Melinda Goff
Accounting and Billing Administrator
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Melinda join our team in June of 2024.

Our Professional Teams

Joe Bellus

Equine Specialist & Riding Instructor

Joe Bellus joined the Ranch team in 2019 after having volunteered at the annual Ranch Riders Horse Show. Having spent his childhood and adolescence between his family’s farm in Iowa and the inner city areas of Dallas, he had always sought to return to country life permanently and found that opportunity at the Ranch. Though he had previously trained service dogs and has years of experience coaching children in gymnastics and cheer leading, the strong connections between horses and humans in a therapeutic environment touched him beyond words. He immediately began volunteering on a regular basis and within a few months had quit his day job and become an official part of the team.  

In his earlier years Joe spent time working with youth at the Eldora School for Boys State Juvenile facility in a big brother program where he assisted in drug and alcohol abuse support groups. Later he became involved with Vets for Vets, a 501c charity out of central Iowa that pairs recently discharged veterans with prior service members from previous decades in an effort to reinforce brotherhood and community through outdoorsman activities. In the most recent past he has hosted multiple charity events benefiting various veteran support and suicide awareness organizations.  Currently, Joe fulfills the roles of equine specialist, as well as, riding instructor in training and serves as an occasional ranch hand.

Delaney Allison, LPC, NCC, RPT
Delaney Allison (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas and Oklahoma and a National Certified Counselor. She spent seven years as an elementary educator in Coppell ISD, where she developed a passion for supporting children and families' social-emotional growth. Delaney earned her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2021 from the University of North Texas, where she received specialized training in Play Therapy. She is a Registered Play Therapist and believes in the transformative power of play therapy for young minds.

Delaney began at Paws for Reflection Ranch as a therapeutic riding volunteer and was inspired by the healing potential of equine and animal-assisted therapy. She later joined the counseling team, and she works with individuals and groups on issues like anxiety, depression, trauma, life adjustments, and caregiver support. She believes in building strong therapeutic relationships to foster self-exploration and growth, in addition to intentional focus on caregiver support to encourage overall family healing.

Outside of counseling at Paws, Delaney is a small business owner and serves as a board member of the non-profit organization Black Boys Meditate, which aims to serve underprivileged communities through mindfulness. She enjoys and practices mindfulness herself, animal photography, and spending time with her family and five rescue animals.
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DAllison@Pawsranch.net

Micaela Musquez 
Volunteer Coordinator
Micaela joined the ranch in 2017 as a client in the riding program. She quickly fell in love with the ranch and its mission, which inspired her to start volunteering. In 2021, she became part of the team responsible for feeding the horses and other barn animals. By 2024, she officially took on the role of Volunteer and Education Coordinator for the ranch. 

Her favorite part of the job is watching everyone grow through the various programs that Paws offers and witnessing the positive transformations in their lives, just as she experienced during her time at the ranch. Micaela has a deep passion for animals and is currently studying animal science in college and hopes to continue working with animals in the future.

Isabel Lawrence (Izzy)

Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Equine Specialist

Isabel Lawrence has spent her entire life with horses, starting her riding at the age of 10 and she also grew up with a loving cousin that was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome. Isabel, loving both horses and special needs, longed to one day be able to work with both. In her high school career she volunteered at multiple therapeutic centers and when she graduated she started volunteering under Paws for Reflection director of equine. She soon became a trusted part of the Paws team, first as a feeder/ranch hand and then a riding instructor working towards her PATH certification as a therapeutic horse back riding instructor.

Mikah Dolphin, M.A., LPC-S, Director of Counseling Services

Mikah was divinely drawn to Paws For Reflection Ranch where her passion for caring for animals, teams, and clients is fostered in this environment that provides connection to peace, healing, and growth.  Mikah grew up on a farm and from a young age understood the positive impact that animals have on our lives.  As a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, Mikah desires to join with her clients (children through adults) and this special environment to create a therapeutic relationship that promotes thriving in daily life, a path to wellness, and a deeper connection to Christ through each person’s unique identity (if desired by the client).  Mikah’s professional journey encompasses a variety of settings, including foster care, private practice, residential care, and hospital-based programs; outpatient, intensive outpatient (IOP), and partial hospitalization (PHP).  Mikah’s leadership experience includes clinical supervision, business and clinical operations, grant oversite, and project management, all of which are focused on diversity and inclusion, promoting team strengths, fostering professional development, and a mission-driven culture.  Mikah welcomes the opportunity to give you a tour so that you too can experience this beautiful God given gift that we lovingly refer to as Paws.

​​Contact Mikah: MDolphin@Pawsranch.net

Leighann Hittle

Equine Specialist and Riding Instructor

Leighann Hittle started riding horses when she was 9 years old at Paws for Reflection Ranch. During middle school she volunteered at rescues and sanctuaries so she could learn more about the care and understanding of horses. She got her first horse at the age of 13. She was a young filly, about 7 months old. This filly taught her how to intuitively work with and train horses. Morning Star showed Leighann the true connection you can have with a horse. She helped keep her head on straight throughout high school years. Leighann returned to Paws as a feeder during those years and volunteered when she could at ranch events. She fed horses at Paws until she moved for college. In her intro to equine class she was partnered with a disabled student to help train a young colt. Working with him made her realize what she wanted to do with her life! That’s when she moved back and once again found herself at Paws for Reflection Ranch, now as a Therapeutic RIding Instructor and Horse Specialist. She is currently working on her PATH certification while teaching and helping to train horses at Paws. 

