$12,682 raised by 86 donors
25% complete
$50,000 Goal
Eva was a 14-year-old survivor carrying invisible wounds from a traumatic event that had shaken their entire world. Nightmares kept her awake, loud noises sent her heart racing, and she flinched at even the gentlest touch. They felt unsafe everywhere, even in their own mind.
At school, she couldn’t focus. 📚 At home, they withdrew. The people around her wanted to help, but the teen didn’t have the words to explain the fear that lived inside them. Trauma had stolen their voice. 😔
Their caregiver learned about Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado, a place where healing didn’t have to start with talking. 💛 Eva was hesitant since traditional therapy had always felt overwhelming. But the idea of working with animals felt different… gentler. Safe. 🐾
So they went.
That’s when they met Kuzco, a timid alpaca with big eyes and a gentle spirit. 🦙💞 Kuzco was very cautious, shy, and easily startled around people. Just like Eva, he approached the world one careful step at a time.
Their connection was instant, not loud or dramatic, but quiet and meaningful. Two beings who understood fear, meeting each other with softness. 🤝✨ Over the next several months, something powerful happened. With their therapist’s guidance and Kuzco’s calming presence, Eva learned to breathe more steadily.
They learned patience by matching his slow movements. They rebuilt their sense of trust as Kuzco learned to trust them, too. One small moment at a time. 🧡
Little by little, the Eva felt the weight of her trauma lighten. Not disappear, but loosen its grip enough for hope to grow.
With Kuzco beside them, they discovered strength they didn’t believe they had, and a sense of safety they thought was lost forever. 🛡️💗
This is the kind of real healing that unfolds at Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado every day.
Your donation makes a real difference:
Provide low-fee sessions for low-income clients in 2026
Create safe, healthy, and enriching homes for new rescued therapy animals
Care for current and future rescued animals and so much more!
Your support helps create more stories like this, more clients finding safety, more animals finding purpose, and more healing unfolding, one gentle step at a time.
Thank you for being part of this journey!
Through our counseling and training programs, Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado provides and promotes animal assisted psychotherapy with rescued animals to facilitate healing for all people in need. Our motto is "Rescued Animals Rescuing People".
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.
Organization name
Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado
other names
AATPC
2012
Tax id (EIN)
45-4423891
Category
Mental Health & Crisis Intervention
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
7275 Kipling StreetJefferson County, CO, US