Welcome
Here is a bit about us and the services we offer
Counseling for Anxiety
Counseling for Depression
Equine Therapy, Christian Counseling,
Team Building and Retreats
You have been searching for a “counselor near me” for a while. How do you decide who is a good fit?
It is hard to reach out for help when you are struggling. We are so glad you took the step and found us. Whether you struggle with anxiety or depression , trauma or family problems we provide hope and real solutions to help you regain confidence, reclaim your purpose, and feel joy again. Perhaps you have tried many ways to feel better. You have used what has worked in the past, scrolled social media, read self-help books and talked to friends but not much is changing. We at Hope Reins specialize in helping people who are struggling and stuck. We know that “just talking” does not work for everyone so we combine the best in neuroscience and alternative therapies to help you find real healing. We are dedicated to finding a good match for you.
Our services include counseling , retreats, custom designed team building, workshops and summer camps.
Our counseling specialities include trauma , anxiety and depression counseling, Therapy for ADHD, Equine therapy, Art therapy, Christian Counseling and Online Therapy. We have training in Trauma informed therapy, IFS Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, DBT, Equine therapy, Art therapy and Christian Counseling.
Hope Reins was founded in 2003. After seeing how inadequate talk therapy can be for many people but teens in particular, Debra Hirschberg the founder, began to look for what would be more helpful. After participating in an equine therapy demonstration at a ranch in Utah, Debra was amazed at how quickly and powerfully horses could get to the heart of the problem— for all ages! She was convinced she needed to add equine therapy into her counseling practice even though no one had heard of horses in the “counseling room”. The process wasn’t easy though as she had no training, no horses and no facility.
Four years later she stumbled upon an equine assisted therapy training program that sounded similar to what she saw in Utah. As she walked in the barn, she recognized the cowboy that ran the Utah program—he was leading the training! And so Debra became certified by EAGALA to provide equine assisted psychotherapy and learning. Debra still didn’t have or horse or facility or an Equine Specialist to partner with so it took several years and many discouraging setbacks to find a permanent facility and team to implement the vision of providing effective counseling services for all. In 2006, she paired up with Kristine Pienkowski at her farm just outside of Burlington, IL and in 2017 Hope Reins and The Ranch moved to the current location in Hampshire, IL.
From a dream that was pretty unusual, to all the obstacles that were in the way, Debra persisted until Hope Reins was established. It was frustrating and discouraging and at times seemed impossible to get the program off the ground and solid. But now over 20 years later, Hope Reins has provided equine assisted psychotherapy to many children, adults and families. So we understand the frustration and discouragement that comes when you don’t have resources, or don’t see a way forward or even when others let you down or you experience betrayal. It can feel so dark and hopeless at times. But with persistence and steady progress and hope you will always a way forward. While God doesn’t promise to take the suffering away He does promise to be with us in the journey. So don’t give up. And it helps to be just a bit stubborn — never knew God would use that quality (lol).
We are happy that to say that in 2023 Hope Reins celebrated 20 years of providing Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning Activities in the Chicago area.
Click below to request a free 20 minute consultation with Debra Hirschberg.
Virtual Counseling in Florida and Illinois
We provide online therapy services in Illinois and Florida. Since we have always believed in offering non-traditional and experiential counseling services so we found unique and creative ways to integrate art therapy, horses and other alternative therapies online. Our team approach allows us to provide the highest quality services for you and should you desire another type of approach, we can offer that. Since we offer a variety of counseling services we are dedicated to finding a therapist and approach that is designed to meet your needs from the comfort and privacy of your own home.
Team Building, Retreats and Summer Camps
As we integrated horses into our program we quickly saw the value for teams and groups. We provide Business Development, Workshops and Retreats to create positive change for businesses and organizations. We serve the Chicago area. The Ranch is located about 20 minutes from Rockford IL, Elgin, Il and Crystal Lake, Il and is conveniently located off the I-90 tollway.
Equine Therapy and Art Therapy
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, Equine Assisted Learning and Development and Art Therapy provide a unique and powerful foundation for our core programs at Hope Reins. Our facilitating teams include licensed counselors trained in Equine Assisted Therapy and Horse Professionals who are experts in horse behavior. And we are proud to have Felicia-Marie Nicosia who is a Master’s level Art Therapist and Master’s Level Professional Counselor to lead the way in Art Therapy .
