Meet Lynn Clifford, LMHC

I was literally raised in a barn! I grew up in Maryland at my family’s training, teaching and boarding facility, adjacent to my grandparents’ Arabian breeding farm with fields my grandfather plowed with a team of Belgium horses. My mother had designed our place under one large roof so our home was on the upper level with the business office, community area and observation window below, all looking out across the indoor arena lined by 27 stalls.

My early years were filled with freedom. Astride my beloved Welsh pony, Lily, I roamed for hours, riding bareback with a lead rope attached to her halter. During those adventures Lily’s benevolence and the liberty and connection I felt with her and in nature were profound. Still, my time with Lily is one of my greatest influences.

Daily exposure to a thriving, progressive equestrian operation, along with my mother’s tutelage and that of world-renowned clinicians provided a vibrant and inspirational atmosphere to grow up in. Simultaneously my interest in personal growth and development evolved. Observing the dynamics of customers entering our program, I noticed that their interactions with horses paralleled their lives outside the arena as we bring ourselves to all we do.

When I began teaching in my teens, I naturally addressed the mental and emotional aspects of the rider’s experience as well as the physical. As my students’ internal and external experiences began to align and they relaxed into the moment, the horses transformed. The feedback loop between horse and human was undeniable and this realization eventually led to a Master’s degree in Expressive Arts Therapy which includes the element of “the third” in the healing relationship.

My equestrian path is holistically focused with an emphasis on Classical Dressage—French, Spanish and Portuguese schools of lightness—with cross training for the psychology and physiology of the horses. Sally Swift’s Centered Riding® principles so positively influenced my early riding years, I obtained my Centered Riding® Instructor Certification in 2022 and continue to update annually. I’ve also been in charge of developing and running several successful equestrian programs over the years. I enjoy variety and cross-discipline training for both the mind and body; my favorite breed is “Horse.”

I am also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and an Access Consciousness® Bars and Body Processes Certified Practitioner and hold a special appreciation for Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Nervous System Theory for optimal relationships between living beings. See www.lynnclifford.com for more information.

Mentors

Numerous horses of various breeds
Helene Asmis, my mother
Lucile Bump, Senior Level IV Centered Riding™ Instructor
Peggy Brown, Dominque Barbier, Manuel Trigo and others

Trainings and INFLUENCES

Undergraduate studies | Psychology, Gender Studies

Graduate studies | Expressive Arts Therapy

Trainings | Conscious Horse Conscious Rider®, Centered Riding® Level I Instructor Certification, Natural Lifemanship Trauma Informed Equine Guided Psychotherapy, Mindfulness Certification, The Tao of Equus, Equine Assisted Growth & Learning Association Level II (EAGALA), and Hacienda Tres Aquilas with The McCormicks

Licenses | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

Currently based out of The Trinity Ranch, Lamy, NM | travel by arrangement

For holistic counseling services, explore www.lynnclifford.com.