Field of Healing
Annabel is a passionate animal lover, mum of two beautiful children, and a registered counsellor and equine assisted psychotherapist. Having had horses from a young age, she became aware early on of how healing they can be.
After working in corporate administration for more than twenty years, it was time for a change of pace and a realignment of priorities after becoming a mum. That shift led her into counselling, and then to the work she does now.
Her key areas of interest are building self-esteem, increasing awareness, regulation techniques, relationship building, anxiety and boundary setting. Her mission is to bring an honest, practical and healing approach to everyday life and to mental health issues including PTSD, trauma, social anxiety, confidence, OCD and suicide prevention.
Annabel works with children, teens and adults, both privately and with NDIS clients. Sessions can be offered individually or in small groups, and both private and corporate groups can be catered for.
Training
Qualifications
- The Equine & Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Institute2023
- Member, Australian Counselling AssociationCurrent
- Diploma of Counselling — Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors2012–2014
- Bachelor of Arts (Humanities) — La Trobe University1997–1999
Community
Volunteering
- Riding Coach & Secretary — Riding for the Disabled Association of VictoriaHealth
- Guest Speaker — Beyond BlueHealth
- Coordinator, Northcote region — Mental Health Professionals NetworkHealth
- Call Centre Team Leader, Good Friday Appeal — Royal Children's Hospital FoundationMelbourne
Experience
Two careers, and what carried across.
Twenty years of executive and administration roles — The Boston Consulting Group, EY, News Corp Australia, the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games — before counselling, and several years working alongside children in early learning and school settings since.
Annabel has been practising as a counsellor since 2014 and founded Field of Healing in 2023 to bring counselling and horses together. She has also spent time as a teaching and learning assistant at Carey Baptist Grammar School and in administration roles across early learning and child development services, which shapes how she works with children and teenagers today.
The evidence
Where the research sits.
Equine assisted therapy is a young field, and the strongest evidence so far comes from work with veterans. The Man O' War Project at Columbia University Irving Medical Center ran the first university-led trial of equine-assisted therapy for PTSD. Just over half of the participants showed a clinically significant reduction in symptoms, and the improvement was still there at the three-month follow-up. The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 2021.
Broader reviews of animal-assisted therapy point in a similar direction, suggesting the benefit comes less from the presence of an animal than from the relationship that develops. That matches what Annabel sees in the paddock, and it is why the work is structured rather than incidental.
Come and see whether it suits you.
Call or text Annabel directly, or send a message and she will get back to you.