Vol. 128, No. 63 Monday, November 12, 2018
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
Climate change research recieves more funding
H1B visa policy will hurt international students
Rams beginning to show trends in early play
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Valerie Macri-Lind, the clinical director and founder of ChildSafe smiles as she discusses the mission of ChildSafe Nov. 10 at their open house. Macri-Lind is the recipient of the Norma Anderson Excellence Award and the District Attorney’s Victim Service Award of Distinction. PHOTO BY ALYSE OXENFORD COLLEGIAN
ChildSafe opens new location for victims of sexual abuse By Nick Veintimilla @NickVeintimilla
In the world of #MeToo and sexual assault awareness, Fort Collins is opening up a safe haven for not only adults, but also children who have experienced abuse. This is something that may take a moment to register – the reality that Fort Collins children as young as two years old have experienced sexual abuse. In the Sandtray
room of the new ChildSafe house, ChildSafe co-founder and Clinical Director Valerie Macri-Lind said play-therapy helps children work through abuse. Macri-Lind, who is also a licensed therapist, said ChildSafe began in Fort Collins 32 years ago, dedicated to supporting child victims of sexual abuse and adult survivors, as well as the parents of those abused. The house offers things such as group therapy, play-therapy,
talk-therapy and neurofeedback therapy, all conducted by a specialized staff of eight therapists and four clinical interns pursuing a master’s degree. These services are usually at no cost to the client, with the fees paid by insurance and restitution of the perpetrators that are doled out by the state, according to Tim Alexander, the business operations manager of ChildSafe. ChildSafe held an open house Saturday at their new
office after moving in on Halloween and quickly getting things running so services could be offered the following Monday. ChildSafe has a catalog of many programs such as parenting classes focused on Beyond Consequences, a style of parenting specialized in supporting victims of abuse and trauma. ChildSafe has gendered group therapy sessions available to all ages, including adult survivors of abuse and mothers whose significant oth-
er was the abuser of their children, or groups for caregivers of children who have suffered sexual abuse. “Finding the words to describe your trauma is difficult, so we use a lot of methods that don’t require that,” Macri-Lind, said. Macri-Lind said for young children, the areas of the brain associated with the higher levels of thought required to discuss issues isn’t even
see CHILDSAFE on page 14 >>