Pressley Ridge Institute

Pictured: Dr. Larry Brendtro, co-author of the RAP curriculum

The Pressley Ridge Institute serves internal training needs and also is revered for applied research, competency-based training, and consultation to children’s services organizations around the world. The Institute’s clinical training, intended for those who work directly with children and families, develops the competencies required to provide effective treatment to children who have emotional, behavioral or developmental disabilities. The Institute also offers leadership training for those with managerial responsibilities. The quality of the Institute’s training is a primary factor in the success that Pressley Ridge has achieved with troubled kids and families.

Advances in Clinical Practice at Pressley Ridge

Treatment Foster Care Initiating Evidenced-Based Process
Pressley Ridge has begun the process of establishing our Treatment Foster Care Training Curriculum as an evidenced-based practice. We will be working in collaboration with Easter Seals United Cerebral Palsy of North Carolina to determine the impact of the curriculum on service quality. The process will take approximately two years to complete. Pressley Ridge created one of the first Treatment Foster Care models and training curricula in the United States. Pressley Ridge has long been considered one of the premier providers and trainers for treatment foster care and is providing its training and services on a national level.

New Pressley Ridge Training Based on Brain Research

Response Ability Pathways (RAP) Training
Pressley Ridge is one of the first organizations in the country to embrace an innovative program called Response Ability Pathways or RAP. First introduced five years ago, the RAP curriculum draws on current research in brain functioning and the effect of trauma on the brain. It’s a cutting-edge tool for understanding the traumatic experiences of the children Pressley Ridge serves, and how those experiences shape behavior. Implementing RAP ensures that Pressley Ridge continues to be innovative in the services they provide to children and families. Dr. Larry Brendtro, co-author of the RAP curriculum, recently led a training for a select group of twenty-two Pressley Ridge staff. These certified trainers will train other staff throughout Pressley Ridge. According to Dr. Brendtro, the RAP curriculum “strengthens natural abilities to respond to needs rather than react to problems of young persons and to encourage them as they take pathways to responsibility.”

The PersonBrain™ Model
Pressley Ridge is also piloting The PersonBrain™ Model, a neurorelational training program designed to empower helping adults with critical therapeutic skills needed to transform troubled children and youth. Using modern neuroscience and the best of positive, ecological and relational psychology, this innovative program teaches the essentials of how the brain, body, culture and relational ecology function together to impact one’s overall life experience.

The PersonBrain™ Model is a trademark of NeuroRelational Associates International, Inc.