Hunkapi Farms, a farm in Scottsdale, has launched a free program to help first responders and veterans heal from trauma and manage stress. The program is a six-week cohort using hands-on work with horses, supported by Scottsdale Research Institute.
from SUN 11:00 AM MST until SUN 11:00 PM MST, Eastern Pima-Southeastern Pinal-Santa Cruz-Western Cochise, Northern Graham-Northern Greenlee-White and Gila Mountains, Southern Graham-Central and Eastern Cochise-Southern Greenlee-Lower Elevations of the San Carlos Apache Nation in Graham County, Southern Gila County/Tonto National Forest Foothillsfrom SUN 11:00 AM MST until SUN 8:00 PM MST, White Mountains, Eastern Mogollon Rim, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County, Marble and Glen Canyons, Grand Canyon Country, Kaibab Plateau, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache Countyfrom SAT 11:00 AM MST until SAT 8:00 PM MST, Western Mogollon Rim, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County, Eastern Mogollon Rim, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County, Yavapai County Mountains, Coconino Plateau, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino Countyfrom SUN 12:00 PM MDT until SUN 9:00 PM MDT, Chinle Valley, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward, Black Mesa Area, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateaufrom SAT 12:00 PM MDT until SAT 9:00 PM MDT, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward, Black Mesa Area, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264from SUN 11:00 AM MST until SUN 8:00 PM MST, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County, Eastern Mogollon Rim, Coconino Plateau, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County, Kaibab Plateau, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County, White Mountains, Yavapai County Mountains, Grand Canyon Country, Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Western Mogollon Rimfrom SUN 12:00 PM MDT until SUN 9:00 PM MDT, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau, Black Mesa Area, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 NorthwardMay is Mental Health Awareness Month, prompting organizations to highlight specialized community care initiatives.
Hunkapi Farms in Scottsdale has launched a new free program tailored for first responders and military veterans. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and a farm in Scottsdale is helping make a difference in the community, offering a new program for first responders and veterans. At Hunkapi Farms, staff members strive to help countless people heal from trauma, with animals. Their most recent partnership is helping them to reach even more lives.
"We have a new partnership with Scottsdale Research Institute running a one-dose macro study on first responder and military veterans and referring them here offering to do post work integration work," Terra Schaad, the executive director and founder of The program is a free six-week cohort using hands-on work with the horses. The curriculum supports veterans and first responders with stress management while also helping them to build valuable mental health tools.
"We get to take them through a six-week cohort teaching them about their nervous system, fight-flight, freeze response, stress response and how to deactivate stress response in the system," Schaad said. "It’s engagement with the horses that are designed to teach them about what’s going on inside them how responding to stress engagement with horses through ground expedites doing partner work.
"Nicolas Jones, an Army veteran and a volunteer with the Scottsdale Research Institute, has a deep understanding of these challenges because he worked as a first responder for many years. "I have had my own medicine journey and experience. I’m in school now to become a therapist," Jones said.
"With first responders and veterans a bit frustration in mental health field is it doesn’t work because just talking about things, I think equine therapy is more bottom-up processing, so a combination of the two and incorporating mind, body, soul that’s really effective for first responders and veterans. ""It is unbelievable.
I am so proud of the work she is doing, so happy she met me doing it and really grateful we get to be a part of that process," Schaad said.
Health Nature First Responders Veterans Mental Health Stress Management Horse Therapy Scottsdale Research Institute Hunkapi Farms
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