Andrea Metcalf, LSCSW, Clinical Director
Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker (LSCSW)
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist, and Consultant-in-Training (CIT)
EquiLateral ™ Trained EMDR Therapist
PATH, Intl. Equine Specialist Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL)
Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C)
Andrea completed her Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work at The University of Kansas. She has extensive experience working with clients needing acute inpatient psychiatric admission, ER/crisis-intervention, Intensive Outpatient Groups (IOP), individual therapy, and equine-assisted trauma therapies. Andrea has specialized training focused in perinatal mental health, as well as anxiety and trauma experienced by medical professionals and Veterans/First-Responders. Treatment planning includes: EMDR, CBT, DBT, ACT, and Equine-Assisted Counseling, and EquiLateral: The Equine-Assisted EMDR Protocol ®.
Andrea is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist and Consultant-in-Training with The Touchstone Institute. Andrea is available for individual and group EMDR Consultation Foundational EMDR Training with The Touchstone Institute, for those seeking EMDRIA approved EMDR Certification, or drop-in case consultation.
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Andrea fell in love with horses very early in life, and knows first hand how being around horses helps us to regulate and process emotions. Andrea first became involved with Heartland Therapeutic Riding as a teen volunteer in 2000 and has dreamed of creating an equine-assisted program at Heartland ever since. After becoming mom to a micro-preemie, and decades of navigating the medical and mental health systems professionally, Andrea found her "trifecta of passion" providing Equine-Assisted Counseling for adolescents and adults in Kansas City.
Michelle Rickel, MSW Intern
Michelle is completing her final year in Colorado State University’s Social Work Master’s program. Michelle began her work with equines as a volunteer at Rocky Mountain Riding Therapy in Boulder, Colorado in 2016. She soon found herself spending all her spare time at the barn and then progressed to fill the live-in ranch hand role and program manager position. She really hit her stride when she began working in the equine assisted social emotional learning sessions, helping youth with trauma learn self-awareness and regulation with the help of their equine partners.
Michelle is fulfilling her final graduate internship with Bloom Empowerment and Heartland Equine-Assisted Counseling. After graduation, Michelle, will continue her work with equines in the mental health field while she fulfills her hours towards clinical licensure.
Michelle enjoys spending time with her family and friends in Missouri, taking long neighborhood walks with her dog, and making trips back to Colorado to hike and camp in the mountains.
Lyndsey Hinkel, ESMHL
PATH, Intl. Equine Specialist Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL)
Heartland Therapeutic Riding, Inc. Program Assistant
Lyndsey is the Program Assistant at Heartland Therapeutic Riding, where she has been part of the team for nearly five years. Lyndsey is a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and holds an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL) Certification. In addition to teaching adaptive riding lessons, she serves as an Equine-Specialist during counseling sessions to facilitate meaningful Equine-Assisted Therapeutic Experiences!
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A native of Overland Park, Lyndsey has been passionate about horses since the age of three. She grew up riding and showing horses at Saddle & Sirloin Club, where she developed a foundation in multiple equestrian disciplines. She began her journey at Heartland Therapeutic Riding as barn staff, and has since grown into a key instructor who plans and teaches adaptive riding lessons to individuals with disabilities. Her lifelong love of horses and commitment to helping others has come together in her career- blending compassion, creativity, and professional horsemanship to make a difference in the lives of participants and horses.
Leah Longo, PsyD, ESMHL
Licensed Psychologist
PATH, Intl. Equine Specialist Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL) Volunteer
Leah M. Longo, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist with a doctoral degree in clinical forensic psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Anaheim, CA. She is licensed in the states of Kansas, Missouri, and California and primarily practices within the medical/legal and forensic settings. Dr. Longo’s primary practice includes conducting pre-employment evaluations for police, fire, and public safety personnel. She also is experienced in conducting fitness for duty evaluations, competency evaluations, parenting evaluations, guardianship evaluations, workers’ compensation evaluations and treatment, full psychological evaluations, and issues related to risk assessment. She also has experience working with adults who have experienced a TBI or have mild cognitive impairment.
Leah holds a certification as a therapeutic riding instructor and is an Equine-Assisted Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. Her interests include mood and anxiety disorders, medical/legal issues, crisis response and intervention, ADHD, biofeedback, and trauma-related disorders.
