Horses and Healing: an Arizona Equine Assisted Therapy Personal Branding Photo Session

I'd like you to meet Christie Ashbeck, an inspiring behavioral health counselor and the founder of AZ Whole Heart Connection. Christie isn’t your typical counselor. Her journey in behavioral health started with a focus on the emotional well-being of horses, and now she integrates that experience into her work, offering Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy. As Christie states, “Through E-AP the horse becomes the feedback for the client, and the environment provides a unique space outside the norms of traditional mental health care.” This innovative approach allows clients to explore their feelings in a calming environment, with horses as supportive partners in their healing journey. In 2022 she started AZ Whole Heart Connection, a practice where she offers clinical mental health care in addition to Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (E-AP).

Christie’s inspiration for starting AZ Whole Heart Connection was that “when I noticed that through working with traumatized horses with Whole Horse Connection, many horse owners watching the work would notice a decrease in their own trauma symptoms, a better regulated emotional state, and a new outlook on how to operate within their relationships with themselves and others. Interestingly, horses are similar in humans in that they are “herd” animals, and their ability to stay and feel safe in their environment is directly related to the health of the herd they run with. Because of my experience in treating traumatized horses, I became keenly interested in treating trauma in humans, as both species share these disruptions to their well-being, yet with entirely different presentations. Horses tend to release their trauma more readily, while humans, with the help of their larger, more “developed” brains, tend to hold onto their trauma much longer, as they believe it is a directly related to who they are and what they “deserve.” This is known as “complex trauma,” which horses do not have.”

Christie draws inspiration from her work with both horses and humans, understanding that true healing happens in a safe and supportive environment. She’s well-versed in the complexities of trauma and brings a blend of compassion and knowledge to her practice. As she notes, “I have a specialized interest working with couples through the recovery process of relational trauma that presents itself in adult relationships as conflict, loss of connection, codependency, love addiction/avoidance, infidelity, betrayal/trauma bonds, attachment disorders and generational trauma. I am certified in Relational Life Therapy (RLT) created by Terry Real, founder of the Relational Life Institute and best-selling author of "New Rules of Marriage," and "US."

If you’re looking for other insightful resources, Christie also recommends authors like John Bradshaw, and Pia Mellody. Their work has helped shape her understanding of relationships and personal growth. “Each of these authors are linked together through the Meadows, a world-renowned trauma and addiction treatment center in Wickenburg, AZ where I was fortunate to work as a clinical therapist in 2019. The Meadows was founded by Pia Mellody, author of “Facing Codependency” and “Facing Love Addiction.” John Bradshaw was a senior fellow of the Meadows for many years before his passing, he authored best-selling books “Healing the Shame That Binds You,” and “Homecoming.” He also had a popular of PBS series titled “On the Family” in the mid-80’s.”

Christie explains what she does in this way: “The modalities I use are designed to bring deep healing and swift changes in yourself and your relationships. I offer counseling for both individuals and couples, with the focus in creating a better relationship with the self and others, I also offer 2-Day Intensive Workshops and 6-hour couples intensives. It is my belief that we cannot connect to a relationship if we can’t connect to a person, and we can’t connect to a person if we can’t connect to ourselves. With this work, we first reconnect people to themselves—their feelings, desires, and needs—and then reconnects them to their relationships. Many clients that come to me are deep thinkers who want to explore the root of things, rather than just address symptom management or learn coping skills. They want to change how they make meaning of themselves and others, how they find and create relationships, and how they choose their life course rather than "waiting" for life to take them somewhere.”

As you can see from Christie’s experience, Personal Branding photography is a great way to tell your story and showcase your work. Christie plans to use her branding photos for her planned website update and for the walls in her office, creating a visual narrative that will resonate with clients.

As Christie reflected back on her session, she noted that I was professional, friendly, and made the photo session fun. She liked that I am very experienced and worked hard to get the perfect shot. And also, that I understood her vision and knew how to create it when she didn’t really have an idea how to do it on her own. If you’re feeling hesitant about getting in front of the camera, know that a personal branding session can be a fun and customized experience.

I’d love to do the same for you. Are you ready to step into the spotlight and show the world who you are? Let’s chat about creating a strategic set of personal branding photos that truly represent you. Contact me today, and let's create something extraordinary together!

Christie can be reached at the Arizona Whole Heart Connection in Gold Canyon, Arizona

For more information on Personal Branding Photography, check out this blog on: The 6 Reasons Why Your Business needs a Professional Personal Branding Shoot and this one on: The Power of Personal Branding – Julie’s Story

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