Our Programs
The Gentle Barn is a sanctuary for animals and humans alike, offering programs designed to provide healing, connection, and support to individuals and communities. We welcome children and adults who have experienced abuse, addiction, depression, loneliness, and other physical or emotional challenges. By partnering with animals who have overcome their own traumas, we create a safe and nurturing environment where participants can find inspiration and healing. Every animal at The Gentle Barn has a unique story and a special ability to connect with and teach people in need. Our programs include the world-renowned Cow Hug Therapy®, Equine and Other Animal Therapy, the Peace Enhancement Program, and the Literacy Program. Each program provides participants with opportunities for personal growth, emotional recovery, and meaningful connection with our animal residents and natural environment.
At The Gentle Barn, we are committed to inclusivity and accessibility. We welcome individuals regardless of developmental or intellectual disabilities or mobility requirements and can accommodate any specific needs to ensure a meaningful and comfortable visit. Additionally, we strive to address systemic health disparities, recognizing that many families and children experience the compounded effects of race, ethnicity, geography, and income inequality.
The Gentle Barn can offer financial aid to agencies and individuals who qualify. Please contact us if support is needed or if you want to sponsor a group visit. We do our best to never turn anyone away due to financial need.
The Gentle Barn's staff or volunteers are there to facilitate the connection and provide safety between you and the animals but they are NOT therapists, and in no way offer medical or mental health advice themselves. In the event that additional mental health support is needed, The Gentle Barn recommends reaching out to a licensed mental health clinician.
Cow Hug Therapy®
Cow Hug Therapy® offers a chance to heal and find hope in the embrace of one of our gentle giants. While resting your face against the cow’s warm frame, your mind is cleared of worry, you are centered and grounded in the present time, your heart slows down to the beat of the cow’s heart, and your body gently rises and falls with their breathing, and you feel vulnerable, humble, open, and full of infinite possibilities. Cow Hug Therapy® is a rare opportunity to feel like a newborn against a large, protective, and loving frame. It is where healing starts. Each Cow Hug Therapy® session is an hour long, is perfect for anyone suffering from depression, anxiety, loneliness, grief, or who simply needs a good hug, and can be used either in tandem with or outside of traditional talk therapy.
- Donation: $200
- 2 people max (Age 14+ allowed)
- 1hr session held on Tue, Wed, Thu, & Sat
- Time slots: 12p-1p or 1p-2p
- DOES NOT include time with any other animals.
Displaced By LA Wildfires?
We are offering support to anyone who has become displaced due to the wildfire.
See How We Can Help
Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn, has written a book entitled "Cow Hug Therapy" where she goes into the experience of not only Cow Hug Therapy® itself but how the animals have taught her everything about life, death and everything inbetween. Her book is available for sale through our online store.
The Gentle Barn's staff or volunteers are there to facilitate the connection and provide safety between you and the animals but they are NOT therapists, and in no way offer medical or mental health advice themselves. In the event that additional mental health support is needed, The Gentle Barn recommends reaching out to a licensed mental health clinician.
Equine Therapy
Equine therapy allows us to practice confidence and leadership skills. Through a specific Gentle Barn technique of grooming horses, you will become aware of your own body language and that of the horse and connect deeply. Afterward, you will take your horse on a walk and immediately get feedback from the horse as she or he trusts and follows you. In the horse world, no two horses are the same; one is the leader, and one is the follower. The same is true when we are in the company of a horse. In this program, you will learn how to hold your body, transmit your intention, and convey your energy to become a gentle leader. Each equine therapy session is an hour long, is perfect for anyone looking to expand their inner strength, courage, leadership, and voice, and can be used either in tandem with or outside of traditional talk therapy.
- Donation: $200
- 2 people max (Age 14+ allowed)
- 1hr session held on Tue, Wed, Thu, & Sat
- Time slots: 12p-1p or 1p-2p
- DOES NOT include time with any other animals.
The Gentle Barn's staff or volunteers are there to facilitate the connection and provide safety between you and the animals but they are NOT therapists, and in no way offer medical or mental health advice themselves. In the event that additional mental health support is needed, The Gentle Barn recommends reaching out to a licensed mental health clinician.
Barnyard Therapy
Barnyard therapy is a safe place to check your life at the door, interact with small and delightful animals, and realize that no matter what you have gone through, you can move forward and find joy. Many of us have had to grow up way too soon and carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. In this program, you will cradle chickens in your arms, cuddle turkeys, give pigs belly rubs, pet goats and sheep, flirt with emus, kiss llamas, and surround yourself with rescued animals who have gone through trauma and have recovered to find love, create families, and find their happily ever afters. They will bring out your inner child and remind you to laugh, smile, and keep moving forward toward joy. Each barnyard therapy session is an hour long, is perfect for any individual looking for hope, joy, fun, and connection, and who wants to feel lighter, and can be used either in tandem with or outside of traditional talk therapy.
