Kimberly Wick, LMFT

When I was a few years out of college, I decided to go back to school and get my MBA in International Business (even though my heart was pulling me towards a degree in clinical psychology). I avoided listening to my heart because my rational voice had much more influence at the time. I worked my way through my MBA and the therapy world I found myself involved in was group therapy, couples counseling, marriage counseling and yes, more individual therapy. Needless to say…I’ve had some field experience.

Years later after working in the business world and married with two children, I started going to Al-Anon. It was in Al-Anon that I gained the strength to make some real changes in my life. I soon realized I was ready and confident enough to go back to school to become a therapist. I am so grateful to have now realized my heart dream of becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist. I love what I do and find myself constantly inspired by experiencing the progress and growth of my clients and groups.

Our fingerprints are as unique as our circumstances and our personalities. This is why I pull from various modalities, experiences and education in individual, couple and group sessions. Knowing when there is a need for behavioral or cognitive tools, or simply a safe place to come and process what is going on, requires both the formal education I’ve received from school, and my experience strength and love from my heart. The realizations I have had during my work with Al-Anon, the twelve steps, and a sponsor inspired the foundation for all that I do in my therapy work. No matter how different the contents of every person’s story is, the common thread among all of us is the more we go within, the better we are without.

There are essential tools we can use to craft our ideal version of life. Once we understand how to tune out of our trance like defense mechanisms, we can begin to tune back into the wisdom of our heart. At first, walking closer to our heart these inklings are like a whisper, but as we walk through each step, this inner guidance develops into a clear voice…or in other words, a mental clarity. These "twelve step closer to heart" tools prevent us from falling back into old patterns. The more we use them, the more we become "on to our selves". Twelve steps closer is an opportunity to examine where we stand within our subconscious and conscious self so we can make every choice good for our self.

A loved one was in rehab and he told me that horses were used in his therapy. Oh my gosh, I felt like I had won the lottery hearing this because having grown up with horses and loving these incredible gentle giants, I was pulled in this direction of Equine Therapy. I have a wonderful horse named Tunes that I share with my clients and anyone who wants to be touched by the magic of being present in the presence of nature. I am a certified Equine Psychotherapist with the EAGALA organization. EAGALA is affiliated with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. As you will see from my Equine Therapy page, this kind of experiential therapy is a dynamic way to get in touch with how important it is to keep it simple. We all have the propensity to live through stress and we all also have the choice not to. Healthy hearts, healthy minds and healthy bodies create our quality of life. If we can strive to keep it simple, connect with our heart through nature, we begin to see all the extra energy spent on things in our day that we don’t have control over. Learning to let go of what we don’t have control over thus simplifying our daily lives is the magic a horse therapy experience can bring to our lives. Equine Therapy is a different experience that creates a different awareness of our core and its serenity.