Dr. Evelyn Reed, Clinical Director & Equine Specialist

Dr. Reed is the visionary clinical leader of Healing Hearts with Hooves, holding a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and maintaining her certification as a highly respected Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Specialist (EAGALA). With an impressive career spanning over twenty years in advanced trauma-informed care and experiential therapy, she brings a unique and powerful blend of rigorous academic training, deep clinical insight, and profound intuitive connection with animals to her foundational role. Her early career was dedicated to treating post-traumatic stress in military veterans, where she first discovered and documented the unparalleled efficacy of equine therapy in providing rapid, non-verbal breakthroughs for those resistant to traditional talk therapy. Dr. Reed personally oversees all clinical programming and staff supervision, ensuring that every therapeutic session is consistently conducted with the highest ethical and therapeutic standards, always prioritizing client safety and dignity. She firmly believes the animal-human bond naturally bypasses cognitive defenses, allowing clients to access deeply rooted emotional truths in a safe, supported, and accelerated manner, and her warm, grounded presence and expertise in interpreting subtle animal behavior make her an invaluable guide, ensuring the therapeutic journey is both appropriately challenging and deeply rewarding for every participant under her care. She is continuously researching new psychological and neurological methodologies to integrate the latest scientific insights with our unique multi-species model, relentlessly driving the organization’s commitment to clinical excellence and innovation.

Mark Chen, Program & Operations Manager

Mark Chen is the dedicated operational backbone of Healing Hearts with Hooves, responsible for the complex, seamless day-to-day management of the entire facility, including all client scheduling, staff coordination and logistics, and most importantly, ensuring the impeccable health, welfare, and continuous training of our entire, cherished animal team. He brings a strong and highly relevant background in non-profit management, organizational development, and advanced animal husbandry, holding professional certifications in sophisticated animal training techniques and farm facility safety management. Mark’s meticulous attention to detail is absolutely critical for maintaining the high standards of physical and emotional safety that define our therapeutic sanctuary, overseeing all aspects of specialized animal nutrition, routine and emergency veterinary care, and continuous behavioral assessment to ensure our co-facilitators are consistently happy, well-rested, and thriving in their important roles. Beyond his crucial logistical responsibilities, Mark possesses a quiet, genuine patience and a calming demeanor that makes him a natural mentor for volunteers and new staff members, embodying the organization’s core values of consistent care and professionalism in every aspect of his demanding role. He often participates discreetly in sessions, leveraging his extensive, intuitive knowledge of horse behavior to subtly coach clients on practical non-verbal communication and the art of partnership building, which ensures a fluid, educational, and positive experience for both the client and the animal throughout the therapeutic process.

Sarah Jenkins, Licensed Social Worker & Family Program Coordinator

Sarah Jenkins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Florida, specializing deeply in child and adolescent development, complex trauma resolution, and family systems therapy, making her uniquely suited for our mission. Her primary therapeutic focus at HHWH is the coordination and compassionate facilitation of our family-based programs, where she masterfully utilizes the animals to help mend fractured communication patterns, address relational conflicts, and intentionally build essential empathy between parents and children within a supportive framework. Sarah understands implicitly that trauma and emotional distress often profoundly impact the entire family unit, and she skillfully guides families through collaborative, animal-based tasks that immediately reveal underlying relational dynamics and create powerful opportunities for positive, observed interaction in a low-stress, non-judgmental environment. She possesses a natural, deep ability to quickly connect with clients of all ages and backgrounds, using her gentle, encouraging, and highly attuned style to create immediate rapport and foundational trust with individuals who may have struggled to form connections in the past. Sarah’s commitment to holistic wellness means she actively collaborates with school counselors, pediatricians, and outside therapists to ensure our animal-assisted interventions are integrated seamlessly with the client’s broader treatment plan, maximizing long-term success, reducing fragmentation of care, and providing continuous support across multiple settings.

David “Mac” McMillan, Veteran Outreach & Animal Care Specialist

David “Mac” McMillan is a highly respected and deeply valued member of the Healing Hearts with Hooves team, bringing a wealth of unique life experience as a retired decorated Navy veteran and a certified master farrier with decades of intensive, practical experience caring for large animals. His deep, authentic understanding of the military culture, the challenges of transition, and the specific emotional struggles faced by returning service members makes him uniquely and exceptionally qualified to lead and facilitate our dedicated veteran and first responder therapeutic programs. Mac approaches his role with an essential combination of quiet strength, grounded wisdom, and genuine empathy, skillfully using his natural leadership skills to create a structured yet profoundly supportive environment where veterans feel immediately safe, respected, and authorized to engage in non-judgmental, powerful therapeutic work alongside the horses. In addition to his primary programmatic role, Mac personally oversees the daily physical care, continuous training reinforcement, and ongoing health assessments for our equine partners, ensuring their physical soundness and emotional well-being are always maintained at the highest possible standard. His hands-on, direct, and reliably consistent approach often resonates powerfully with veteran clients, providing a grounded, reliable, and authentic presence that swiftly facilitates trust and encourages emotional vulnerability in a way that is incredibly healing and effective for addressing complex trauma and operational stress.