Dark blue textured background with vertical streaks and scattered specks.
Logo for The Healing Path featuring a silhouette of a goat and a dog walking on a curving path through green fields under a blue sky, encased in a circular border with the text 'The Healing Path' above.

Traditional Therapy in a Non-Traditional Setting

Green starburst badge with text 'a multidisciplinary CARE FARM' in white and bold, distressed font

Psychotherapy for children, teens, adults, and families in welcoming farm environments throughout southeastern Massachusetts.

Contact Us

Our Care Locations

The Healing Path

427 Harvard Street
Whitman, MA 02382

The Forever Farm

168 Highland Street
Middleborough, MA 02346

Roots and Reins

123 Seekonk St
Norfolk, MA 02056

Shaw’s Cove Farm

65 Shaws Cove Rd
Fairhaven, MA 02719

Therapy Does Not Have to Feel Like Therapy

For some, traditional office therapy can feel uncomfortable or intimidating. At The Healing Path Care Farm, sessions may include time with animals, outdoor walks, farm activities, or conversation in a peaceful setting.

Every session is guided by a licensed clinician and tailored to your comfort, needs, and goals—with no pressure to participate in any particular activity.

A man with gray hair and beard petting a black and brown goat through a metal wire fence. He is holding a green travel mug and wearing a blue patterned shirt and beige pants, standing outdoors in a grassy area with trees in the background.
A man with gray hair and beard petting a black and brown goat through a metal wire fence. He is holding a green travel mug and wearing a blue patterned shirt and beige pants, standing outdoors in a grassy area with trees in the background.

What Is A Care Farm?

A care farm is a therapeutic farm where people can support their emotional and mental well-being through purposeful interaction with animals, nature, and the farm environment.

At The Healing Path, care farming complements proven therapeutic approaches. The setting may be unconventional, but the care is grounded in professional clinical practice. Clients work alongside experienced practitioners while exploring new ways to communicate, develop coping skills, build confidence, strengthen relationships, and move toward meaningful change.

Sessions may take place outdoors, around the farm, or in comfortable indoor therapy rooms. All of our locations are open year-round, allowing therapy to continue in the setting best suited to the client, the weather, and the goals of each session.

Our goal is to create a place where people can reconnect with the earth, with animals, with others, and with themselves.

Room to Connect, Grow, and Heal

The farm provides a natural setting where therapy can unfold through conversation, movement, observation, and hands-on experiences.

  • The relaxed environment can make therapy feel more approachable, particularly for people who have been hesitant to begin therapy or have struggled to connect in a traditional setting.

  • Working alongside animals and participating in farm activities can create natural opportunities to practice communication, problem-solving, patience, confidence, emotional regulation, and trust.

  • The sights, sounds, and rhythms of the farm invite clients to slow down, become more present, and step away from the pressures of everyday life.

  • There is no single path through therapy. Sessions are personalized to reflect each client’s needs, strengths, comfort level, and goals.

White leaf pattern on a black background with a decorative circular design.

Across our farm locations, more than 75 animals create environments filled with opportunities for connection, observation, trust-building, and purposeful interaction. Clients may engage with the animals in ways that feel comfortable and appropriate to their therapeutic goals.

Traditional Therapy in a Non-Traditional Setting

*

Traditional Therapy in a Non-Traditional Setting *

A boy with curly hair wearing a navy hoodie is holding a young goat by the horns in a backyard. Several other goats are nearby, and a tree-lined fence and parked cars are visible in the background during autumn.

Support for Children, Teens, Adults, and Families

The Healing Path Care Farm welcomes people experiencing a wide range of emotional, developmental, psychological, social, and relationship challenges.

  • The farm offers children and teens a space where they can express themselves, develop coping skills, build confidence, and practice connecting with others. The environment can be especially helpful for young people who find traditional talk therapy difficult or unengaging.

  • Therapy on the farm is not just for children. Adults of all ages can benefit from stepping outside the traditional office and into a setting that encourages reflection, movement, connection, and a renewed sense of possibility.

    We support adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, identity, life transitions, emotional regulation, grief, isolation, and other concerns. For older adults, the peaceful farm environment can also offer meaningful opportunities for connection, purpose, reflection, and support through changing circumstances.

