WHO WE ARE
CHRISTIE HEBERT-ASHBECK
OWNER, MS, LPC, NCC
DEGREES & CERTIFICATIONS
Owner/Equine Therapist, Whole Horse Connection, 2001
Owner/Professional Counselor, AZ Whole Heart Connection, LLC 2022
Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology, 2015 Grand Canyon University
Master’s of Science in Professional Counseling, 2019 Grand Canyon University
Member of American Counseling Association, 2018
Masterson Method Certified Practitioner, 2010 Masterson Method
Equine-Assisted Learning, 2018 Greg Kersten’s OK Corral Series
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), 2018 EMDRIA
Internal Family Systems, 2019 PESI, Inc
Level 2 Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, 2019 International Association of Trauma Professionals
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, 2020 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute
EMDR for Substance Abuse and other Addictive Disorders, 2020 LK Institute
Post-Induction Therapy, 2021 Meadows Behavioral Health Care
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, 2022 Transpersonal Research Institute of Psychotherapeutic Psychedelics
Relational Life Therapy, 2023 Relational Life Institute
Prior to becoming a mental health professional and eventually starting my own counseling practice in Gold Canyon, AZ, I lived in Wyoming for 23 years where I raised and trained horses and competed in rodeo events. In 2001, I started an equine therapy business called “Whole Horse Connection,” where I utilized and taught equine massage therapy, and other alternative treatments, to heal horse’s physical ailments, as well as their nervous system disruptions, also known as “trauma.” Horses are similar in humans in that they are “herd” animals, and their ability to stay and feel safe in their environment is directly related to the health of the herd they run with (aka family). Because of my experience in treating traumatized equines, I became keenly interested in treating trauma in humans, as both species share equal disruptions to well-being, but with entirely different presentations. Horses tend to release their trauma more readily, while humans, with the help of their larger, more “developed” brains, tend to hold onto their trauma much longer, as they believe it is a directly related to who they are and what they “deserve.” This is known as “complex trauma,” which horses do not have.
I have a specialized interest in treating relational trauma, as I believe this is the source of complex trauma that begins with our family of origin. I am versed in issues such as codependency, love addiction/dependency, infidelity, betrayal/trauma bonds, generational trauma, and other negative consequences of relational trauma. I primarily use RLT (Relational Life Therapy) and EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) in my treatment plans. RLT is a form of therapy that emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationships and the ways in which our early relationships with caregivers shape our attachment styles and patterns of relating to ourselves and others throughout our lives. EMDR is a therapy that treats the emotional disturbances that we can’t link to what we are experiencing in the present moment, such as severe anxiety, depression, anger, despondence and more. Traditional talk therapy is often not enough to alleviate us from these ailments, as the cognitive part of the brain is disconnected from the emotional experience in the body, and so cannot make sense of it. Both EMDR and RLT integrate these emotional disturbances into the whole system, where they can be processed in a more effective way, with the whole system online, and aware.
RELATIONAL LIFE THERAPY
Some specific differences between RLT and traditional talk therapy:
ADDITIONAL INTERVENTIONS
Christie utilizes in practice:
CHRISTIE’S RATES:
Cash Pay Rate: $150/hour for individuals and couples
Christie Accepts: In-network with: Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare UHC | UBH Out-of-network with: Cigna/Evernorth
Equine-Assisted Therapy:
$180 for 60 minutes
$250 for 90 minutes
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy is not covered by insurance.
WE ARE HERE TO HELP
INDIVIDUALS, COUPLES, FAMILIES AND GROUPS
OUR CLINIC IS NOT A CRISIS CENTER & DOES NOT MANAGE ACUTE CRISIS
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
If experiencing a life-threatening EMERGENCY, please dial 9-1-1
Central Arizona Crisis Line: (602) 222-9444 or (800) 631-1314
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255 or dial 9-8-8
Teen Lifeline (www.teenlifeline.org): (602) 248-TEEN (8336)
Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE (7233)