We recently connected with Chris Covington and have shared our conversation below.
Chris, appreciate you joining us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?
I have had a passion for horses since I was very young and I knew early in my high school years that I wanted to be a counselor, but I hadn’t dreamed of being able to merge the two in to a career until I took an Animal Assisted Counseling course in graduate school. I was well aware of counselor working with therapy dogs, cats and bunnies but when I got to the section about horses in counseling, it was like a brand new career option was revealed to me that I didn’t even know I was looking for. As part of every counselors education, we must also attend counseling sessions ourself. This experience made it pretty clear to me that traditional talk therapy was not a very effective modality for people like me and I was determined to find a different approach to connecting with clients. It came time in my graduate program to find a practicum site and I was dreading spending my days at a traditional counseling clinic and I decided to just branch out a bit and see if there were any alternatives to the norm. I honestly can’t remember how exactly I came to find Rocky Top Therapy Center, but it was exactly what I had been looking for and they were open to taking on a counseling practicum student. My on site supervisor introduced me to an approach to counseling that incorporated horses as an integral part of our therapy team and I spent as much time as I could learning from any of the horse professionals at the ranch that would tolerate my constant questions.
Of course the fun didn’t stop there! I was also introduced to a woman who has been a huge influence in my life in so many ways, but our initial connection was through team building and challenge course facilitation. Another door was opened to a world I hadn’t even imagined possible, and I began exploring an experiential approach to counseling. Nearly 15 years later, I am now the professional I have come to be, because God placed a passion in my heart and without my knowing how it was going to work out, He placed a number of people and opportunities in my path. Now, I am just waiting to see what He has in store for the next chapter of my career!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I have been blessed to open my private practice, Trinity Challenge, where we specialize in Equine Connected Counseling services. We work with our herd of horses along with many of the other animals the ranch has to offer (chickens, goats, barn cats and dogs) to offer our clients an opportunity to develop effective skills and to explore the essence of healthy relationships. We encourage our clients to find balance in their lives, embrace the challenges that they face and pursue their purpose. We serve a wide range of clients, ages 8 and up, dealing with issues such as anxiety, depression, self esteem, behavioral issues, trauma and so much more. We also work with teams to offer an experiential approach to develop a more cohesive community that strengthens one another and employs effective skills to achieve success. It has been said that, “you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Through the power of purposeful play we are discover more effective communication, creative problem solving skills, improved conflict resolution, appreciation for different perspective and a multitude of other attributes that strengthen and support the development of a healthy team environment.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I would say the greatest lesson I had to unlearn was that I needed to control everything in order to achieve success. I made multiple failed attempts to as I pursued success in my career and eventually made a move open my own practice. Without fail, the greater my attempt to control my circumstances and force my intended outcome, the greater my failure! What success I have experienced over the years has been without a doubt by the grace of God. I have also learned through challenges that I have endured, to trust in my team to do what I cannot, to bring a different perspective and enhance the services we offer. The more I let go, the stronger I grow!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I learned early in my career that networking was vital to the development of my reputation and as an introvert this was not a skill I came by naturally. I had to be very intentional about stepping outside of my comfort zone and showing up at resource fairs, shaking hands with other professionals in the mental health industry and seeking out networking groups. I also gained the awareness early on in my work with horses that I could only be successful at my job if I was authentic and genuine in my approach and I found this to be incredibly powerful in my business dealings as well. Both networking and an authentic presence have allowed me to develop most of my business with minimal traditional marketing. Clients and Professionals have gained awareness and experienced the services we offer and by word of mouth we have been blessed to connect with a number of referral opportunities in the process.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TrinityChallenge.com
- Instagram: trinity_challenge
- Facebook: @TrinityChallenge
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chris-covington-lpc-s-08569a1a