Kristie completed her bachelor of science in Clinical Psychology with a dual minor in Sociology and Communications from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.  During her undergraduate work, she became passionate about research.  She co-authored the book, "The Transitory Nature of Parent, Sibling, and Romantic Partner Relationships in Emerging Adulthood".  She received presidential honors including a Silver medal for the Chamblis Awards for work in original writing in literature, meritorious writing in other fields, and successfully completed research projects.  She co-authored two other works: “Cross Cultural Variations in Parenting Challenges” and “A Qualitative Examination of Dating Partnerships in Emerging Adulthood". In 2014 she was selected to provide the commencement address at the university's commencement ceremony. Kristie went on to complete her master's degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Applied Psychology with a focus on the Interdisciplinary Studies of Human Development.  While at Upenn, she worked in an emergency housing shelter for women and children experiencing interpersonal violence in Philadelphia, PA and Penn Child Research Center.  After graduating she went on to become a licensed Behavioral Specialist. Kristie started working with horses when she was 8 years old and horses remained a part of her life over the years.  In 2017, Kristie was working with a child that noticed similarities between the horse's injuries and some of her own challenges.  Kristie became interested in the idea of merging horses and therapy as a way of fostering healing within an experiential setting and began exploring what resources were available in the community.  She created a research study called Stable Connection which looked at the effectiveness of equine-assisted interventions in sibling dyads.  This kick started her goals of creating a nonprofit aimed towards the inclusion of horses in therapeutic settings. She went on to become a certified Equine-Assisted Mental Health Practitioner (EAMHP) through the University of Denver's Institute for Human-Animal Connection. Since moving to Oregon she has worked as a mental health crisis responder as a Family Intervention Specialist and a Child and Family Therapist.  Recently she helped kick start a therapeutic pilot program with the Department of Human Services (DHS) for youth in foster care. Kristie is a certified crisis intervention specialist and in 2019 completed the Foster and Adoptive Certification Program through Portland State University.  Kristie is honored to have the opportunity to walk alongside youth and their families during times of crisis and to bare witness to the healing that stories, nature, and animals can bring.