Sweet Times on the Farm is located in Southeast Texas and founded by Kate and Chase Kiker on their family farm and ranch as a way to share their deep appreciation for animals, nature, and agriculture.
The couple moved to the farm 6 years ago and it has become a huge part of their lives and wellbeing. Chase is a fourth generation cattle rancher and introduced Kate into the world of farming and agriculture. Shortly after, the idea for counseling with cows was formed and Kate went back to school to get her masters in counseling and human development at Lamar University. They started Sweet Times on the Farm, LLC in 2020 and started selling eggs, taking cows and chickens to birthday parties, and raising orphaned calves.
During Kate’s education at Lamar she focused on research in self-compassion and human-centered theories. While getting a formal education she was living on the farm, studying cows and their social behavior. Humans may have the more developed prefrontal cortex but cows have similar emotional intelligence capacities, and due to their way of life tend to live in the moment. She also started noticing their ability to regulate their nervous system. When they are calm they are curious- when they are stressed they can’t think straight. She started applying these ideas to further her understanding of the human mind, and has since started using animal assisted therapy with the cows, coined “Cownseling” with her clients.
If you would to read more about Kate’s counseling services, you may visit her website here.