Ginger Hayes

Ginger has been a resident of southwest Missouri since 2007, where she and her husband of over 30 years purchased a ranch south of Joplin with horses, a few cows, and stock dogs.  Ginger raised three sons who together have fifteen children of their own. Ginger returned to school as an adult and completed a Master's Degree in Community Counseling focused on Marriage and Family and Play Therapy from John Brown University. After completing the coursework, she joined Counseling Associates of the Four States and earned her licensed professional counselor status in 2020. Ginger completed a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from Capella University in April of 2022 studying nonverbal communication in supervision using an equine-assisted program.

[read more]Before changing her career to counseling, Ginger worked in commercial and fine art for several years. Ginger has also worked with horses across her lifetime, developing relationships and helping others understand the world of horses. Ginger used her knowledge of horses and interned at two facilities where she focused on equine-assisted psychotherapy, helping families and individuals in their relationships.

Ginger has lived in several locations within the U.S. and Europe. Because of this, she brings an awareness of cultural and religious differences that might impact the success of counseling. She also brings a Christian focus into the counseling as a pastor in the Nazarene Church. Ginger has a passion for assisting people in navigating their issues in a kind, non-judgmental manner.

Ginger currently works with adults with trauma, marriage, and family difficulties with a strength-based, hope-filled strategy to help create personal gains and plans for health living. (Ginger is developing an equine-assisted supervision program for graduate counseling students.)