Press the Play button to learn how horses coach humans to a better life
I believe in the Butterfly effect.
I am passionate about offering my service to First Responders and I feel a connection with them and understand the bond they share. I spent many years involved in Corporate Security, Police Reserves, Investigations and as a Victims Advocate with the Domestic Violence Response Team.
If the work I do touches one first responder’s life and they are able to unburden their unfinished business, I know all the other people they come in contact with will be positively affected.
Asking for help is brave, there is NO shame in it and …Equus is listening, and so am I.
First Responders, Are you living your life in Survival Mode?
Let’s Talk, I have solutions. Start RESPONDING to your life and learn about your REACTIONS to triggers. There is a way to unload the stress and trauma. Ask me how? I am a coach, I Do Not report this and I do not keep records for HIPAA. This is a confidential service.
Groups starting this month. For you and your significant others (they have their own separate groups) Have a place to unload your trauma, keeping it all in is deadly.
I am offering Gestalt Coaching Groups and individual Sessions. Trauma Coaching, Stress Coaching, Call it what you will, I am offering a place to unload your burdens and a place to get back to your reason Why.
I believe supporting First Responders is an essential part of the recovery.
“Cheryl’s compassion is natural and heartfelt. She shows the highest respect for her clients and gently with the present experience, guides them to step into their own inner wisdom and bring healing”.
—Elisabeth D., Lafayette, CO
The Equine Gestalt Coaching Method is based on the theory that we are all whole, that we have our answers inside ourselves and through Gestalt Coaching we can uncover them together. The burden of traumas we experience through life can weigh us down and feel like a backpack full of bricks. Past experiences can overlay on current ones and we react instead of responding. Come unburden yourself in a place that is safe to unload some of your bricks, finish unfinished business and choose to respond to your future and get back to the WHY of your life. Why did you become a First Responder to begin with? If the answer to this has become clouded with the charge of so many un-speak-able situations, come visit my horse and I. We can hold space for you to leave the past in the dirt and take the charge off those experiences so you can live your WHY.
- I offer you a safe place to discover your authentic self;
- You will find a space to drop the really hard stuff you are carrying — and release it forever;
- Learn how to shift from reacting into responding to both big — and small — triggers.
Scientifically proven method
The EGCMethod has been proven in an independent study. More than 96% of study respondents found they felt better after an EGC session than they did at its beginning.
developed by melisa pearce, founder of touched by a horse
The Equine Gestalt Coaching Method was developed by Melisa Pearce, a core founder since 1989, of the horse-human healing movement. The experiential nature of the method involves the horse as an active partner with the coach in the client’s exploratory process. The integrative approach of the equine’s interaction combined with positive coaching, somatic awareness, guidance and Gestalt Methodology, assist the client in examining their life and choices made with a focus on designing a positive future.
Experience the wisdom of horses!
The horses have a
message for you!
"Cheryl’s beautiful heart and presence creates a safe space for clients to connect with their authenticity, pain & raw emotions to support them in their journey towards healing and wholeness".
About Me
I say I have been around horses since before I was born, I was in my Mom’s stomach while she tended to the horses. Horses were my best and truest friends, and horses saved my life…period.
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, CA in the 70’s and 80’s I spent much time alone on the back of my horse in the hills. I did not understand any of the science or woo woo nature of the horse then, I just knew it was the only time I felt really at peace.
I was a Valley Girl, by definition of the 80s movie and attended the Animal Studies Biological Sciences / Zoo Magnet at North Hollywood High School. I have worked since I was 13, during the summers and after school till I graduated.
During the 90s I worked as an Investigator for a Private Investigative Company mostly tailing suspects for Workers Comp Cases.
I became a Domestic Violence Victims Advocate in the Los Angeles Police Departments D.A.R.T. program. It was healing for me as I had been a victim myself. I enjoyed working together with the D.A.R.T. Officers and the camaraderie within the department. I was testing with several police departments during this time, and made the decision to not pursue this line of work as I ultimately decided I was not comfortable with the possibility I could be in a situation to take a life, no matter how justified it may be. I still loved the thrill of investigating.
I decided to work in security, in the private sector and spent five years in Retail Loss Prevention. I then worked for Twentieth Century Fox in Corporate Security and had the pleasure of working closely with many departments in the course of my work there. I was a Reserve Officer with The Los Angeles School District Police Department during this period as well.
I took a few years off to take care of sick parents and made a move to the Boulder County area of Colorado. I was a Property Manager in Boulder, Colorado for over 8 years and currently work for Touched By A Horse in Elizabeth, Colorado.
In 2018 trying to find a way to share with others, the amazing connection I had always felt around horses, I found Melisa Pearce’s program for Equine Gestalt Coaching at Touched by a Horse. It was quite literally the road map to everything I was unable to articulate and more that I even knew was possible.
I graduated from the EGCM Certification Program in 2020 and the GCM Certification program in 2022. I am a dual certified Master Gestaltist™.
I believe in the Butterfly effect. I am passionate about offering my service to First Responders and I feel a connection with them and understand the bond they share. If the work I do touches one First Responders life and they are able to unburden their unfinished business, I know all the other people they come in contact with will be positively affected. Asking for help is brave, there is NO shame in it and …Equus is listening, and so am I.
Meet Remy, Your 1000 lb Coach
Remy is a Quarter Horse born in 2002. She had an exceptionally long career in Reining and was retired at 16 years old due to a condition known as Ringbone. Her last year of competition was 2018, she only ran 7 of the 12 months, and her and her rider had amassed enough points to win Youth High Point World Champion for AQHA and NRHA. She went out on the top of her game.
Remy was retired from Reining, but not life. Those around her knew there was something special about her. We are both reinventing ourselves and are partners in healing. She is a Wonder Woman.
Meet Miss Daisy, Your 250 lb Coach
Miss Daisy is a 6-year-old Mini Horse. She was raised as a therapy mini and is curious, sassy and loving. She came to me a year ago and has bonded with her big sister Remy. She may be small in stature, but her heart is as large as any full sized horse.
Who can benefit from Equine Gestalt Coaching?
In any situation where life changes, there is trauma, or an incident has deeply affected you — or when you want to clear past influences out of your way to growth, EGCM can benefit you. EGCM is not psychotherapy, although it is sometimes used in conjunction with a therapy program. You can benefit from EGCM regardless of whether you’re in a therapy program or not.
- Human Empowerment
- Life Transitions
- Childhood Trauma
- Grief
- End of Life Resolution
- Family & Teen Counseling
- Combat Trauma
- Couples & Marriage Improvement
- Body Image
- Victim Recovery
- Conflic Mediation
- Depression
- Empty Nest & Retirement Adjustment
- Reinvention of Self
- Corporate Team Building
- Leadership Discovery