New Jersey is home to quite a few therapeutic horseback riding stables but Bergen County recently opened the area's first ever equin emotional Wellness Center in Leonia it's called a stable life the team both horses and humans are dedicated to helping people through the toughest of times as Raven Santana reports the best part about healing with horses is that no words ever need to be exchanged off a busy highway just 2 miles away away from the George Washington Bridge and nestled inside over peek County Park you'll find more than 100 horses ponies and even donkeys here at Bergen County's first equine emotional Wellness Center a stable life stable life brings together horses and humans um to establish the connection in a very non-judgmental safe environment so the wellness center is um it's it's total it's a very holistic approach the majority of my clients are women who've experienced trauma um I also work with veterans with PTSD Anna Gip is the founder of a stable life which is the first equin Wellness Center in Bergen County the center offers support to individuals who are dealing with trauma anxiety isolation grief domestic violence and addiction gassib says the ecoin Therapy Program uses horses to facilitate growth and healing I had a client who said well my English isn't isn't that good and I said you know what horses don't speak English at all it's okay they don't speak English either let's let's do this well therapy sessions range about an hour and they can be done in group sessions or oneon-one and that involves everything from riding a horse or to just standing by one and feeding it so you might have an issue that's showing that's on the surface today that requires something different that requires you to sit in a stall and just meditate and cry and that's okay so there there are horses that I know because I know the horses there are horses that I know that'll be like okay with that Gip says she currently has about 40 clients in total many of which have been referred to by a number of agencies she works with including the Bergen Family Center and the Covenant House of Newark almost all the agencies offer funding for individuals to receive treatment so I the reason why I came here um I was referred here is started with my with the domestic violence with an ex-boyfriend working here with Anna she really helped me you know try to work on myself and who I really am minus the alcohol minus drugs minus the abuse from boyfriends Kathy Klein has been receiving treatment at the wellness center for about four months and says it's been a game changer for her I know the group they usually have a group of miniature horses they come to you and we're kind of in the barn and they we're all sitting in a a circle and then you'll have the miniature horses just kind of roam around you kind of feel you out feel how you're feeling today what your Zone like you're in a good mood and a bad mood kleene is not alone Dory bortniker who is dealing with very different challenges says the treatment has given her a new purpose and confidence in life I didn't realize to the level that it how much it teaches you about yourself about it's about the world you see what you are living and how you're living your own life Gip encourages those who are struggling with mental Wellness to try the therapy especially if traditional therapy has been unsuccessful you don't have to be tied to someone's couch or a chair for a year or years to come you could have your 8 weeks 10 weeks and have a beautiful life you you there are alternatives for NJ Spotlight news I'm Raven Santana [Music]