We are committed group of caring citizens, staff, volunteers and professionals helping people to find healing, balance, joy, hope and confidence through the immediate feedback that animals and nature provide. Dreamcatcher is a registered charity that partners with a team of qualified clinicians that guide, teach, counsel and inspire those we are privileged to serve. Photo Credit: Falling Leaves Photography and Design
Dreamcatcher is located in Ardrossan, Alberta (just 30 minutes East of Edmonton) on a 40-acre beautifully treed and trailed ranch. Our team believes in a holistic approach to healing and offers a wide variety of traditional and unique therapies to help children, youth and adults find healing, balance, joy and personal growth.
Dreamcatcher is a registered charitable founded in 2003 by Eileen Bona M.Ed. Registered Psychologist and its charitable programs are overseen by a volunteer board of directors.
To date, we have successfully helped people with brain injuries; emotional issues; behavioral concerns; mental health diagnoses; addictions; past trauma issues; dual and multiple diagnoses; developmental delays; physical impairments; family-oriented concerns; trauma related issues, and much more.
Our programs are completely individualized to fit the needs of those involved and therapeutic interventions are chosen based on the individuals’ needs and goals. Therapy interventions may include, talk therapy, play therapy, art therapy, Animal-Assisted Therapy, nature-assisted therapy, equine facilitated counseling or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). We offer individual, family and group counselling, assessments, therapeutic interventions and specialized programming such as camps, retreats and our mobile animal program. Our programs run year round and are designed and implemented by registered psychologists, clinical social workers, provisional psychologists and behavior management specialists who consistently involve the person in treatment and their family members and others as when appropriate. We also work as part of an interdisciplinary team with school personnel and community agencies in all aspects of programming and treatment planning as necessary. We help build a strong support system with our clients to ensure their success and to nurture a rewarding therapeutic experience.
One of the unique methods of therapy which Dreamcatcher is noted for is Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) which involve a variety of specially selected and trained animals such as horses, donkeys, chickens, and dogs that we refer to as co-counselors.Often these animals come with their own stories having been abused or abandoned. Our facility is a safety haven for both people and animals. Equine Facilitated Counselling EFC is particularly effective and enjoyable.
The animals have an uncanny ability to provide exactly what each person needs when they need it. Our AAT and EFC sessions facilitate healing for both humans and animals in a powerful way. It is this aspect of our therapeutic program that sets us apart from traditional models of helping.
Dreamcatcher is especially effective in helping people who have not responded to traditional therapies who have extremely difficult or negative behavior as well as persons with functional disabilities and multiple diagnoses. Additionally, we provide services to aggressive and violent youth in an attempt to break the cycle of abuse by involving them with animals at a young age. It has also been a refuge for people who have had past negative therapy experiences and who vow to never try to get help again.
In addition to providing counseling, therapy and psychological services to the community, Dreamcatcher also strives to promote the importance of accountability, transparency, and certification of Animal-Assisted Therapists. To that end, we provide AAT courses which include in partnership with accredited universities, workshops, and seminars in order to certify clinicians seeking a career path in this emerging field. Dreamcatcher is leading the way in Animal Assisted Therapy within Canada.
Dreamcatcher is a registered charitable founded in 2003 by Eileen Bona M.Ed. Registered Psychologist and its charitable programs are overseen by a volunteer board of directors.
To date, we have successfully helped people with brain injuries; emotional issues; behavioral concerns; mental health diagnoses; addictions; past trauma issues; dual and multiple diagnoses; developmental delays; physical impairments; family-oriented concerns; trauma related issues, and much more.
Our programs are completely individualized to fit the needs of those involved and therapeutic interventions are chosen based on the individuals’ needs and goals. Therapy interventions may include, talk therapy, play therapy, art therapy, Animal-Assisted Therapy, nature-assisted therapy, equine facilitated counseling or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). We offer individual, family and group counselling, assessments, therapeutic interventions and specialized programming such as camps, retreats and our mobile animal program. Our programs run year round and are designed and implemented by registered psychologists, clinical social workers, provisional psychologists and behavior management specialists who consistently involve the person in treatment and their family members and others as when appropriate. We also work as part of an interdisciplinary team with school personnel and community agencies in all aspects of programming and treatment planning as necessary. We help build a strong support system with our clients to ensure their success and to nurture a rewarding therapeutic experience.
One of the unique methods of therapy which Dreamcatcher is noted for is Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) which involve a variety of specially selected and trained animals such as horses, donkeys, chickens, and dogs that we refer to as co-counselors.Often these animals come with their own stories having been abused or abandoned. Our facility is a safety haven for both people and animals. Equine Facilitated Counselling EFC is particularly effective and enjoyable.
The animals have an uncanny ability to provide exactly what each person needs when they need it. Our AAT and EFC sessions facilitate healing for both humans and animals in a powerful way. It is this aspect of our therapeutic program that sets us apart from traditional models of helping.
Dreamcatcher is especially effective in helping people who have not responded to traditional therapies who have extremely difficult or negative behavior as well as persons with functional disabilities and multiple diagnoses. Additionally, we provide services to aggressive and violent youth in an attempt to break the cycle of abuse by involving them with animals at a young age. It has also been a refuge for people who have had past negative therapy experiences and who vow to never try to get help again.
In addition to providing counseling, therapy and psychological services to the community, Dreamcatcher also strives to promote the importance of accountability, transparency, and certification of Animal-Assisted Therapists. To that end, we provide AAT courses which include in partnership with accredited universities, workshops, and seminars in order to certify clinicians seeking a career path in this emerging field. Dreamcatcher is leading the way in Animal Assisted Therapy within Canada.