    Whether you are beginning therapy for the first time or looking for a different way to reengage, we will meet you where you are.

  • Family therapy can help improve communication, strengthen relationships, and create healthier patterns at home. The farm provides opportunities for families to work together in ways that can feel natural, purposeful, and less pressured.

    The Healing Path is committed to providing inclusive, affirming care and proudly welcomes members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Contact Us
A woman sitting outside a barn with a black and brown chicken perched on her head, and two other chickens in the background near the barn entrance.

Meet the Healing Path Team

The Healing Path Care Farm brings together a multidisciplinary team of mental health practitioners who share a belief that therapy can be both clinically grounded and meaningfully connected to animals, nature, and the world around us.

Led by Leila Donovan, LICSW, a graduate of the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, each member of our team brings distinct experience, areas of focus, and therapeutic approaches to the practice. This allows us to thoughtfully connect clients with a practitioner whose background, personality, and approach are well-suited to their individual needs.

The Healing Path team provides year-round care at four farm locations, each offering its own welcoming environment and opportunities for therapeutic connection.

  • A woman with short dark hair and a smile, standing in front of a wooden wall with a diagonal white stripe and a large letter V. She is wearing a black T-shirt with a graphic of R2-D2 from Star Wars and a speech bubble with a heart.

    Annie Lally, LICSW

  • Close-up of a goat with black and white fur, standing outside a wooden barn. A person's hand is petting the goat's head.

    Nicole Clark, MS

  • Close-up of a woman outdoors with trees and a wind chime in the background, wearing a red top, gray cardigan, and a necklace with black stone pendant.

    Chrystal Durfee, LHMC

  • A woman with blonde hair sitting on a chair outdoors, petting a donkey, in a green area with trees and a wooden fence in the background.

    Beth Litchfield, LICSW

  • A woman in overalls and a hat holding two ducks, standing in front of a red barn with trees in the background.

    Sarah Lake, MA

  • A woman with brown hair and a navy blue sleeveless top smiling next to a large brown and white horse inside a wooden barn.

    Lauren Beaudreau, MA

  • A woman with dark brown hair smiling, wearing a patterned top, earrings, and a necklace, standing indoors near a window

    Jennifer Haggerty, LPC

  • A woman with blonde hair smiling at the camera, wearing a tan jacket and white top, in a cozy indoor setting with a lamp, yellow flowers, and a wooden mirror behind her.

    Lia Panetta, LCSW

  • A young woman with long brown hair and green eyes smiling, sitting indoors with white walls, a white door, and a small cabinet in the background.

    Jillian Manning, LCSW

Blue textured background with distressed vertical lines and scattered speckles.
A woman with glasses hugging and petting a large, fluffy goat outdoors in a yard with leafless trees in the background.

A Unique Setting. Experienced Clinical Care.

The Healing Path Care Farm is an outpatient mental health practice offering individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, workshops, and equine-assisted therapy in nontraditional environments.

Our practitioners draw from evidence-based and strengths-focused approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, internal family systems, mindfulness, play therapy, expressive arts, and trauma-focused care.

The therapeutic approach is selected based on the individual, not the setting. Together, we will identify what feels most helpful and work toward goals that support greater well-being, stronger relationships, and a richer, more meaningful life.

Close-up of a puppy's face with a black nose, white markings, and brown fur, on grass.

Find Your Path Forward

You do not need to know exactly what you need before reaching out. Contact The Healing Path to explore our clinicians, therapy options, availability, and whether care farm therapy is right for you or your family.

Individual sessions are $130. We accept several insurance plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Harvard Pilgrim, Optum, Tufts, UnitedHealthcare, and Wellpoint. Out-of-network benefits and sliding-scale options may also be available. Contact us to confirm coverage and eligibility.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. It can look like sitting in an office, taking a walk, spending time outside, or connecting with animals on a farm. At The Healing Path Care Farm, we believe there's room for therapy to look differe
Just checking in... A little reminder from The Healing Path Care Farm: you are valued, needed, and important. 💙 Interested in becoming part of the farm family? Contact us at: 📞 (217) 687-1345 📧 thehealingpathcarefarm@gmail.com 📍 Middleborough,

Follow the Farm Fun!