Guiding Models
Natural Lifemanship
Natural Lifemanship is a trauma-informed, relationship-centered approach that uses the horse-human bond to support emotional healing, attachment, and self-regulation. Horses, as sensitive and responsive partners, provide immediate feedback through their behavior and body language, helping participants recognize patterns of stress, fear, or disconnection and practice new ways of relating to themselves and others. This approach emphasizes safety, trust, and co-regulation as foundational elements for trauma recovery.
At ConnEQtion, NL serves as the primary framework guiding our TF-EAP. Our team integrates NL principles to help participants observe their physiological and emotional responses, strengthen emotional regulation, and build resilience. By applying NLP’s evidence-based, trauma-informed practices, we foster meaningful connections between clients and horses that support growth, healing, and empowerment.
Polyvagel Equine Institute
The Polyvagal Equine Institute (PVEI) integrates polyvagal theory with equine-assisted practices to support nervous-system regulation, connection, and trauma-informed healing. Through their Polyvagal Ponies approach, horses serve as sensitive partners who reflect human autonomic states through subtle cues such as posture, ear position, and movement. This cross-species attunement helps participants recognize how their bodies respond to safety or stress and practice shifting toward calm, regulated engagement.
Teri Murtha, our President and Founder, is certified through PVEI and brings these principles directly into our equine-assisted psychotherapy sessions. Her training enables her to guide participants in noticing their physiological responses, using the horse’s feedback to build emotional regulation, resilience, and a sense of safety. Teri’s skillful application of PVEI’s trauma-informed methods strengthens our mission and deepens the healing connection between clients and horses.
Certifications & Memberships
MD Non-Profits
ConnEQtion, Inc. is a proud member of Maryland Nonprofits, the state’s leading organization supporting best practices, ethical standards, and capacity-building for nonprofit organizations. This affiliation reflects our commitment to operating with integrity, transparency, and professionalism as we deliver trauma-informed equine-assisted psychotherapy to women in recovery.
As a recognized Maryland nonprofit, ConnEQtion benefits from ongoing training, compliance resources, and statewide collaborative opportunities—ensuring our programs remain strong, sustainable, and aligned with Maryland’s highest standards of nonprofit excellence.
GuideStar by Candid
ConnEQtion, Inc. is a certified nonprofit organization recognized under GuideStar, the leading source of information on U.S. nonprofits. This certification reflects our commitment to transparency, accountability, and impactful service. As a GuideStar-certified nonprofit, ConnEQtion, Inc. upholds the highest standards of integrity in pursuing the mission, ensuring donors and stakeholders can trust in our operations and community contributions.
Maryland Horse Council
ConnEQtion, Inc. is a member of the Maryland Horse Council (MHC), whose mission is to represent and strengthen Maryland’s equine community through advocacy, education, and welfare.
We share MHC’s deep commitment to healthy relationships between people and horses — believing that the emotional well-being of the programs we run must be matched by the well-being of the equine partners we work with. MHC’s Equine Welfare Committee supports initiatives like the Maryland Equines in Transition Services (METS), which helps re-home horses whose lives have changed through no fault of their own.
At ConnEQtion, our trauma-informed equine-assisted psychotherapy is built on this foundation of care: we ensure that our horses are not just tools for healing, but respected partners whose welfare is central to our work.