Christine is a PhD Candidate with research interest in identifying positive and negative welfare indicators in horses working in equine-assisted services (EAS) and developing practical solutions to mitigate or eliminate the negative. She completed her undergraduate work at Averett University (VA), double majoring in Equestrian Studies and Journalism before moving to the UK to pursue her Master's degree in Equine Science at Aberystwyth University in Wales. There, her research focused on quantifying the decrease in stress experienced by humans during simple interactions with horses. She has been involved in EAS's as both a volunteer and professional for nearly 20 years, is the Chair of the PATH, Intl. Equine Welfare Committee, and serves on the Board of Directors for Equine International, an equine behavior and education research institute. She calls the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming home despite spending most of her life at the beach in New Jersey, and enjoys walks with her dogs, backpacking in the mountains, and building a better relationship with her horse. She hopes to use her PhD to teach at the university level, continue to produce research, and develop the next generation of welfare-minded professionals in the worlds of EAS and sport horse development.

Publications:

Rudd, C., Wheeler, B., Pasiuk, E., & Schroeder, K. (2022). An Initial Survey of Volunteer Perceptions of Horses in Equine-Assisted Services: Volunteer Experiences, Training, and Educational Needs. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 117, 104090.

Emma Pasiuk, MA

Emma is a doctoral student and a Research Assistant in the Lab. She has research interests in intervention outcomes of equine-assisted services (EAS) for both humans and horses. She completed her undergraduate work at Bemidji State University (MN), majoring in Psychology and facilitating human-animal interaction research. She continued on to pursue her Master's degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Saint Thomas (MN). There, she worked to develop her skills as a mental health practitioner becoming a license-eligible marriage and family therapist and treating clients who sought support for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD. She has been involved in the field of EAS and mental health as both a volunteer, professional, and researcher for 8+ years. Originally from Minnesota, she enjoys being on the lake, nature hikes, and painting. She hopes to use her Ph.D. to round out her professional expertise in human-animal interaction and prepare her for providing EAS as a mental health practitioner as well as continuing to contribute to the field of EAS intervention outcomes. 

Publications:

Fournier, A.K., Letson, E.A., Berry, T.D., & Pasiuk, E.L. (2018) Human-Animal Interaction and Metaphor in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy: Empirical Support for the EAGALA Model. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin. Vol. 6, pg. 47-63. https://www.apa-hai.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2018/04/Human-Animal-Interaction-and-Metaphor-in-Equine-Assisted-Psychotherapy.pdf