Rising Stars: Meet Holly Jedlicka

Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Jedlicka. 

Hi Holly, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been a lifelong horse person and always wanted to share the power of horses with others. I knew how lucky I was to grow up with them, and then to land in a career training horses. But it wasn’t enough, and I felt it wasn’t helping the world. 

In 2006, my dear friend, Glenda Childress, and I decided to develop PBJ Connections. We started with an Advisory Team and in a partnership with Otterbein University, and then found partners to send us kids to experience the Eagala model equine assisted psychotherapy we were trained in. The rest is history. We now partner with two privately owned facilities and The Ohio State University Equine Facility. We employ 8 therapists and 7 equine specialists. We have expanded over the years to serve adults as well as children and families and have also expanded to provide office-based therapy sessions in Western Licking County. 

There isn’t a one size fits all solution for mental health and our ability to create programs that address people as individuals by supporting their unique learning styles, financial situations and mental health goals has gotten us where we are today. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think any non-profit that has been in business for 16 years has a completely smooth ride; but we’ve been very luck. Some of our partnerships have changed. For instance, our partnership with Otterbein University ended years ago, but this did not slow down our growth; in fact, it may have helped guide us to Licking County where this is a great need for mental health providers. We hired an Executive Director about mid-way through our existence and we lost money for 18 months straight. We had to let that person go, which was a tumultuous time. However, that year we had a record-breaking fundraiser as our supporters and the community really showed up for us, completely turning around the near-devastating financial situation we were in. We have had losses of therapy animals, volunteers, and partners; but it has only made us better equipped to help others. Overall, we have had steady growth, high-quality care, and a very dedicated group of people who make this organization what it is today. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I originally started out as a child and family therapist. I now have expertise in working with the LGBTQ+ population, adults and kids who have experienced trauma, and facilitating groups. I feel like I am known as a leader in the industry locally. I have partnered on research looking at EAP, helped to develop a minor in Equine Assisted Therapies at a local University, and am currently working on a project to develop a certificate program in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy at the master’s level with academic partners. I have been advanced Eagala certified for years, am currently an Eagala mentor, and work hard at being a good leader. I am most proud of the team of people that we have here at PBJ Connections, and that people want to be here. I know our services are high-quality and that we work hard to lower barriers for those seeking services. I also think this sets us apart. We are not money driven, but we pay our providers. We do not turn clients away because of an inability to pay, and we are good at raising money so that we can continue to do that. The team is really the thing that sets us apart and helps us be such a professional organization. 

What’s next?
We are looking to continue growing our team and we are excited to grow our trauma-intensive, Healing Connections, to be sustainable and serve more people. I would love to see it offered to teens at some point in the near future. We are slowly looking into how to finance additional office space for our growing practice, and we know we will keep growing. I am looking forward to us continuing our adaptability and continue staying on top of our game by providing high-quality services to those in need. We are working to diversify our team and our client base, and we are looking forward to some short-term and long-term steps we are taking in order to get there. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pbjconnections.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pbjconnections/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PBJ.Connections/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pbjconnections808/videos
• Other: https://linktr.ee/pbj.connections