DOWNINGTOWN, PA — A Child’s Light, a Chester County nonprofit that provides expedited mental health support for youth who have survived severe trauma, has expanded into neighboring Montgomery County through a clinical partnership with Collegeville-based coeo Therapy.
The partnership brings the Downingtown-headquartered organization’s rapid-response model to Montgomery County families. Children who have survived severe trauma can be connected with specialized, trauma-informed care, in some cases within five days.
Subsidized mental health care for youth in the region often comes with a waitlist of several months. A Child’s Light works around that by paying a private network of licensed, trauma-informed therapists directly. The organization fully funds a child’s first 12 therapy sessions, or about three months, up front.
“Expanding our rapid-response model into Montgomery County is a vital milestone in our mission to turn A Child’s Light into a scalable regional blueprint,” said Leslie Holt, founder and executive director of A Child’s Light. “When a child experiences severe trauma, we cannot afford to wait several months for care. By partnering with coeo Therapy, whose therapists believe deeply in treating the human being rather than just managing symptoms, we are providing a critical safety net. We are going upstream to unseat trauma early, giving these children back to themselves and to our communities.”
Local demand is high. According to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, about 1,228 child abuse cases were filed in Montgomery County between 2019 and 2023.
coeo Therapy was co-founded in 2023 by Kristen Czech and Colleen Valerio. The name comes from the Latin for “to come together,” and the practice focuses on whole-person, root-cause healing rather than symptom reduction alone.
“At coeo, we believe that people heal in relationship, with their therapist, their people, and themselves,” said Czech. “Partnering with A Child’s Light allows us to leverage our shared passion for early, trauma-informed intervention and deliver compassionate care to children and families in Montgomery County when they need it most, without the burden of financial or systemic barriers.”
Valerio said the timing of care matters. “Trauma doesn’t live in the event itself; it lives in how that event shapes our view of self and the world. With the right support, traumatic events can become just a part of one’s story rather than its sole author.”
Founded in 2019, A Child’s Light connects children and adolescents who have survived severe, high-impact adverse events with specialized support. By building a network of private practitioners and pre-paying for a child’s initial sessions, the organization removes financial and administrative barriers so families are not left on multi-month waitlists. More information is available at childslight.com. Details on coeo Therapy are at coeotherapy.com.
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