Meet the Team

A Team Approach

In every session, a team of two professionals, a licensed mental health professional and an Equine Specialist, along with participants and horses, work together to reach treatment goals.

Equine Specialist

The Equine Specialist helps to maintain physical safety for participants and horses, works with the Mental Health Professional to structure sessions, offers observations of horse behavior, and keeps notes documenting horse behaviors in session.

Mental Health Professional 

The Mental Health Professional focuses on the emotional safety of the participants, creates  treatment plans, and ensures ethical practice.  The Mental Health Professional also helps to build on the horse behaviors by creating a metaphorical bridge for the client from what is happening in the arena, to what is transpiring in their own lives, families, or workplace.

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Kristen de Marco
Executive Director  | Equine Specialist

Kristen de Marco is an Equine Specialist with a lifetime of experience riding and training horses. She gained her EAGALA ® Certification in 2011, and was educated at Villanova University in Communication Arts & Psychology.  Kristen has combined her connection with horses and her desire to help others into this experiential modality.  In addition to her duties at Gateway HorseWorks, she owns and operates WorkHorse, an Equine Assisted Professional Development company, serving the organizational needs of corporate teams, school districts, and others alike.
www.workhorseteambuilding.com

Melissa Anderson, Psy.D.
Psychologist | Consultant to Gateway HorseWorks

Melissa Anderson is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been working with children and adolescents, as well as their families, in both schools and private practice for the past 20 years. She has served as a School Psychologist at both The Hill Top Prepatory School in Rosemont and at The Agnes Irwin School in Villanova. She has been a consultant for Philadelphia Futures and Project Home to partner in designing and implementing trauma-informed services with the client at the center of the decision making. Beyond those individual schools, she has lead workshops and training for school teachers, directors, and their families, and presented on such topics as intergenerational trauma and parenting, moral and conscience development in children and adolescents, eating disorders, leadership in girls, and balancing technology and family. She has a passion for honest dialogue around identity and leads Courageous Conversations.

Raising four children (ages 9-18) she is continually humbled and filled with joy as they help her understand parenting and group dynamics first-hand.

Haley Tammany, LSW
Licensed Social Worker | Consultant to Gateway HorseWorks

Haley Tammany is a licensed social worker with experience working with children, adolescents and adults in a community mental health practice. Haley currently works at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she provides social work services to patients admitted to General Medicine and to the Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit. Haley received her Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science and Biology from the University of Delaware. She then earned her Master of Social Work Degree from West Chester University. Haley has a lifelong passion for animals and a desire for helping people in her own community. She is an advocate for the healing power of horses and therefore received her EAGALA Certification in 2016 as a Mental Health Professional.

Amber Klimovitz, LSW
Licensed Social Worker | Consultant to Gateway HorseWorks

Amber Klimovitz is a licensed social worker with experience working with children and adults in various settings.  She has most recently been working in a transitional housing program for male and female veterans who are facing homelessness, many who have survived traumatic experiences and/or have been dually diagnosed with addiction and mental illness. Amber earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Eastern University and Master of Social Work degree from West Chester University. Amber is committed to holistic approaches to growth and healing and is passionate about the unique role horses can play in this process. 

Brianne Murphy
Equine Specialist | Consultant to Gateway HorseWorks

Brianne Murphy graduated from Temple University with degrees in Visual Anthropology and Religion. Since graduating she has dedicated her life to increasing access to and developing Trauma Sensitive Yoga programs as an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher in schools, community spaces, prisons, and recovery centers. She is the Director of Criminal Justice & Reentry Services at Transformation Yoga Project.  Alongside her studies she has held a deep love for horses and is an avid believer in the healing capacity of the horse-human relationship. View her inspiring Tedx Talk here.

Thomas Thorpe
Barn Manager

Tom Thorpe is in his senior year at Delaware Valley University. Upon graduation, he will have a Bachelor’s Degree in Equine Business Management. He also is certified in Equine Massage Therapy and Equine Kinesiology Taping. Prior to school, Tom was in the Marine Corps for over eight years, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. During this time, he deployed to Iraq three times. Upon getting out, he was afforded the opportunity to take part in a therapeutic riding program. From that moment, horses have been an important part of his life. He received his Associate’s Degree in Emergency Management and Planning and held a year long internship with a county agency. He realized that the office life was not for him and being outside, working with horses was where he was meant to be.