Meet Robert Goodland
Experience the power of Equine Therapy
Master Gestaltist
Intensive four-year program with Melisa Pearce, founder of Touched by a Horse and the Equine Gestalt Method. Robert is certified to apply Gestalt principals to equine partnered coaching.
Regional Trauma Advisory Council (RTAC) Coordinator
6+ years and counting as coordinator for the Regional Trauma Advisory Council of Northwest Wisconsin
Horsemanship Instructor
11+ years and counting as a professional riding instructor
Peer Support Team Member
30+ years and counting as a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) peer support team member at Chippewa Valley Emergency Support Service
Firefighter and Paramedic
25+ years as a lieutenant and paramedic with the Eau Claire Fire Department
Robert's Story
Early in life, it was clear to Robert that he was created to serve. As a correctional officer, he assisted inmates nearing release to find employment in the community. He organized inmate work crews to help with volunteer organization projects such as neighborhood cleanups. He went on to become a volunteer firefighter and paramedic in two communities before making firefighting his full-time career.
One day, he came across a quote that summed up where he found his passion in life — and his desire to live again.
I love when people that have been through hell walk out of the flames carrying buckets of water for those still consumed by the fire.
That was it! After so many years, all the pieces suddenly fell into place. All his personal trauma and the trauma he was exposed to in his career prepared him for this new purpose. One small step at a time, God had prepared him to support others as they claim their right to healing and wholeness.
He needed to be taught that in life, you have choices. He was unaware that choices existed. He was blindly traveling down a path, believing that he had no control over the outcome.
I believed I was at the mercy of circumstance. Life would happen, and I would find a way to endure it. When happiness or joy found its way to me, it felt foreign. In hindsight, I realize I had become comfortable being uncomfortable. I had decided that was how life would be. After all, these events happened to me and shaped who I had become. I had survived, but I was far from thriving.
Little by little, Robert began to understand that these horrible things were not done to him but for him. He found hope and started to look at his life differently. The right people appeared at the right time. He realized he could use life's lessons to help others consumed by their fires. He could carry buckets of water to them.
What if...
What if you don't have to settle? What if your grief, pain, suffering, or uncertainty is not all there is in life? Allow Robert and his horses to support you. Allow yourself to show up in your life in a different way, free of suffering and filled with joy.
Take the first step.
Request an appointment with Robert.
Try a session and see if your perspective can change.