Suzanne Kapral

From soil to soul, nurturing recovery and healing through agriculture.

I foster partnerships among mental health professionals and small farms to build and sustain effective, evidence-based care farming programs. Care farming brings together the power of farm-based activities, animal-assisted interactions, and expert mental health services to help children and adults affected by trauma take meaningful steps toward healing.

Learn more about my work.

About Suzanne

Animal Behavioral Knowledge & Organizational Savvy

Suzanne is a TEDxScranton speaker, an accomplished author, and a devoted advocate for children and farm animals. Her multifaceted career incorporates roles such as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA) and a Farm Animal Welfare Auditor, demonstrating her commitment to both human wellbeing and ethical animal treatment.

As a respected advisor in farm-based interventions, Suzanne offers expert counsel across the United States on the creation, funding, and maintenance of farm based therapy programs. Her vision is to foster partnerships with service providers to launch responsible initiatives that meld the therapeutic benefits of agriculture with the need for compassionate human services.

Suzanne's contributions were critical in establishing the nationally recognized, evidence based Care Farming program at The Lands at Hillside Farms, a historic, 438-acre, non-profit educational dairy farm located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. This initiative has been providing farm-based trauma services tailored to children's needs, including those on the autism spectrum, since 2013.

Currently, Suzanne serves on the Green Care Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office of Youth and Young Adult Services Bureau of Substance Addiction. She's also an Animal Welfare Auditor for A Greener World. Her TEDxScranton talk, "How Cows and a Cornfield Helped Heal Childhood Trauma," reveals her personal journey through childhood trauma, and how it fired her passion for initiating the Care Farming program at Hillside Farms.

Suzanne equipped herself academically with a Master of Science in Animal Behavior/Animal Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, paired with a Master of Science in Organizational Management from Misericordia University. This blend of animal behavioral knowledge and organizational savvy has shaped Suzanne into the compassionate subject matter expert she is today.

Care Farming Blog Series

Join our weekly blog series as we dive into Care Farming, exploring its benefits and sharing powerful stories from participants, therapists, and researchers alike. Whether you're a mental healthcare provider, parent, teacher, or someone curious about complementary therapies, discover how the synergy of nature and nurture in Care Farming can pave the way for holistic health restoration.

"Investing in the children who have tough hurdles early in life is a huge investment in their future independence and welfare. All children, regardless of socioeconomic status or life experiences have value and belong. Vulnerable children are not a burden and it is our collective responsibility to help them understand that they matter and are worthy of a quality life. I believe agriculture is a powerful tool for teaching, growing, and healing."
-Suzanne M. Kapral

From soil to soul, nurturing recovery and healing through agriculture.

Suzanne has been featured on:

Care Farming Blog Series