Cassandra Bellus, M.S., Director of Equestrian Services
P.A.T.H. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor & Child Development Specialist

Cassandra Bellus received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2015. Her desire to help special needs children and their families led her to pursue her M.S. in Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas. In Late 2016 she discovered the field of therapeutic horseback riding and immediately began volunteering at a center in Waxahachie. She quickly realized that she had found her calling and became a PATH certified instructor.

She has now joined the team at Paws as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Child Development Specialist. Cassandra specializes in providing early intervention therapy for children between the ages of birth to 6 years in many areas including gross motor, fine motor, speech and language, problem solving skills, sensory processing difficulties, adaptive life skills, social/behavioral skills, and literacy acquisition. She also functions as a central resource of knowledge and support for parents learning to cope with the birth of a special needs child or a new diagnosis. Cassandra believes strongly in the healing and motivating power of animals and a natural environment combined with evidence-based practices in helping little ones and their families overcome some of the obstacles that may hinder the pathway into a happy healthy childhood. 

​She is endorsed by First 3 Years (formerly Texas Association for Infant Mental Health). She specializes in utilizing animals and a natural environment to assist children and their families struggling with developmental delay or associated early childhood problems. ​

Contact Cassandra:CBellus@Pawsranch.net

Counseling Internships
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University of North Texas (UNT) 
​Paws for Reflection Ranch was selected by UNT for their Masters and Doctoral Students to obtain first-hand Animal Assisted Counseling experience toward their required internship hours. These interns are under the direction of Dr. Cynthia Chandler, Ed.D., LPC-S, MFT-S, Professor of Counseling. Dr. Chandler is also a Director of the Consortium for Animal Assisted Therapy. These interns allow us to offer services at a low cost for clients who can be flexible with their schedules. All interns are also supervised on premises by Mikah Dolphin, LPC-S and Director of Counseling Services.
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Other Universities
Paws for Reflection Ranch has affiliation agreements with the other North Texas universities listed below to provide training on animal assisted counseling methods. Check with us to see if your university is included. UTA, TCU, DBU, Nelson (previously SAGU), Tarelton State University, UNT, SMU

Kristin Stelzer 

​​KStelzer@Pawsranch.net

Our teams are full of pioneers in the field of animal-assisted therapies, always striving to continue to best serve our clients' individual needs. 

Administration

Samuel Williams, M.S., LPC Associate 
Under the supervision of Mikah Dolphin, LPC-S 

​​When individuals experience life stressors, it is not uncommon for those individuals to need skills that will be a help regarding those stressors.  Sam is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate with a great passion to bring healing to people who have found stressors in their life.  He will help each client with coping skills to deal with those stressors by addressing life patterns that tend to be maladaptive. By using strategies and interventions that lead to healthier, more adaptive ways of coping,  Sam will empower individuals to have a better relationship with themselves and others while healing.  Sam served his country from 1987 to 1995 as a soldier in the U.S. Army.  He also serves in the protestant church since 1988 and as an ordained Elder since 2000.  Sam’s educational background includes a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor’s in Psychology both from Tarleton State University.

SWilliams@Pawsranch.net

Leah Bricco
Administrative Assistant
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After finishing her internship, Leah joined our team in April of 2024.

Counseling Team

Nathan Lowe, LPC-A

What if it all works out? Let's ground ourselves, let go, and release ourselves from the responsibility of fear and worry and burden that was never ours in the first place. We'll do it together.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate working under the supervision of Mikah Dolphin, LPC-S. I received my master's degree in clinical mental health Counseling from Walden University in August of 2022. Prior to becoming a mental health counselor, I worked in public schools as a teacher, a behavior interventionist, and an instructional coach. I practice person-centered therapy with an emphasis on viewing everyone with unconditional positive regard and the human search for joy and meaning. I have experience serving all ages in nature-based counseling, equine assisted and animal assisted counseling, play therapy, and traditional talk therapy. What an honor it will be to share life with you.

"People are just as wonderful as sunsets if I can let them be...When I look at a sunset I don't find myself saying "soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner." I don't try to control the sunset I watch with awe as it unfolds." -Carl Rogers

​NLowe@Pawsranch.net

 Therapeutic Horsemanship & Horseback Riding Team

McKala Adams

​Equine Specialist and Riding Instructor

McKala did not grow up riding horses, but was always drawn to them and knew that she wanted to use them for therapy. With her mom, being a speech, therapist and diagnostician she was always working with the special needs population and loved it! She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in therapeutic recreation. Throughout her college career she volunteered at three different riding facilities. After becoming a certified therapeutic riding instructor, she worked at another barn for 2 1/2 years before finding us here at Paws. She is also an equine specialist and works in equine assisted counseling sessions as well as helping on the administration team. McKala’s favorite part about working here is the family dynamic between the staff. She enjoys getting to share ideas and learn from everyone.

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