Our Staff

Amy Hartwig

Amy, co-owner of Stable In Christ, is our Horse Trainer/Equine Specialist and Program Director with a BA in Psychology and Women’s Studies and over 25 years of horse experience including 15 years as a Riding Instructor and Professional Horse Trainer. She is Level 1 Certified by Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association and has experience in the field of Social Work.

Mark Hartwig

Mark, co-owner of Stable In Christ, is our Journeyman Carpenter who fills the roles of property building, designing, and upkeep, as well as Equine Specialist and Professional Ferrier with 14 plus years of horse experience.

Therapists

At present we are fortunate to have two very qualified Professional Therapists working with our program.

Brenda Hunter

Brenda , MA of Clinical Psychology and a Licensed Professional Counselor for 16 years has not only been doing EAGALA model Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted Learning for 7 years, but also Chairs the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association Ethics Committee and serves as one of the Association’s international trainers being advanced certified. Her diverse background includes everything from Veteran’s with PTSD, to brain injury rehabilitation, residential treatment for adolescents, and being Clinical Supervisor for other therapists and community bases prevention programs.

Karen Mahan

Karen, LCSW has been practicing psychotherapy for 21 years and equine assisted psychotherapy (EAP) for four years. Karen has her private practice with Trillium Care Group in Elm Grove, WI where she works with adults and adolescents using a combination of cognitive therapy, solution focused/systems approaches, EMDR and HMR. Transitions Equine is Karen's farm based business where she practices EAP. Areas of special interest and experience include affective disorders, OCD, trauma/PTSD, AODA, and gambling addictions.

Horses

We also consider our 7 horses to be an integral part of our staff. They range in ages from 7 to 22 years of age, are many different breeds and sizes, and come from many different backgrounds including rescue and show horses. They love attention and being with people, and are experienced with doing Equine Assisted Growth and Learning.