Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado

Background Statement

Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado (AATPC) was founded in 2010 by Dr. Linda Chassman and Ellen Winston. It was one of the first counseling centers in the nation to integrate teams of professional therapists with a variety of rescued therapy animals to facilitate the counseling and psychotherapy process. The organization expanded its mission to include educational opportunities for professionals seeking to enter the growing field of animal assisted psychotherapy in 2011. Then, after realizing access to mental health services was a challenge for many Coloradans who were low-income, under-insured, or uninsured, AATPC received its 501(c)(3) designation in 2013. It became AATPC’s mission to ensure animal assisted psychotherapy was available to everyone regardless of their ability to pay, including clients enrolled in Medicaid.

Today, Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado serves more than 350 clients annually and continues to grow steadily. The organization has been featured in various articles and was named the 2021 Non-Profit of the Year by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. While AATPC serves a wide range of individuals, the majority of its clientele (70%) can be described as people under the age of 24 with a household income of less than $50,000 a year. AATPC has become a favored referral site for Probation, Victims Assistance and Social Services organizations around Colorado, and works closely with area graduate programs such as University of Denver and Regis University, to provide masters-level internships for young professionals entering the field.

AATPC looks forward to a future of even greater impact on the Denver Metro community by rescuing more animals and offering much needed mental and behavioral health services, specifically Animal Assisted Psychotherapy, to all.