Our Team
Our Team
At Spring Reins of Hope & Growth our team extends beyond our experienced health care professionals to include the herd of horses who help make this all possible.
Meet the Staff at Spring Reins of Hope & Growth
Christianna Capra (CC), CEO & Equine Specialist
Christianna Capra has been passionate about horses since the age of 2. Her childhood encompassed an active membership in 4H & Pony Clubs where she developed basic horsemanship skills and rallied to ride anything that would let her aboard (or not!). Beyond the joyful riding experience, Capra discovered that riding is just one facet of interaction with horses - they can guide, heal and touch our life/soul in profound ways. Born in Colorado, growing up in Seattle and eventually settling in NYC afforded her the opportunities to become involved in various aspects of the horse world. As an adult, Capra stayed connected to horses and spent several years studying the nature of the horse, animal communication, understanding what partnership entails between horse and rider, and becoming a voice for animal rights. She became an accomplished Dressage and Eventing rider as she continued her studies, always seeking a way to combine her life-long passion for horses into a career path that would introduce others to this life changing connection.
In 2006 a series of events took place that led Capra to EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) where she became a certified Equine Specialist and is currently completing the requirements for Advanced Certification. From the point of discovering the work of equine assisted therapy, there came a deep inner trust that this was her purpose and would become her life's work. The combination of her personal history, life experience with horses and professional expertise will assist Capra in contributing to Spring Reins of Hope's success at delivering equine facilitated services that will benefit both clients and horses equally. Capra is committed to building this process as her legacy and finding the most profound way that she can be of service to others and the community.
- CEO/President, Spring Reins of Hope, LLC
- EAGALA Certified Equine Specialist
- Co-founder of Horses for Healers
- Co-founder, Spring Reins of Life, 501c3
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Dr. Maria Katsamanis, PsyD
Dr. Katsamanis is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in both New Jersey and New York and holds a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. She is certified as a Mental Health Professional through the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA). Dr. Katsamanis has earned a Bachelor's of Art in International Relations and two Masters: a Masters of Arts in General Psychology and a Master's of Science in Clinical Psychology. Her graduate school background includes a concentrated focus on metaphors, non-verbal communication, hypnosis and psychophysiology. While pursuing her graduate studies she worked as a flight attendant for three years. She maintains a faculty appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) and a teaching appointment supervising psychology graduate students at the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSAPP), Rutgers University. She founded an elective course at RWJMS, collaboratively with Rutgers University Equine Research Center (Carey Williams, Ph.D.) to teach the importance of nonverbal language to assist medical students in their interpersonal relationships as healthcare practitioners and improve bedside manners. Her professional affiliations include being a member of the Animal/Human Interaction: Research and Practice Session, Division 17, American Psychological Association. She was recently elected to participate as a member of the EAGALA Research Advisory Group. She has numerous publications in the area of psychophysiology and has a focused interest in breathing behavior and its effects on health and performance.
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist in NJ/NY
- Clinical Assistant Professor RWJMS
- EAGALA Certified Mental Health Professional
- Co-founder (Dr. Anthony Tobia) elective course for bedside manner training RWJMS
- Co-founder of Horses for Healers
- Owner/Head Trainer, Molecular Equitation
- Designated Mental Health Professional, Veterans, Spring Reins of Life, 501c3
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Erin Reyhan, LCSW
Erin Reyhan graduated from University of Mary Washington with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. She then attended Rutgers University, graduating in 2010 with a Master's in Social Work. Recently, she also completed a certificate course in Clinical Supervision for licensed social workers.
​Currently, Erin is certified as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Jersey. She has worked with adolescents in direct care settings including residential treatment facilities, group homes, and in client's homes. She has experience working with adolescents, couples, and families both individually and in group settings. In addition to traditional cognitive behavioral therapy principles, Erin utilizes various therapeutic interventions including experiential therapy, animal assisted therapy, and equine assisted psychotherapy. Erin has been certified as a Mental Health Practitioner through EAGALA since 2012. She has worked with horses and teens since 2007 when she first saw Equine Therapy at a residential facility in Utah. Erin joined the Herd at SRoH in 2014 where she brings her private practice clients for EAP, and is also available to facilitate private EAP sessions as well as group EAL sessions offered at SRoH. Erin believes in the power of horses and the ways in which these majestic animals can touch the hearts of humans.
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker in NJ
- EAGALA Certified Mental Health Professional
- Owner/Operator, Practical Insights, LLC (Flemington)
- Designated Mental Health Professional, At-Risk Teens, Spring Reins of Life, 501c3
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Judy ViaCava
Judy began her holistic wellness career as a massage therapist and energy healer in 1992 and began her training as a coach in 2009. In 2012 Judy was diagnosed with breast cancer, which inspired her to specialize in coaching people with cancer by offering strategies and tools to support them as they followed their own journey. In the summer of 2015, SRoH and Judy joined forces to create "T.H.E. Cancer Survivors Journey Workshop," and provides this experience on an ongoing basis. Judy has helped countless people through workshops, retreats, and individual coaching sessions in and around the NJ/PA area. She has developed a program called, “90 Days to Coping with Cancer”, which incorporates the Cancer Journey program with self-help steps that can be used to give power to caregivers, patients & survivors. Judy has been involved with many local cancer organizations, such as:
- The Machestic Dragons – Mercer County’s Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Team (board member)
- The Breast Cancer Resource Center – Princeton, NJ, “Panic to Powerful” workshops
- The Healing Consciousness Foundation – Bucks County, PA, Transition Coach
- Gilda’s Club – Bucks County, PA, “Panic to Powerful” workshops
- St Mary Medical Center – Newtown, PA, “Panic to Powerful” workshops
- YMCA Doylestown, PA & Hamilton, NJ – “Panic to Powerful” workshops
Judy has a private coaching business: Survivor to Thriver: Beyond Cancer with Peace, Passion & Purpose. She also operates a retreat company called, “Back In The Saddle Retreats”.
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Diane McMahon, EdS, LPC, RN
Diane has devoted her life to the art of healing. She is a New Jersey licensed Registered Nurse as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor. She specialized in pediatric and psychiatric nursing also teaching the specialties of nursing before shifting into counseling and psychotherapy. She worked for many years as a school counselor with adolescents and currently has a private psychotherapy practice Healing with Heart and Horses Therapy Practice LLC providing psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families. Her interest in horses as healers started after her own profound experience of healing and peace from working with horses to learn horsemanship and riding technique. Looking for a way to bring this healing to others through horses she discovered the Eagala Model and has been certified as MH since 2013. Diane teamed up with Spring Reins of Hope LLC in 2014, bringing a unique therapeutic approach to her private practice clients who want or need a more experiential and solution focused modality. Diane will tell you, “The horses never fail to offer the clients exactly what they need during a session, and certainly not always what clients expect, but they will always get the truth.”
- EAGALA Certified Mental Health Professional
- Licensed Professional Counselor in NJ
- Registered Nurse in NJ
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