CLARKS SUMMIT, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Tucked away in the hills of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, the horses and team members at the Equines for Freedom farm help provide free mental health treatment for veterans, military personnel and first responders suffering from PTSD or other trauma-related conditions.
President of the Equines for Freedom Executive Board, William Brennan, started here as a patient and now helps host monthly open houses on the farm to educate people on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Treatment, better known as EMDR.
“I don’t hide the fact that I had PTSD, and this place actually saved my life,” Brennan said.
EMDR treatment consists of a certified therapist, an equine specialist, and one of the several horses on the farm, including 14-year-old Paul, a paint horse rescued by the Equines for Freedom team about three years ago.
“You meet once a week, and it lasts as long as you want it to last, which is incredible,” Brennan said.
But when folks come to the farm for the Open House, they get to see that the work that Brennan and his team of therapists, specialists, and horses provide is all free, community-driven, and 100% anonymous for service members.
“Being anonymous is important to a lot of people because they don’t want their work to find out, and they don’t want it to hit on insurance claims or anything like that, so we don’t accept insurance or anything like that,” Brennan said.
The open house is just one of many community-driven events that help fundraise for the 501c3 non-profit and educate others about the organization’s work in destigmatizing and treating mental health effectively for those who currently serve or have previously served our country.
“They have a better understanding of what we do here by coming through here so that they could tell people about it,” Brennan said, “Everybody we know knows a first responder or a veteran in their life, so it’s a great way to refer it.”
If you or someone you know is interested in receiving equine-based therapy or other services provided by Equines for Freedom, you can click here to head to their website.