Katie Fallon is a PATH, Intl. Advanced Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor with nearly twenty years of experience in facilitating sessions for clients with a wide range of physical, cognitive, psychological, and emotional challenges. She is certified as an Equine Specialist through EAGALA, and is a PATH, Intl. Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. Katie also is certified as a Masterson Method Equine Specialist. She holds a certification in Equine-Facilitated Learning from the HERD Institute, where she has recently joined the faculty. She has presented on various aspects of equine-assisted services at national, regional, and local conferences. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in international relations from Georgetown University and Columbia University.

Beth Ratchford is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Western Seminary. She has a private practice in Leesburg and specializes in treating adults who have experienced childhood trauma. Beth is an EAGALA certified Mental Health Specialist and provides Equine Assisted Psychotherapy services. Beth has trained with Pia Mellody in the Post Induction Therapy model of treatment and uses it as the primary framework in her work with clients. She is also trained in the use of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for treating trauma and other difficult life experiences.

Margaret Greeves, Program Assistant, graduated from Frederick Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Business Management. She received her certification as an Eagala Equine Specialist in 2023, and was credentialed as a PATH, Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor in the summer of 2024. Margaret has been volunteering and working at Bridle Paths since April of 2022. In that capacity, she has supported the provision of Therapeutic Horsemanship and group Equine-Assisted Learning sessions. She has worked with horses since she was 4, and was part of a barn management training program from ages 12 to 16. Maggie has several years of experience working with children, from classroom environments to babysitting to summer camps.

Stephanie is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a resident marriage and family therapist with New Story Behavioral Health in Falls Church, Virginia. She works primarily with couples but also works regularly with individuals, children and whole families. She uses a unique integration of methods that focuses on thoughts (mind) and feelings (body). Her methods are informed by Family Systems Theory, Attachment Theory and Polyvagal Theory. She is trained in Emotion Focused Therapy, Child-Centered Play Therapy and Parent-Child Relationship Therapy. She is also trained and certified through EAGALA to conduct equine-assisted psychotherapy.

Elizabeth Young is a seasoned Licensed Professional Counselor with three decades of experience in mental health and school administration. She has led and supervised a large team of school social workers in critical areas like human trafficking, foster care, special education, and child protective services for two large school districts near Washington DC. Holding a Ed.M specializing in counseling psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Elizabeth is certified by the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (Eagala) and provides equine-assisted psychotherapy services. She conducts training and consultation for veterinary clinics throughout the DC metropolitan area focusing on work-related trauma prevention and real time coping strategies using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) resourcing techniques. She believes there is a direct relevance of best practices in social work to the support of animal care workers. Both professionals are direct responders who are vulnerable to being profoundly affected and possibly damaged by their work through burnout and compassion fatigue. In a presentation to be delivered in January 2025 titled “Intertwined Paths of Human and Animal Welfare: Lessons in Risk Assessment, Mental Wellness and DEI,” she will be addressing the mental wellness component based on her professional experience and training.

Mairin Fallon is a graduate of The Catholic University of America with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing and a minor in psychology. She licensed as a Registered Nurse, and works full-time as a psychiatric nurse with a local residential behavioral healthcare facility that serves both young adults and adolescents. She has volunteered at Bridle Paths since 2010, and became Bridle Paths’ volunteer coordinator in 2014. Mairin has had a lifelong love of horses and started riding at the age of 3. She has assisted Bridle Paths in training, supervising, and orienting new volunteers to the program as well as with horse handling and stable management. She has extensive experience with working with clients with physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral challenges.

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