Beverly A. Stubblefield Ph. D.
Ecru Author
Dr. Beverly A. Stubblefield has helped thousands of individuals by providing services in mental health settings, including outpatient community mental health, inpatient psychiatry and substance abuse intervention.
Beverly A. Stubblefield Ph. D.
The Innovator wrote an article in 2006 that outlined the Key Innovation for using horses in the treatment of emotional and behavioral disorders. Dr. Stubblefield was awarded the Innovation Accolade on September 10, 2007.
The Equestrian Therapy Center of Slidell specializes in a relatively new field known as equine-assisted psychotherapy, which borrows some ideas from another therapeutic outdoor activity that came into vogue in the 1960s.
"Remember those ropes courses?" asked founder and clinical psychologist Beverly Stubblefield. "It's the same kind of thing. It's team-building, communication, trust."
In this case, the team - and the bond - formed is between the emotionally troubled patient and an animal that presents a challenging and confidence-building encounter. Stubblefield, a longtime horse lover, came up with the idea for the Equestrian Therapy Center as a way to help some of her hard to reach teenage clients learn to express their feelings and work through their problems.
"I'm bringing the psychotherapy couch, so to speak, outside to the farm, instead of sitting on a chair or sofa in an office, we're sitting in a saddle."
- Dr. Beverly Stubblefield Ph. D.
Equestrian assisted psychotherapy is distinct from hippotheraphy, horseback riding to help the physically handicapped. The therapy deals with problems such as anxiety, eating disorders and attention deficit disorder. Stubblefield has treated several clients for post-traumatic stress disorder since Hurricane Katrina.
"There's one little kid I've been working with since the storm because (his family) was in their house when it flooded and he was quite traumatized," Stubblefield said. "In learning to ride, he felt a sense of mastery and peace."
Dana Unger, a horse expert and yoga instructor in Folsom who took EAP training classes with Stubblefield in Lafayette last spring, said the method is very effective.
"You're in a unique situation with an animal that has the ability to reflect emotions and attitudes, and in which the animal and the client work it out," Unger said. "You're not standing there telling someone what they need to do. They get it through the process."
While the model of the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association calls for a mental health professional and a horse expert to collaborate in therapy sessions, Stubblefield assumes both roles, with quarter horses Roanie, J.R. and Slick as her only "assistants." She also departs from the norm by including horseback riding in her sessions, though the association model employs only non-riding exercises.
Stubblefield said her work is part of a trend in psychotherapy toward moving treatment out of the office, such as conducting sessions while exercising with clients.
"I'm bringing the psychotherapy couch, so to speak, outside to the farm," Stubblefield said. "Instead of sitting on a chair or sofa in an office, we're sitting in a saddle."
- Sonya Stinson 2006
The Psychology Times awarded Dr. Beverly Stubblefield Ph. D. with the 2022 Community Award for her work.
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" must be Dr. Beverly Stubblefield's motto. She endured violations of her Constitutional rights, culminating in a crashed career path. She picked herself up, dusted herself off, and fueled by her creativity, faith, and passionate love of everything equestrian, morphed into a successful children's book author. In 2022 Beverly produced another delightful book based on her experiences in animal-assisted psychotherapy and her years of running The Equestrian Therapy Center in Slidell, LA, an innovation that won her the New Orleans City Business Innovator Award in 2007.
After 30 years of clinical practice, Dr. Stubblefield is now retired and living with her husband Burt Kemp in rural North Mississippi, where she continues to enjoy writing, riding horses, and playing the organ for her church.
Published author and Pontotoc County Mississippi native, Dr. Beverly A. Stubblefield, was an exhibitor in Authors Alley at the Mississippi Book Festival on Saturday August 20, 2022. The event was located on the State Capital grounds in Jackson, Mississippi and was open to the public and offered free attendance for everyone. The Festival celebrated the state's literary talent through panel discussions, book signing events, and cultural activities.