Jane Strong, EFLC, is cofounder and executive director of the Equus Effect®, a nonprofit organization that aims to help veterans rebuild healthy relationships. The Equus Effect’s curriculum centers around its conviction that the foundation of a successful return to life at home, work, and school is a veteran's ability to have healthy relationships. In 2013, the Equus Effect worked with 21 veterans, a figure which has since risen to more than 100. The program begins scaling nationally in January of 2016.
Strong developed her skills as a facilitator in Equine Facilitated Learning and Coaching through her background as a market research professional, Enneagram teacher, executive coach and graduate of the Eponaquest Program in Tucson, AZ.
Prior to returning to a life centered around working with horses, she was a professional coach and facilitator who has taught leaders and individuals how to "take back the reins" in their own lives. She has coached young people and adults through transitions from home to school, recovery to sobriety, and one career to another.
Beginning in 2012, the Equus Effect added a program developed by the founder of the Eponaquest Program that is specifically designed for veterans and their loved ones. While the basic goals of building self-awareness, setting healthy boundaries, and communicating with clarity and intention are the same, the particular nature and issues faced by those who have been in the military are unique. General (Ret.) Patraeus recognized this program for its soundness and sensitivity to these men and women who have served their country in this way.
As prey animals, horses have an innate capacity to reflect the real emotions that veterans (and all humans as predators) try hard to mask. This quality makes them perfect guides for the warrior’s journey from surviving to thriving.