DALTON, Georgia – August 8, 2022 – A group of more than 30 leaders from Highland Rivers Behavioral Health recently participated in a week-long leadership academy with Linda Kohanov, an internationally recognized author and pioneer of equine-facilitated human development. The week-long training in Cartersville included all members of Highland Rivers’ executive leadership team and key agency program leaders, and focused on innovative leadership, relationships and non-verbal communication to foster social-emotional intelligence.

“Highland Rivers has undergone some significant changes over the past year with the consolidations of the Cobb and Haralson organizations into our agency, and this was a very timely opportunity as we position ourselves for a bright and challenging future,” said Highland Rivers Behavioral Health CEO Melanie Dallas, who is familiar with Kohanov’s work and the positive impact it has on social and emotional intelligence.

“Although the teaching is rooted in using non-predatory power modeled for us by horses, the lessons are universal – the concepts of emotional intelligence, social roles, using emotions as information, power, authenticity and balance are not only critical for a high-performing leadership team, but perhaps more important, are highly applicable within the therapeutic recovery framework for individuals we serve with mental health challenges, substance use disorders and intellectual developmental disabilities.”

Although equine-assisted experiential learning is gaining broad coverage and credibility, Kohanov’s approach delves further into the emotional intelligence of horses as large, non-predatory herbivores that must rely on the individual attributes and roles of members of the herd for their survival in the wild. She has developed her teaching across five books, including the 2001 Amazon bestseller “The Tao of Equus,” as well as “The Power of the Herd: A Nonpredatory Approach to Social Intelligence, Leadership and Innovation,” and “The Five Roles of a Master Herder: A Revolutionary Approach to Socially Intelligent Leadership.”

Although she offers learning encounters with horses at her ranch in Arizona, her workshops apply universal and transferable concepts that can be taught without horses.

“After working with the executive team and agency program leaders at Highland Rivers Behavioral Health, I’m filled with admiration, inspiration and hope for the future,” Kohanov said. “A spirit of authenticity and collaboration underlies the expertise and dedication team members display at the highest levels of this organization, and I’m thrilled to bring some new tools and perspectives to support their ambitious mission.”

Over time, these emotional and social intelligence skills will also be shared with members of the entire organization, and most importantly, the individuals the agency serves.

“Parents and teachers of special needs children, women in crisis, and people from all walks of life who need support in navigating complex difficulties can all benefit from this concerted effort to better address the emotional, mental and behavioral challenges so many of us face in our fast-changing modern world,” Kohanov added.

As the now-largest community service board in Georgia, Highland Rivers Behavioral Health serves a 13-county area of northwest Georgia that is home to nearly 1.8 million people. The consolidation of Haralson Behavioral Health Services into Highland Rivers was completed January 1, while the consolidation of Cobb County Community Services Board into the agency was completed June 30. Staff from both agencies have moved into program management and leadership positions within Highland Rivers as part of the consolidations, and the agency is working to greatly expand the number of individuals it serves annually across its service area.

About Highland Rivers Behavioral Health

Highland Rivers Behavioral Health is Georgia’s largest public safety net behavioral health agency, providing comprehensive treatment, support and recovery services for adults, children, families and veterans affected by mental health disorders, substance use disorders, and intellectual developmental disabilities. With an integrated continuum of services that includes crisis stabilization, outpatient, residential, community-based services and more, Highland Rivers Behavioral Health operates more than two-dozen treatment facilities across a 4,700-square mile area of Northwest Georgia that includes Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk and Whitfield counties, and serves approximately 20,000 individuals annually. Highland Rivers Behavioral Health is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International and is a Tier 1 safety net Core Provider for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. For more information, visit http://highlandrivers.org.