Team Velvet, Inc.
A Non Profit 501(C)(3) Charitable Organization
Equine Facilitated Mental Health Services for Children
Understanding Bereavement, Giftedness, Grief and Loss, Treatment of Trauma, Adjustment Issues
"Our horses work in the arena of a child's heart"
Services are provided at NO CHARGE to the families.
Or mail checks made out to Team Velvet, Inc. to PO Box 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553-0268.
Team Velvet Bookshelf
Childhood Trauma
Each day there is a child who experiences the death of a loved one, witnesses violence, is victimized by crime of intense bullying, disfigured by an accident, or other countless events - all resulting in severe childhood trauma. In the extreme, child trauma may cause flashbacks, blackouts, and may result in severe and harmful physical behavior.
Team Velvet, Inc. provides multi-modal horse therapy for traumatized children ages 5-12 with psychologist Dr. Susan Edwards. Therapy horses may be involved in interactive games, kick a soccer ball, dance or be taught liberty performance. Children do not ride the horses, they interact while working towards goals of increased self-esteem and resiliency over adverse childhood events.
Team Velvet has treated 40 families with children who have experienced severe trauma. Many of these children have been referred to us by other professionals who found the child's problems intractable with traditional therapies. We do not have the funding and resources to treat all of the children referred to us. Therefore, we are seeking generous donors to help us to be able to accept all referrals of the most emotionally vulnerable children.
Our successful, continuing counseling service is located on our farm in Flemington, NJ. If you have any questions whatsoever about our history, therapy methods, potential therapy costs (if any) beyond insurance coverage, success stories, to arrange a visit to our farm etc., see out "Contact Us" page on how to contact Dr. Edwards directly.
Spring is a time of increased awareness of Child Mental Health. Statistics on youth violence show
an increase in the spring; mental health referrals spike for individuals, May 2nd is National Child Mental Health Awareness Day and the CDC mental health statistics show suicide as the 8th leading cause of pediatric death under age 12 in the United States. With the advent of bullying as a growing health problem, mental health among youth continues to warrant more attention.
Team Velvet Inc. announces “Visits with Horses Seminars” to provide children ages 10-12 with
information to help them grow in two ways related to good mental health. First, seminars address emotional intelligence so that children are more able to recognize and cope with feelings – their own and those of others. Second, the seminars are designed to help strengthen child resilience in facing and overcoming life’s obstacles.
Team Velvet Inc., a 50l c-3 organization offering equine mental health services for children, utilizes horses as therapy partners in both education and treatment programs. The program psychologist Dr. Susan Edwards explains, “The use of horses in helping people grow in mental health skills continues to increase at the international level. As horses are prey animals, they become accustomed to reading and reacting to the emotions of others as their lives often depend on such skills in the wild. In treatment programs helping others, therapy horses can give children a unique perspective on learning to help themselves.”
The program is free but registration is required. Parents may accompany their children but sessions have as a focus child learning. Children can attend one session or the entire series on either Friday afternoon 4:30 – 6pm or Saturday afternoon 1-3pm at the Flemington farm. The spring series starts April 21 and 22 and will be repeated in the summer and fall. Topics are outlined as follows:
Session l April 21 or 22 – Helping Kids Grow in Emotional Intelligence and Resilience
Session 2 April 28 or 29– Handling Worry and Stress
Session 3 May 5 or 6 - Coping with Fear and Anxiety
Session 4 – May 12 or 13 - Overcoming Obstacles
Session 5 – by waiting list only: Understanding Pet Death
All sessions involve an educational component and an equine interactional component. Email registration is required and group size is limited. Parents may register via email to Kathy Piparo, PhD at kpiparo64@gmail.com with a copy to Dr. Susan Edwards, sedwardsnj@eathlink.net and choose the session time slot most convenient for them and the age of the children to attend. There is no cost for the program but confirmed registration is required. Parents may accompany their children and observe but the program is designed for children ages 10-12. The goal is to help children grow in emotional intelligence and resilience, both of which are related to the development of good mental health. Registration is limited; please email as soon as possible.
For more information or to refer a child who has experienced trauma to the Team Velvet Inc. equine mental health therapy program, contact Psychologist/Director Dr. Susan Edwards at
609 924 4330 and refer to the website at www.teamvelvet.com for additional background information.
Surrounded by Love
In Memoriam –
Lead Therapy Horse Velvet
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Velvet
who died January 8, 2023 from complications of a traumatic injury.
He was an amazing Trakehner gelding who partnered with
psychologist Dr. Susan Edwards in the work of emotional healing
in children ages 6-12 who had experienced life trauma and profound loss. In the fourteen years since Team Velvet Inc. was founded, Velvet helped children cope with parent death, abandonment, disfigurement, loss of a loved one, witnessing violence, severe bullying and grief associated with suicide, among others.
Velvet’s gentle spirit, keen intelligence, kind nature and sense of humor reached out to the hearts of children and filled them with love. Parents and children alike remarked about the power of his loving nature. He had the soul of a champion.
Velvet’s love lives on in spirit as his friends and teammates Precious and Little Annie continue providing equine mental health therapy without fee to families as we expand our program and continue to empower children to overcome adversity.
Donations in memoriam honoring Velvet and supporting the ongoing work of Team Velvet Inc. can be made securely via PayPal or by mail to Team Velvet Inc., PO Box 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553.
Everyone Needs A Hug Sometimes
VIP December 2022 Team Velvet Inc. Column
by Susan Edwards PhD
Psychological lnvulnerability in Children
Two of the early researchers in the field of child mental health invulnerability were Dr. E.J. Anthony and Dr. Norman Garmezy. Both in the state of Minnesota, the doctors were interested in the mental resilience of children who had experienced severe trauma and in ways to strengthen the processes associated with overcoming devastating obstacles in the lives of children. Their original work, translated into languages world-wide, generated extensive research and program development for helping child mental health across the globe.
Two factors emerged as significant in the strengthening process. First was a constant source of love; second was the mental ability to think in symbolic terms. Love could be associated with a family member, significant other and in some cases, even a family pet.
The mental process allowed the child to understand the source of problems in more of an abstract manner. Dr. Garmezy described the case of one 8-year-old boy whose mother was paranoid schizophrenic. The mother kept complaining that someone was breaking into the house and poisoning the milk. When researchers from the University of Minnesota interviewed the boy, he said, "there's nothing wrong with the milk-I drink it
all the time. That's just Mom ma's illness."
As our equine mental health therapy program for children works on adapting to current needs, we continue to require additional donations and grants in order to sustain our work. In this season of holiday giving, we thank and appreciate all kindness directed
to helping our efforts. No one is paid in our all-volunteer organization which is sustained only by contributions.
For more information go to our website at www.teamvelvet.com and to refer a child contact Dr. Edwards at 609 924 4330. Donations may be made securely through the website or via mail at Team Velvet Inc., PO Box 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553. Thank you.
We Make Children Smile
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YOU Can Make a Difference in the Life of a Child
The continued success of Team Velvet depends on generous contributors like you. We are in urgent need of funds to ensure our continuing operation. Your donation provides therapy scholarships for children and help feed and care for our therapy horses. Your dollars can help to heal a child's heart and mind, one smile at a time.
Tax-deductible monetary contributions can be made through PayPal via our "Tax Deductible Donations" page or mail checks made out to Team Velvet, Inc. to PO Box 268, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553-0268.
