I recently completed my Pro-EFW certification, intentionally taking a paced route through the core trainings. That experience, alongside the support and steadiness of Sue McIntosh at Healing Hooves, created a space for deep learning and reflection.
Each stage of the Pro-EFW core trainings aligned naturally with where I was situated in my personal and professional growth.
Explorations training first sparked curiosity, opening a doorway into the subtlety and richness of this work.
Foundations training nurtured a steady commitment to engaging in EFW more formally, while helping me grasp the ethical framework and relational principles at its heart.
Focus training allowed me to consolidate this approach not just in my professional practice, but also in my daily life. My learnings up to this point influenced how I understand and connect with others.
Finally, Integration training positioned me on solid ground, confirming that I was ready to pursue this work with more clarity and integrity.
Moving through each training with spaciousness meant the learning didn’t remain theoretical. Over time, it reshaped my relationship with my horses, broadened my understanding of mental health, and refined my stance as a psychotherapist. The process had time to settle within me and to eventually change me from the inside out.
One of the aspects that continues to make equine-facilitated work meaningful for me is its adherence to the rhythms of nature. Horses don’t rush. Seasons don’t rush. Growth and change, in nature, are unhurried and cyclical. Our clients’ processes align with this rhythm as well. Equine-facilitated work honours this. It invites us into a slower, more open way of being.
When we move to nature’s tempo, we immediately notice more. We listen with attunement. We allow what needs to surface and be seen to do so in its own time. In many ways, taking an intentional path through the certification process wasn’t just a practical choice, it aligned closely with the principles that make this work meaningful.
Julie Lalonde, MSW, RSW (She | Her | Elle)
Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist
Julie is a Registered Social Worker and psychotherapist based in Clarence-Rockland, Ontario. She combines relational and psychodynamic psychotherapy with equine-facilitated work. Her approach is inspired by the horses’ natural way of being, which invites reflection and self-discovery. In the grounded presence of horses, she supports individuals in gently exploring the narratives they carry, fostering deeper understanding and connection with themselves and others.
Email julie.marie.lalonde@outlook.com
Website https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/julie-m-lalonde-ottawa-on/1099873
Its nice to hear from a previous student!
I love the way Julie related the pacing of her journey through the trainings to nature’s pace, and horse time. As someone who took an extended break between Focus and integration, it was a great reminder that all things come in their own time.