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In the tranquil setting of Lone Oak Animal-Assisted Therapeutic & Educational Services, an extraordinary symbiosis unfolds between humans and horses. This unique sanctuary is dedicated to helping horses who have suffered from abuse, neglect or abandonment, and in doing so, offers profound healing opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds.
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Lone Oak has partnered with Millersville University to expand its reach and impact. Dr. Heather Girvin, associate professor at the School of Social Work at Millersville University, is the president/CEO and founder of Lone Oak. “The partnership between Lone Oak and Millersville aims to integrate academic research with hands-on therapeutic practices, providing students and faculty opportunities to engage in meaningful research and experiential learning. By leveraging Millersville’s resources and expertise, Lone Oak enhances its therapeutic offerings and broadens its educational initiatives,” says Girvin.
Students are one of the main benefactors of the partnership. Darlene Newman, director of Student Access and Support Services, has identified students through SASS, the majority of whom are first-generation, to attend programming at Lone Oak. She has also reached out to younger adolescents, who are potential future MU students. Lone Oak has worked with the University’s financial aid office to establish Lone Oak as a work-study, community-service host site for students who qualify for aid. Biology and psychology students have also been offered internships at the site, and Girvin says she hopes to expand and “offer internship opportunities more broadly and to diverse students.”
Veterans at Millersville University benefit from the collaboration with Lone Oak through a variety of means. Lone Oak partners with the MU Veterans Center to host supportive and outreach events and was designated as a veteran-friendly service provider through the Veterans Center. Lone Oak has also hosted veteran interns on multiple occasions to support their learning and growth.
Millersville’s School of Social Work offers a graduate-level certificate in Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health. The certificate has two tracks: Expressive Arts and Equine-Assisted Therapy and Learning. Girvin says that equine-assisted strategies are widely accepted and used to address a variety of mental-health issues, including posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and substance abuse. Other departments are involved with classes for the certificate.
The connections of faculty and staff extend far beyond Girvin’s impact. Dr. Abigail Wilson, a graduate of the DSW program and an adjunct faculty member, is the Vice President of Operations and Development for Lone Oak. Dr. Karen Rice, professor and chair of social work, is a volunteer and Dr. Curtis Proctor, assistant professor, helps with data analysis. Dr. Marc Felizzi, associate professor and Dr. Bertha DeJesus, a DSW graduate and assistant professor, are clinical consultants for Lone Oak.
Girvin says several MU students and graduates are actively involved in the Lone Oak community, some in leadership roles. Marisol Santos, a graduate of the MSW program, is a consultant for Lone Oak.
“Horses at Lone Oak bring with them stories of hardship – each scar a testament to their past,” says Girvin. “Through careful, patient rehabilitation, these animals begin to trust again, learning to feel safe in their new environment. This journey is not just about physical recovery; it’s a profound emotional restoration. As they heal, these horses offer invaluable lessons to their human counterparts about resilience, trust and growth.”
Lone Oak has a more significant community impact through partnerships with other providers and individual community members. Lone Oak provides services across Lancaster, Berks, Dauphin, Cumberland, York and Lebanon counties.
“Lone Oak is 100% volunteer,” says Girvin. “Our overarching goal is to build a trauma-informed, inclusive community that reflects social work values and fosters inclusion, respectful discourse, healing and connection. This community care model and the philosophy and values that support it provide a scaffolding for all of our services and partnerships.”
Shannon Wittlinger is Lone Oak’s Barn Manager and Volunteer Coordinator. “She is such an important part of our ongoing work; we couldn’t do it without her,” says Girvin. Wittlinger is a graduate of Millersville’s MSW program.
Lone Oak provides trauma-informed individual, family and group services using the expressive arts, with particular reliance on nature-based strategies and equine-assisted therapies. Lone Oak partners with several different school programs, offering trauma-informed alternative education, emotional support, credit completion and skills training across all grade levels.
For those interested in continuing education units and credit, Lone Oak provides professional training and development to service providers, offering CEUs and graduate-level credits for educators and professionals in the helping professions. “We have provided training at local, national and international levels,” says Girvin
Horseshoe UP
“Okay, everyone, horseshoe up.” Those are the words that start most days at Lone Oak Animal-Assisted Therapeutic & Educational Services. Everyone in the area stands foot to foot, and the group talks about their expectations and needs that day for the horses and themselves.
“Some of the people who come here are introverts, on the autism spectrum, they may have had trauma or just don’t want to be touched, so this offers an alternative,” says Dr. Heather Girvin, founder of Lone Oak. “Not everyone wants to hold hands, so standing hoof to hoof is an easier option. We do breathwork in these sessions to get everyone calm and focused for the horses.” And although the horses benefit, so too do the clients, who are learning to self-regulate their nervous systems and emotions.”
On a Saturday this past fall, Darlene Newman, director of Student Access and Support Services, was on hand with some of her Millersville students. She has been to Lone Oak with students on multiple occasions. After the horseshoe, they were off to muck stalls, weed, walk the horses and do other necessary jobs.
“We bring students here from all majors,” says Newman. “Some have mental health issues; some don’t have any way to get off campus. They come here and see how a degree in social work or psychology can be put to use. They also have their eyes opened to other fields, like becoming a veterinarian.”
Students in the Master of Social Work program are often involved with the program at Lone Oak. Savannah Gregoris and Tim Gageby are both second-year students who graduate in May. Gregoris says interning there was her first time around horses, but she hopes to continue using animals in therapy going forward. “I want to go into the field, get my license to work in a clinical practice, but I do intend to use animal-assisted interventions and therapy, with horses, cats and dogs. It’s so important the impact animals can have on people – it can open a lot of doors for them.”
This is also Gageby’s first time around horses. “I originally came to Lone Oak in the summer of 2023 for Dr. Girvin’s Summer Institute, and then I was hooked.” Long term, Gageby wants to teach at the college level.
Baby Huey is a favorite horse at Lone Oak. Girvin describes Baby Huey as “2,000 pounds of love.” “He was a logger and wasn’t pulling his weight. When we got him he wasn’t eating, but we took a chance on him, and it was the best chance we ever took. He is such a gentle giant and doesn’t mind three little kids on his back. Everyone can hug him and kiss him, and he eats it up. He gives everyone unconditional love.”
Another group that Lone Oak serves are veterans, through the Horses and Heroes program. Dr. Abigail Wilson, an alum of Millersville’s DSW program, is vice president at Lone Oak. “Veterans are used to camaraderie in the service and miss that when they return,” says Wilson. “We’ve found they want less structure in a program and more time to connect with the horses and each other. We’re hoping to expand our veterans program to first responders.”
At the end of the day, everyone at Lone Oak returns to their circle to give a compliment to someone or say what they are grateful for. “It can be something as simple as, ‘I liked the way you held the rake’ or ‘I’m thankful I didn’t die when I got on the horse.’ Through it all, we use trauma-informed therapy to care for each other.”
