Pressley Ridge is a multi-state, social impact organization providing educational, treatment foster care/adoption, community-based and residential treatment care. The organization originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the Protestant Orphan Asylum and the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Home for the Friendless, two of the city’s oldest childcare agencies. Through the next 190 plus years, the organization would grow, evolve, and expand into multiple states, with the first expansion being in West Virginia in the mid-1980s, bring quality treatment programming and services to at risk youth and families.
With collaborative and inclusive relationships, Pressley Ridge empowers youth and families to transform their lives and develop to their full potential. Pressley Ridge believes differences create strength and is committed to embracing a culture of respect, dignity, and inclusivity. The mission of Pressley Ridge is to do whatever it takes to create success for children, youth, and families. The organization strives to create an impact across communities so that all kids may thrive. The organization is COA (Council on Accreditation) accredited, supporting evidence of the highest standards of care being implemented across programs/services. The organization is affiliated with national and state specific associations revolving around child welfare/children’s issues.
In West Virginia, Pressley Ridge provides a wide range of services such as Residential Treatment Care (Level III and High Acuity-ASCEND program); Treatment Foster Care and Adoption; and Community-Based services including WV Wraparound/Safe at Home and Wraparound Facilitation with CSED Waiver services. The organization is grounded in the Re-Education philosophy which provides a common treatment foundation guiding culture and services. This philosophy places focus on strengths of youth/family verses deficits and supports the belief that it is possible to teach competence; change is possible; and the development of strong, trusting adult connection is predictive of lasting future success. Pressley Ridge integrates a trauma-informed care approach into all programs/services and supports the use of evidence-based and supported practices throughout program implementation.
The Pressley Ridge at Grant Gardens Residential Treatment program is located in Ona, WV, just outside of Huntington, WV, Cabell County. This treatment campus provides two levels of care for males from ages 13-17. The Pressley Ridge High Acuity ASCEND program is the first developed in the state of WV and provides a model of care that supports youth with the most intensive emotional, behavior, and mental health challenges. These youth have been unsuccessful in other residential care programs and are high risk for an out of state specialized placement. The program also helps to bring youth back into the state needing additional intensive services, after being in an out of state placement. The program is driven by an evidence-based assessment approach called Neuro-Sequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) developed by Dr. Bruce Perry. This approach is a brain-mapping process that allows information related to brain development deficiencies because of trauma history. Youth treatment plans are guided by recommendations from this assessment. In addition, the campus provides programming for Level 3 youth in the same age range. These youth are experiencing emotional, mental, and behavior health challenges preventing them from living successfully in home/community without critical treatment and supports. Residential care youth receive therapy; supportive counseling; family engagement/therapy; group therapy/process; education supports on-grounds; recreational and spiritual resources/supports; psychiatric, psychological, medical services; treatment and permanency planning from intake; crisis intervention/support; assessment/evaluation; specialized assessment, and all necessary services to meet youth unique needs.
Across the state of West Virginia, Pressley Ridge provides intensive WV Wraparound/Safe at Home community-based services, and Wraparound Facilitation services within the Children With Serious Emotion Disturbances Waiver (CSEDW). In addition, Pressley Ridge provides Treatment Foster Care and Adoption programming across the state. Pressley Ridge provides three tiers of Treatment Foster Care (Tier 1-3); Emergency 8am-8pm treatment foster care; and Stabilization and Treatment Foster Care. Pressley Ridge also holds a Youth Services contract with the WV DHHR providing resources in Webster and Nicholas Counties.