Chittenango’s Jim Marshall Farms Foundation hosts free therapy sessions

CHITTENANGO — The Jim Marshall Farms Foundation, Inc. in Chittenango is hosting free one-hour mental health therapy sessions once a month through October 2024.

Dr. James “Doc” Marshall, a now 90-year-old retired Fayetteville veterinarian, established the not-for-profit foundation to help people suffering from depression and other emotional struggles.

Set on a working horse farm previously owned by Marshall, the foundation’s events and activities integrate animal therapy, education, professional counseling, volunteer support, and “Mother Nature’s magic.”

The upcoming therapy sessions are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Aug. 18, Sept. 15, and Oct. 20. They will be led by professional counselor Mary Sorrendino, LMHC, CASAC, BCPC, who specializes in mood/anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, addiction, and anger management. Registration is not required, and walk-ins are welcome.

“The mental health [therapy] just started this year,” said Marshall. “. . . We have [a few] more sessions this year. We will see how it goes. We might extend it over the winter or pick it up again in the spring.”

After each session, participants are invited to join a friend for a “Walk &Talk” on the ¾-mile walking path surrounding the farm’s horse training track. Benches are positioned every 100 yards along the flat path for walkers to take a break or enjoy the farm scenery.

“We call [the path] the People Track, and it’s the best walking track in Central New York,” said Marshall.

Visitors can then head to the foundation’s indoor meeting hall for a free mental health-related lecture from 1 to 2 p.m.

The upcoming topics and speakers of the 2024 Kathryn Fish Lecture Series are “Horses I’ve Known” by Marshall on Aug. 18, “Are You Happy?” by Dr. Christina Michaelson on Sept. 15, and “Cognitive Therapy – A Spiritual Connection #2” by Sorrendino on Oct 20.

The Jim Marshall Farms Foundation is located at 1978 New Boston Rd., Chittenango.

About Marshall

Marshall documents his life, shares the story of his recovery from suicidal depression, and explains the mission and work of his foundation in his memoir, “Where Animals Help People: Surviving Suicidal Depression.”

Marshall was born and raised on a dairy farm in Munnsville, New York.

He graduated from Cornell with a degree in veterinary medicine in 1957.

In 1962, he started the Fayetteville Veterinary Hospital, where he treated farm animals and companion pets for nearly 30 years.

Marshall and his wife, Ruth, raised their four children in the back section of the hospital building. Today, Marshall lives in a house the couple built behind the hospital in 1980.

In 1984, Marshall purchased a large farm on New Boston Road to pursue his interest in Standardbred horses and harness racing. He named his operation Jim Marshall Farms and built a main stable, a five-eighths-mile training track, a training pond, and numerous paddocks.

Marshall battled depression for 23 years, beginning in 1977 at age 43.

“During this period, I would take 25 different antidepressant drugs, be hospitalized in four different hospitals, attempt suicide twice, and be seen by over a dozen psychiatrists or psychologists,” he recounted in his book. “Despite all this care, a brain tumor and a serious sleep disorder were overlooked.”

As a result of his struggle, Marshall sold his veterinary practice in 1990 and gifted 84 acres of his farm to the non-profit organization ARISE in 1999 for the use of people with disabilities. The farm is now home to an accessible, inclusive recreational facility called ARISE at the Farm.

In 2000, after receiving treatment for his tumor and sleep disorder, Marshall recovered from his depression and decided to start a foundation to support people dealing with similar mental health challenges.

ARISE at the Farm allocated seven acres of the farm to the Jim Marshall Farms Foundation for the construction of a facility to house the non-profit.

The foundation now has a meeting hall, an office building, an animal barn, a wedding gazebo, two shuffleboard courts, and two horseshoe courts. The facility is available for graduation parties, weddings, birthdays, company events, and family gatherings.

The foundation also has two horse-drawn carriages used in weddings and parades.

“Suicide is often described as a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” Marshall wrote in his memoir. “I can assure you from personal experience that victims of lengthy depression view suicide as a permanent solution to a permanent problem. No one will terminate their life if they know that recovery is possible. I want to prove to these victims that recovery is possible, even if it takes twenty-three years. Constant support is a necessity for recovery. This is the mission of my foundation.”

According to the foundation’s brochure, its operating budget is supported by private donations, rental fees, and an occasional grant.

“I’m going to keep going with this [work] as long as I can,” said Marshall. “I have no plans to retire. . . . I’ve had a good life. I’m glad the lord has let me live 90 years. I always want more.”

For more information on the Jim Marshall Farms Foundation, call 680-242-9310 for Marshall or 315-552-0612 for meeting hall inquiries; email [email protected]; or visit the foundation’s Facebook page.