Meet our Counselors
Counseling near Rockford Illinois, Crystal Lake and Elgin, Il — Serving the Chicago Area
Equine Therapy, Anxiety Counseling and Virtual Counseling in Florida and Illinois
Felicia-Marie Nicosia, LCPC, Online Therapist Florida and Illinois
Online Therapist and Art Therapist for Anxiety and Trauma
Felicia is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Virtual Counselor and a certified Art therapist. She provides virtual counseling in Southwest Florida and Illinois. Felicia is an artist and lifelong learner who loves working with creatives who are struggling with anxiety, depression and loss of purpose. Felicia has an amazing ability to blend both the practical and creative to help you see new perspectives and implement solutions that work. For those of you who have never seen a therapist or feel worried about how virtual counseling works, clients say that Felicia has a way of making them feel comfortable and hopeful right away. You will never feel judged or labeled as your diagnosis. Instead, Felicia will help you identify how outside factors such as diet, stress, sleep and relationships may affect your anxiety or depression. She is especially skilled at connecting you with practical resources that will help you make the changes needed to get back to feeling confident and focused. Felicia has over 19 years of experience working with adults and teens and is trained in Equine Therapy (Eagala Trained), Art Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, DBT, the Gottman Method and Solution Focused Therapy. No matter how stuck you feel you will feel supported and encouraged as she helps you take the steps needed to be free from anxiety and depression. Felicia provides virtual counseling in Florida and Illinois.
Nora Whitlock, LCSW
Nora is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Eagala certified Counselor experienced in working with children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with a wide variety of emotional, behavioral, and personal development issues. Nora is especially skilled at connecting with children and working with ADHD and those who are neurodiverse. She believes it is important to come alongside clients to find their strengths and develop resilience. Nora is especially skilled in providing clients with the necessary tools to empower themselves. She individualizes her approach based upon each client’s unique needs. In addition to being an independent contractor with Hope Reins, Nora also owns her own equine assisted psychotherapy business in the south suburbs of Chicago. Nora also has equine therapy training with Natural Lifemanship and ARCH. She works out of our Hampshire, IL location and also provides virtual counseling in Illinois.
Debra K. Hirschberg LCSW, Owner/Founder
Debra is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years of experience in the field of mental health and organizational systems. Debra graduated with Honors with her Master's Degree in Social Work from University of Illinois. She has worked in schools, inpatient, residential and outpatient settings before starting her private practice in 1997. Having seen that talk therapy doesn’t help everyone, Debra began to explore alternative therapies to help those clients she felt she wasn't reaching. In 2003, she earned her certification from EAGALA as a Clinical Specialist in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning and began bringing clients to work with horses. Debra's passion and persistence to find effective ways to help people find healing from past hurts and find the purpose God has for them led her to start Hope Reins. She has a particular heart for strengthening women, families and developing leadership skills for business owners. Debra’s experience in consulting with schools and businesses laid a foundation for her love of developing healthy growth oriented work environments. She especially enjoys utilizing horses to help groups and businesses develop strong and effective leaders and teams. Go here to find out more about business development and workshops. She is the co-author of the book Mending Broken Hearts and Broken Connections: Hope for Healing Developmental Trauma. Debra is certified by EAGALA, and trained in Natural Lifemanship and Arenas for Change(ARCH) for equine assisted therapy and learning. She is also trained in Solution focused therapy, Cognitive therapy (CBT), DBT, Family Systems, and Trust Based Relational Intervention.
Meet our Horse Professionals
Kristine Pienkowski, Equine Specialist
Kristine Pienkowski is the Executive Director of The Ranch of Hope Reins. A city girl gone country, she discovered horses later in life. She is an Equine Specialist, and obtained Advanced Certification with EAGALA and is ARCH trained. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and has worked with a variety of client populations through the years. Her horse training has been from many different trainers and clinicians, other horse owners, veterinarians and a lot of reading. But, with up to 14 horses at her stable at a time, it has been the horses that have taught her the most, about them and about herself. She is the co-author of Mending Broken Hearts and Broken Connections~Hope for Healing Developmental Trauma
As a life-long horse lover, Jean is passionate about using horses as partners in therapy and believes that horses can facilitate change in powerful and applicable ways. Jean has a degree in psychology, has obtained EAGALA certification, and has been working in corporate training for the last 20 years. Her horse sense, psychology degree, and experience in corporate education provide a strong array of skills that she brings to her equine work.