Tucked away on a peaceful five-acre patch of farmland...
I am so delighted to have made contact with an organization that interviewed me for a large readership and in celebration of that interview I'm sharing it with you this month!
Spokane SNAP Micro-enterprise Spotlight:
by Craig Howard
Tucked away on a peaceful five-acre patch of farmland in Medical Lake, Gloria Lybecker helps people find permanent paths to healing. Lybecker's team includes a trio of horses and a practice known as Equine Facilitated Learning and Coaching. This unique approach is aimed at addressing conditions like stress, trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder while developing confidence, building trust in relationships and restoring balance and boundaries.
Lybecker said her goal when launching Healing with Horses was to "meet people where they're at." "I wanted to create a space that could be calming and soothing," she said. Utilizing the theory of "needs-based mediation," Lybecker is, above all, a benevolent and intentional listener.
"I want to slow it all down so people can actually feel heard and understood," she said. "I want my clients to feel safe, to experience an inner sense of peace."
The equine component is one of several aspects to Lybecker's practice. She teaches keys to nonviolent communication, conflict resolution and anger management. Interpersonal relationship coaching, leadership development and "parenting with the brain in mind" are also part of the agenda.
"It's learning a new language, I call it the language of life," Gloria says. "In it, everyone matters. It's about staying present one with another."
Lybecker became a registered counselor in 2004 before becoming a certified life coach in 2008. When she moved to the Spokane area five years ago, she completed the Washington State mediator program at the Fulcrum Institute Dispute Resolution Clinic.
"Conflict happens when I have my strategy and you have your strategy," Gloria said. "Those form the way we're conditioned. We need to move from a strategy-based approach to something that's relationship-based."
Gloria describes horses as "gentle creatures with much bigger hearts than humans who can mirror the inner landscape of a person." "They just speak a different language," she said. "We should all learn how to become more like them - they are alive in the moment not caught up in a story about yesterday or a worry about tomorrow."
Gloria also utilizes something called Integrated Listening Systems, or iLs to address conditions like ADHD, depression and PTSD as well as neurodevelopment challenges like autism. "It has a global effect on the brain and central nervous system," Lybecker said. "As a result, it is successfully implemented for a wide variety of conditions."
Not all Lybecker's clients integrate equine therapy into their treatment program, although Lybecker is quick to describe horses as her "support system." She rescued one former race horse named "Saphira" from being put down five years ago.
Another source of support for Lybecker has been the SNAP Micro-Enterprise program. She called on the office several years ago for help with bookkeeping and, last fall, connected with SNAP's new Women's Business Center. She has continued taking classes at the site while receiving help with ways to market her venture. "I've redone my website and consolidated three brochures down to one," Gloria said. "They've helped me find more clarity around how I'm presenting myself and what I want to say."
From updating her business card to networking opportunities, Lybecker said SNAP had been a boost to her ongoing efforts.
"They've given me the opportunity to step out with confidence in what I'm doing," she said. "It's helped me see the big picture but also identify the details beneath it." Lybecker said WBC Director Cara Weipert has been a real asset, helping her find a reliable bookkeeper and following through with a variety of resource and business connections.
