Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center is proud to offer Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP), a unique and groundbreaking model, used around the country as a dynamic, powerful tool in mental health therapy. EFP specifically targets people with mental and emotional health issues, stemming from traumatic life events, chemical imbalances, cognitive disorders and a wide range of other mental and emotional health problems.

Beginning January 2026, Little Bit is proud to welcome a new in-house mental health counselor, Caitlin Shea (she/her), LMHC. A lifelong horse person, Caitlin has experienced firsthand how working with horses can benefit our mental health and holistic wellbeing. This led her to get a BS in Therapeutic Horsemanship before her Master's degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Psychology. Caitlin enjoys working with people from diverse backgrounds, ages and life experiences, utilizing a mix of therapeutic modalities and perspectives to create dynamic treatment plans that support the goals of the individuals she is working with, including trauma informed therapy, somatic therapy, DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), art therapy and experiential therapy. When she is not at Little Bit, Caitlin loves to travel, be with people she loves, sit in the sunshine, go on hikes in the mountains and paint with watercolors. Through the EFP program at Little Bit, Caitlin is excited to be part of a therapeutic community that encourages connection, creativity, thriving and self discovery, all while partnering with amazing and intuitive horses. For more information, please contact Lisa Spann at lisas@littlebit.org.

CONTRACTED PROVIDERS

Little Bit also partners with local mental health therapists to provide EFP services at our facility. These therapists work hand-in-hand with a PATH certified Equine Specialist from the Little Bit staff. To enquire about EFP services, costs and scheduling, please reach out to the therapist of your choosing using the email address provided below:

Melissa Cope, MSW, LICSW is a mental health therapist who specializes in work with children. Melissa obtained her bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and her masters in social work, both from West Virginia University.  Her studies were focused on children and families with disabilities, though mostly with autism.  She has always had a passion for horses and was determined to incorporate their healing power into her therapy sessions, so she created a program for her masters level research project and witnessed the benefits firsthand.  For this reason (and many others!), Melissa is excited to combine her passions together and work as a team with Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. To find out more of becoming a patient of Melissa’s, please contact Melissa at Melissa.cope@copecounseling.com.

Abigail (Abby) Crickmore (she/they) LMHC, CCTP is a mental health counselor who specializes in work with adolescents, adults, and First Responders. Abby obtained her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and her Master of Science in mental health counseling, both from Central Washington University.  Their studies were focused on trauma treatment, as well as queer and neurodivergent identities.  They have had personal horses in their life from the age of 12, and have worked at a local farm helping to run pony camps for kids. Currently, she owns two horses named: Jack and Z, and Abby has found her personal horses to be incredibly therapeutic and healing, and for this reason, she is excited to bring healing to clients with the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center team. To find out more about becoming a client of Abby’s, please contact Abby at stablegroundtherapy@outlook.com.

If you are interested in finding out more about EFP services at Little Bit or becoming a part of this program, please contact Adaptive Director Devon Stone at dstone@littlebit.org.