There is a place where healing lives.
Its walls do not echo pain. They absorb it.
Its rooms are not silent with sorrow. They speak in soft voices, in crayons and sand trays, in trust slowly built between tears.
This is ChildSafe. This is where stories long buried are gently lifted into the light.
Nestled in the embrace of Loveland, ChildSafe is a sanctuary for the wounded, a place where the most fragile truths are not only believed—but held, honored, and healed.
"We are a nonprofit that provides therapy and support for victims of child abuse, primarily child sexual abuse," says Kathleen Baumgardner, executive director of ChildSafe.
ChildSafe helps children of all ages, and even adults, and is committed to providing safe, responsive treatment, education, and recovery without prejudice or discrimination in order to respect the personal dignity and worth of each individual.
These numbers are sobering. They are not just statistics, they are small faces. They are trembling hands, wide eyes, broken beginnings—and yet, every one of them steps into this space with a chance to begin again.
ChildSafe does not rush healing. Instead, time is wrapped in patience. Therapy stretches over months, sometimes years. But what makes this place special isn't just the clinical care. It's the people—the therapists, the staff, the invisible scaffolding of love beneath every effort.
“Knowing that you have the support of all of your coworkers, knowing that if you had a really rough day or a difficult session, you can go to anybody in the office,” Kristin Mjelde, a clinical therapist and assistant clinical director of ChildSafe’s Loveland office, reflects.
The work is sacred, and it is heavy. Sometimes it pulls at the hearts of those who serve. But in this place of healing, no one holds the weight alone.
“Another thing that ChildSafe does so well is self care, making sure that we are taking care of ourselves so we can continue to support our clients,” Kristin adds. “There are a lot of opportunities for us as an agency to support and connect with each other outside of just the difficult work.”
That care spills into every interaction—with children, with parents, with each other. At ChildSafe, wellness is not a luxury. It is a necessity. It is modeled as much as it is offered, and it makes all the difference.
“We’re human beings with all the same emotions as everybody else, and acknowledging that and owning that is the biggest thing that we can do,” Kristin shares.
Therapists here do not wear armor. They do not pretend that pain is something separate from them. Instead, they walk beside it with humility and grace.
"We believe in meeting our clients where they're at,” Kristin says. “That is why ChildSafe offers a wide range of services, including individual, group, and family therapy, EMDR and neurofeedback, play, art, sand tray, and animal-assisted therapy, to name a few.”
The honesty of this place is disarming. The love is quiet, but fierce. And beyond the individual sessions, ChildSafe builds circles of healing.
“ChildSafe offers a lot of opportunities for connection outside of individual therapy,” Kristin explains. “We also offer group therapy, which includes our moms group. This is a group of moms, whose kids have been abused by the mom's partner. They come together and help each other through this lived experience. That is one of the most awesome examples of support I've ever seen.”
In those circles, shame loses its grip. Connection replaces silence. And families find their feet again.
“We also offer parenting classes where we train and support parents around trauma and its effect on kiddos,” Kristin proudly shares. “Another huge thing that ChildSafe does is connect clients with community resources. We have relationships with many agencies and organizations, and we step into that advocacy role for our clients, helping get them set up with the outside resources or support that they need.
Healing does not happen in isolation. It requires resources, community support, and people who show up. People who stay.
And in this sanctuary, access is not determined by wealth.
“We offer a sliding fee scale, and we make services financially accessible for all,” Kathleen says. “We write grants, we accept donations, and we host fundraising events to ensure that children, individuals, and families get the help they need in order to live the happy and fulfilling lives they want and deserve.”
Here, no one is turned away.
And in this place—this brave, warm, tender place—help is given freely and lovingly.
ChildSafe is actually more than its rooms and walls.
It is a promise.
A promise that pain can be softened.
That silence can be broken.
That healing—real, lasting healing—is not only possible, but waiting.
If you want to donate, get involved with fundraising events or volunteering, or find that you need support, please reach out to ChildSafe. There is always an ear that will listen. Learn more at childsafecolorado.org.
“Knowing that you have the support of all of your coworkers, knowing that if you had a really rough day or a rough client or something like that, you can go to anybody in the office.”
“We’re human beings with all the same emotions as everybody else, and acknowledging that and owning that is the biggest thing that we can do.”