The age-old debate of whether a dandelion should be considered a weed or a flower has been answered by biology; however, botanical classification tells us nothing about how we should appreciate the dandelion as a symbol and draw insight from its life cycle and resilience. When Patti Hall, LMHC, was choosing a name for her private practice, she decided to call it the Dandelion Connection, after the bright plant that has the strength to push through cracks in concrete, grow where soil is deficient, and embrace and adapt to changing seasons. On a small, private farm in central Florida, and with the help of eight rescue horses, Patti walks alongside clients, helping them discover the symbolic qualities of the dandelion in their own lives and healing journeys.
Spotting a grazing herd of horses in the distance as a child was all it took to ignite Patti’s passion for connecting and working with horses. When she earned her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology and began seeing clients, she quickly realized that many of them would benefit from relating to horses in their sessions. Through an experience with equine interaction work in Arizona, and then taking different trainings, Patti was introduced to the different applications and complexities of using equines to help people. She became certified through CBEIP in 2021 because it best fit her therapeutic style and the needs of her clients. She states that her clients really need safety and containment in the therapeutic relationship, including with their equine partners, and CEIP recognizes the practitioner’s competency in equine interaction while allowing her to incorporate horses into her practice according to her own experience of how the interactions best fit each individual’s treatment.
Patti is a certified addictions counselor and a certified sexual addictions therapist. She is trained in using modalities such as EMDR, CBT, DBT, internal family systems, and creative and expressive work. She specializes in treating addiction and trauma in adult and older teen clients and also works with those who have a dual diagnosis or neurodiversity. Her first goal is to support her clients in stabilizing their current situations and beginning to implement positive coping strategies and boundaries. Then, clients can work on identifying and addressing their traumatic experiences. When horses join the session, this allows Patti to see so many things about the client that might not be as apparent in a standard therapy session. Engaging directly with the horses provides a relational plane in which the clients show emotions, use body language and communication, and reveal many other personal factors that impact how they relate to others and respond to signals of trust and safety, as well as boundary-setting. The response of the horses, in turn, brings greater insight and awareness to the clients themselves and provides them with the opportunity to explore new ways of being and acting within relationships and in how they view themselves. Patti observes that, even with clients who have participated in this work over longer periods of time, engaging with the horses continues to be a “safe and sacred place that allows their brain and body to calm and heal as they make deep connections about their lives and past trauma. Clients learn to integrate mindfulness into their daily lives, and learn to advocate for themselves and so much more.”
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