The horses at Gateway HorseWorks are helping people heal from trauma

MALVERN, Pa. -- Kristen DeMarco is a lifelong horse-lover who always knew the animal could help anyone become a better person.

She heard of an emerging therapy called "equine assisted psychotherapy" which pairs an equine specialist with a licensed mental health practitioner to help patients.

So DeMarco opened "Gateway HorseWorks" in 2015.

She uses her horse herd on her Malvern farm to assist in the therapy, where the horses become metaphors for the patients and help them in their healing process.

She's helped everyone from crime victims, to human trafficking survivors, to school-aged kids heal from trauma.

She says as the world learns more about mental health, it's important to have a plethora of different therapy options for patients to assist them in their well-being.

It's also a dream come true for her to both work with horses and help her community.