PITTSBURGH ­- Pressley Ridge is pleased to announce the receipt of a $186,000 grant from The Grable Foundation in support of a pilot project at its Ohiopyle Therapeutic Wilderness Camp. The 12-month pilot project seeks to test a new model of care for the treatment of care of traumatized children.

The goal of the project is to develop a best practice model in keeping with Pressley Ridge’s Re-Education philosophy, which asserts that developing trusting relationships, and assuring a competent and supported direct care staff is the best way to affect change in behavior.

“We want children who have already experienced a great deal of trauma in their lives to begin to develop trusting relationships with adults,” said B. Scott Finnell, president and Chief Executive Officer of Pressley Ridge. “Through this pilot program, we want to develop alternative methods and tools – tools that have been tested through direct research at our Ohiopyle location — for those working with troubled kids.”

The model will be evidence based, involve significant changes to current practices and require extensive staff training and ongoing clinical supervision. Concepts and core curriculum to be tested through the pilot include: Life Space Crisis Intervention, Response Ability Pathways, Situational Leadership and application of Re-education in the clinical setting.

In addition to monitoring the impact of these alternative techniques on more restrictive interventions at Ohiopyle, the pilot also will track any budget changes, measure staff turnover and overall satisfaction. Gathering this data will help Pressley Ridge ensure the long-term sustainability of programs that serves the best interests of both children and staff members.

This grant will also allow Pressley Ridge to further investigate critical “knowledge-generating” questions that are significant issues for nonprofits, including workforce development.

For more information and an interview, contact Lisa Shepard at (412) 442-2887.