- Donation: $200
- 2 people max (Age 14+ allowed)
- 1hr session held on Tue, Wed, Thu, & Sat
- Time slots: 12p-1p or 1p-2p
- DOES NOT include time with any other animals.
The Gentle Barn's staff or volunteers are there to facilitate the connection and provide safety between you and the animals but they are NOT therapists, and in no way offer medical or mental health advice themselves. In the event that additional mental health support is needed, The Gentle Barn recommends reaching out to a licensed mental health clinician.
School & Education
The Gentle Barn teaches children about animals in a way that will change their perspective about themselves and the world around them. We want to show children that even though we all look different, we are all the same inside. Every living being has language and needs food, water, shelter, and love. Our programs follow the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to make sure that we support teachers' curricula.
We teach the children a wide variety of things including what animals eat, where they sleep, how they have families, why roosters crow, why pigs love mud, why goats chew, and how each species communicates through body language. Here at The Gentle Barn, kids gain an understanding of animals, see how much we all have in common, and get to expand their empathy for all living beings.
After a presentation that is geared to age and grade level, the children get to brush the horses, hug the cows, give the pigs tummy rubs, talk to the turkeys, play with the goats and the sheep, and so much more. It is an educational, hands-on experience that they will never forget. Our school program is appropriate for kids K-12.
- Donation: $400 (min. of 20 kids & adults)
- $20/person over intial 20 people
- Maximum of 30 kids (1 classroom)
- Maximum of 5 adults
- All guests 2yrs+ count toward total.
- 2-hour sessions held on Tue, Wed, Thu, & Sat
- Time slots: 10a-12p or 2p-4p
The Gentle Barn's staff or volunteers are there to facilitate the connection and provide safety between you and the animals but they are NOT therapists, and in no way offer medical or mental health advice themselves. In the event that additional mental health support is needed, The Gentle Barn recommends reaching out to a licensed mental health clinician.
Literacy Program
Our Literacy Program is the perfect way to help a child or adult practice reading in a non-threatening and safe environment. Reading out loud to our rescued animals has always been part of the animal's rehabilitation, acclimating them to the sounds of our voices and learning to trust us. While reading out loud, children or adults feel the joy and responsibility of supporting the healing of our animals, while, at the same time, practicing reading to a safe and non-judgmental audience who will never make them feel self-conscious. Because they will be reading to adorable turkeys, chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, peacocks, llamas, dogs, donkeys, horses, and cows, they will be motivated to show up and participate. This program is available for anyone of any age who needs to practice reading out loud. Each literacy session is an hour long and can be for an individual or a group of children from the same class or family.
The Gentle Barn's staff or volunteers are there to facilitate the connection and provide safety between you and the animals but they are NOT therapists, and in no way offer medical or mental health advice themselves. In the event that additional mental health support is needed, The Gentle Barn recommends reaching out to a licensed mental health clinician.
Peace Enhancement
The Peace Enhancement Program is a multiple-time experience for the same group of attendees. The Group can come once a week or once a month for six months [1]. Each session is for two hours and takes place in different settings to bring a unique healing experience each time. You and your group will meet our animals, hear their stories of resilience, heal with cows, learn confidence with horses, practice empathy with smaller animals, connect with nature, and so much more. This program is designed to cultivate self-awareness, responsibility, and hope for the future through the unconditional love of animals. Our Peace Enhancement Program is the perfect complement to working in tandem with or outside of traditional therapy.
Children naturally identify with animals, and at The Gentle Barn, we use interactions with animals to teach children how to behave towards people. When children are abused, they tend to turn their hurt around to abuse others. By teaching kindness and empathy by uniting kids with animals, our Peace Enhancement Program helps turn these kids into protectors instead of abusers.
We work with these children by connecting them to the animals who all have histories of abuse, neglect, abandonment, or worse. Often the children share similar pasts as the animals, and when the children hear the stories of the animals, it helps them see that positive change is possible. As the children see that the animals are safe here with us, they begin to open up, as they also feel safe. With their unconditional love and non-judgmental attitude, we believe that animals can often reach kids more deeply and effectively than people can. As the children learn to love the animals, they simultaneously learn to love themselves. As they learn to understand the animals, they learn to understand themselves.
Identifying with the animals at The Gentle Barn helps the children feel safe. When we explore how our abused animals have learned to forgive and overcome their pasts, the animals become role models helping the children reach their goals of surpassing their pain and reaching for their bright futures.
[1] The Gentle Barn's Peace Enhancement program is versatile and can be tailored to any time configuration that your group may need. Please contact us for more information so we can put together the ideal plan for your group.
The Gentle Barn's staff or volunteers are there to facilitate the connection and provide safety between you and the animals but they are NOT therapists, and in no way offer medical or mental health advice themselves. In the event that additional mental health support is needed, The Gentle Barn recommends reaching out to a licensed mental health clinician.