Dawson Trail Dispatch
Celebrating 20 Years of Service to Our Communities!
September 2015
3
St. Malo Wellness Ranch Uses Animals for Healing By Marianne Curtis Children suffering from anxiety, autism, and other challenges can find healing with the help of animals at a unique ranch south of St. Malo. At the beginning of August, Lil’ Steps Miniatures and Wellness Farm officially opened. Under the ownership of Lucy Fouasse, the ranch offers a unique program to Manitoba; where the primary focus will be Equine Facilitated Wellness (EFW) for children. “Two years ago, I suffered a head injury; one that shifted the person I thought I was and left me questioning who I would be,” Fouasse explained. “It was a long journey of recovery that was difficult and full of challenges. In my own personal experience, I have seen first-hand the healing power of horses and the many lessons they teach us such as patience, acceptance, self-awareness, leadership, confidence, and trust.” Fouasse, who has been a councilor since 2001, says that with Equine Facilitated Wellness, children engage in team emphasized or individual sessions with the horse as the teacher. Teams are split up based on age groups of 6-8 or 9-12. “It is an experiential and process oriented experience for the child; where he/she will learn various life skills in a therapeutic and fun setting. It has been proven to be effective in assisting children in personal growth and development,” she continued. Fouasse has a strong passion for animals. Through her counselling experience and the natural healing of horses, she is excited to be able to provide an alternative therapeutic benefit for children. “Lil’ Steps was built on a dream; one that has now become reality. It is our hope that through Lil’s Steps and with the help of our horses; paths can be created for children to grow and develop into who they are and deserve to be,” she added. Lil’s Steps believes that it is essential for children to have protective factors that will allow them to grow and develop skills. These protective factors provide children with the ability to create a more successful future. Protective factors include; social skill development, communication skills, selfconfidence building, leadership skills, identity development and
Healing with the help of animals.
Lucy Fouasse, Director and Haylee LaBossiere, Facilitator with two of the eleven therapy horses used at Lil’ Steps Miniatures and Wellness.
emotional regulation skills. A variety of programs designed to meet various needs including children with special needs are
offered at the ranch. Whether the Wellness help children to gain a struggle is physical, mental, variety of skills for personal growth emotional, intellectual, social or which impacts their everyday life. behavioral… Equine Facilitated The ranch is home for many
Photo by Marianne Curtis
therapy animals, including sheep, fainting goats, chickens, ducks, geese and kittens, many which are rescued or “retired”.
Midwifery Program Relocated to Steinbach After fifteen years of operation in St. Pierre-Jolys, the regions midwifery program has been relocated. In 1999, the Rat River Health Council partnered with the Midwifery Implementation Council, the De Salaberry District Perinatal Committee, the Crow Wing Trail Farm Women’s Institute and South Eastman Health to establish midwifery services in the region. The following year, the Midwifery House in St. Pierre-Jolys opened its doors as the first midwifery site in rural Manitoba. “It was the pride of South Eastman Health and the envy of many across the province,” said a spokesperson with the Rat River Health Council. “Rat River Health Council is very proud of being a partner with this accomplishment. It is thanks to the hard work of all the partners that women in our communities now have access to Midwifery Services where they chose to receive them.” It was established in St. Pierre-Jolys to be centrally located in southeast
Manitoba and to provide a birthing option for families living along Highway 59. Southern Health has made the decision to move the base of the Midwifery Staff. This decision took into consideration that over 70% of all referrals came from Steinbach and surrounding area. This change of base will have zero impact for women from the region, noted the Rat River Health Council. Midwives will continue to see their clients locally in their homes or at a clinic of their choice. According to Southern Health, the midwifery program has risen sharply since its inception in 2000. It has proven crucial to meeting the needs of German• ]Russian immigrant women, who tend to have large families and preferentially seek services from midwives. Demand for midwifery services continues to outstrip resources. While the program accepted 134 women into care in 2008/09, a further 120 women could not be accepted because caseloads were full.