Leia Hughey earned her Ph.D. from Georgia State University in general clinical psychology, after which she served a one-year internship at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Following completion of her internship her family relocated to the Willamette Valley in Oregon where she opened a private practice serving adults, children and families. Her two school age sons developed an interest in horses propelling Dr. Hughey to become a horse owner for the first time at the age of forty-two. Soon after the first horse arrived, Dr. Hughey and her sons adopted a few more horses and opened a small business called, "“Horse Rides for Kids”". She quickly recognized the therapeutic impact these animals were having on the people with whom they interacted. She eventually sought out specialized training for equine facilitated psychotherapy. Dr. Hughey and her husband operate a program known as HorsePower in conjunction with their semi-rural clinical practice. |
