending the ing, mindfulness and grounding skills. horses, he learned how to make friends.

There’s no riding involved. Working with Soon, his parents [told us] Sam was acting the horses in their natural environment, more nurturing to the family dog; he also without attempting to exert control over started trying to make friends at school. He them, allows them to respond to the client in told [his parents] he was happy again, and his a natural manner, as if the client were a part teachers noticed he was more focused. Today, of the herd. he’s finding healthy ways to relate to others.

HOW-TO

GUIDE

Everyone’s into life hacks these days. We want to do things better, faster and without complications. So here’s our How-To Guide for a simplified family life.

How to Improve Your Child’s Social IQ

Does your child struggle with peer interactions, changes in routine, new experiences? Does it always feel like a social struggle at school or on a playdate?

A shaky social pragmatic foundation can be the result of a learning difference, language disorder, ADHD, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder or no diagnosis at all. Our children have had few opportunities to practice social skills in the past year. Improving your child’s social intelligence quotient can impact conversation skills, friendships, peer conflict resolution and problem solving.

Your involvement as a parent is as easy as infusing perspective-taking and empathy skills into your everyday life. Become your child’s “social coach” and help raise their social IQ with these tips.

Serving students in preschool through high school, Oak Hill Academy fosters social intelligence by incorporating social learning into the students’ daily schedules and offering small group social lessons. We offer a differentiated, multisensory approach to learning where students learn to thrive.

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3Social IQ Building Tips

RECOGNIZE DIFFERENT THOUGHTS IN OTHERS

Explain that others have different “thought bubbles.” Practice using new language such as “I am having a thought about…” Notice others’ body language and make guesses on emotions, thoughts, motives and intentions.

READ BOOKS AND WATCH MOVIES

Discuss each character’s thoughts, feelings and motives — including the villains!

MEET PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES

Volunteer, interview a grandparent, watch documentaries or vacation to new places to broaden perspective on different ways people live.

How to Choose the Right Dog Day Care and Boarding Facility

Trust Camp Bow Wow® with your furry family member

As a pet parent, there are many things to consider when choosing a facility to take care of your furry child. Trust is a critical factor that should be at the top of every pet parent’s mind, along with these other important aspects:

• Is the staff trained or certified? • What are the safety features? • How often will my dog have access to play yards and outside areas? • Will my dog play with other dogs, and if so, are the other animals properly socialized? • Will my dog only play with dogs of similar size? • What other personalized services are available for my dog? • Are there webcams available so I can watch my dog?

For those times you can’t be with your pup, Camp Bow Wow will give you confidence that your dog is in safe, qualified and loving hands. With 12 locations in DFW, Camp Bow Wow is a one-stop shop for all your pet care needs — in addition to doggy day care and boarding, many locations also offer individual enrichment, training and grooming services.

See the Camp Bow Wow difference yourself by stopping by anytime for a tour, or schedule your dog’s free interview day by visiting campbowwow.com/dfw.

campbowwow.com/dfw

facebook.com/campbowwow twitter.com/campbowwow instagram.com/campbowwow Coppell: 769 S. MacArthur Blvd. #233, Coppell, TX 75019 • 972-393-2267 Dallas High Five: 13730 Floyd Cir., Dallas, TX 75243 • 214-575-9663 Fort Worth: 1751 Eastchase Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76120 • 682-207-2296 Grand Prairie: 117 N Belt Line Rd., Grand Prairie, TX 75050 • 972-264-3647 Grapevine: 1200 Texan Trail #300, Grapevine, TX 76051 • 817-329-7667 McKinney: 448 N Custer Rd., McKinney, TX 75071 • 214-592-0440 Plano: 2060 W. Spring Creek Pkwy. #404, Plano, TX 75023 • 469-331-6223 Rowlett: 4604 Industrial St., Rowlett, TX 75088 • 469-543-6130

How To Identify Signs of a Learning Difference in Your Child

Take the first step toward learning success

Does your child fall apart after school? Do certain homework assignments take an excessively long time to complete? Maybe your child refuses to go to school on certain days, such as when there’s a math or spelling test. These may not be behavioral issues—they could indicate that your child has a learning difference.

Students with learning differences often struggle with time management, transitions and organization. These timing troubles can cause problems both in school and at home. But you can learn to recognize the signs and help at-risk children before they experience learning failure.

The most frequently diagnosed learning differences include dyslexia, ADHD, executive functioning problems, dysgraphia (an impairment in writing ability) and dyscalculia (which makes basic math difficult to learn). Children may have a variety of symptoms.

DYSLEXIA

This is by far the most common learning difference; studies indicate that 5–10% of the population has dyslexia. The actual numbers may be even higher. Those who have dyslexia use only the right side of their brain to process language, while non-dyslexic individuals use both sides of their brain for this task. Symptoms of dyslexia may include:

+ Struggling to detect and manipulate sounds in words they hear + Having difficulty learning the soundsymbol relationships essential for sounding out words + Relying on memorization, sight word reading or guessing when it comes to reading words + Becoming frustrated when reading or showing reluctance to read + Suffering from feelings of inadequacy or low self-confidence around peers + Displaying feelings of anxiety or depression, or acting out as a result of challenges

Though children do not grow out of dyslexia, with appropriate interventions, hard work and support, they can overcome or manage associated reading problems.

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instagram.com/thewinstonschool Some of history’s most successful adults— Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin—were dyslexic.

ADHD

Signs of ADHD are divided into inattentive behaviors and hyperactive-impulsive behaviors.

Inattentive symptoms: + Making careless mistakes + Being easily distracted + Not seeming to be listening when spoken to directly + Having difficulty following instructions + Having trouble organizing + Avoiding or disliking sustained effort + Being forgetful, always losing things

Hyperactive-impulsive symptoms: + Fidgeting or squirming, trouble staying in one place or waiting his turn + Excessive running and climbing + Having trouble playing quietly + Showing extreme impatience + Seeming to always be “on the go” or

“driven by a motor” + Excessive talking or interrupting, blurting out answers

Most kids with ADHD have deficits in some executive functions (planning, organizing time and materials, making decisions and learning from past mistakes, to name a few). However, not all children with executive function issues have ADHD.

HELP THEM MEET THEIR POTENTIAL

Children with dyslexia, ADHD and other learning differences may be underachieving in school, even though they are often bright and motivated. The goal for them, as it is for all children, is to meet their potential and support their educational needs as early as possible. The only way to know for sure if your child has a learning difference is through a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation. This will shed light on your child’s challenges and strengths. That knowledge can open the door to the right resources, and you will be in a position to find an optimal learning environment to help your child thrive.

At The Winston School, bright students who learn differently® prepare for college and beyond through engaging, innovative, individualized learning led by exceptional faculty in a supportive environment. The school serves students in grades K–12, helping them work through obstacles while celebrating their individuality and creativity. In addition to rigorous core studies, Winston offers fine and performing arts, service learning, student-centered athletics and more ways for children to embrace their education experience. The school’s students are empowered to be confident, well-rounded and lifelong self-advocates.

Winston’s Testing and Evaluation Center is open to all families seeking to understand their students’ learning styles and educational needs. Visit winston-school.org for more information and to connect with the campus’s renowned experts.