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PROJECTS
Country: Ukraine
Title of project: Holding the training for the Donetsk social workers, physicians and volunteers on the American social services
and programs provided for children and youth being troubled physically, mentally and behaviourally and their
families by the representatives of the American partner organization – the Pressley Ridge School (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) -
aiming at introduction of the like programs on the basis of the Donetsk Family Centre.
Project dates: September 20 – September 24, 2004
Grant amount: 4515$
Cost Share: 6820$
Total Amount Spent: 11335$
Planned Project Activities and Timeline
First month of the project
- preparation by the professionals of the Pressley Ridge School of the methodic materials for the training
- preparation of the program of the training and coordination of it with the American colleagues
Second month of the project
- sending the methodical materials to Ukraine, translation of them
- final selecting the participants of the training and sending them the letters of invitation
- creation of the model booklet of the methodical materials for the participants of the training, copying
Third month of the project holding the training
Forth month of the project
- spreading of the booklet with the methodic materials among the organizations working with the troubled children and youth and their
families in Donetsk and Donetsk region aiming at broad introduction of the American programs of assistance to the target group of population
- starting to hold trainings for future trainers (in fact this part of the project is not limited by the month period of time, but at least a year)
September 20, 2004 – Workshop 1 – Morning session
· United States Child Welfare System
1. Welcome and personal introductions of trainers and participants
2. Introduction to the 5 day program
§ Our understanding of The Family Center goals
§ Pressley Ridge capacity and role in assisting our Ukrainian partners to meet their goals
§ Outline of topics to be covered by training program
§ Structure for workshops 1 – 3
§ Structure for workshops 4 – 5
§ Housekeeping (daily schedule, breaks, use of interpreters, etc.)
3. U.S.A. System of care for children & families
§ Organization of government agencies, featuring departments of child welfare, developmental disabilities and mental health
§ Scope of services for children – responsibilities of DHHS
§ Budget for American child welfare system (comparison with other federal agencies)
§ Facts/statistics: client numbers and demographics, comparisons with Ukrainian population.
§ Questions & discussion
4. Pressley Ridge’s place within the U.S. system of care
§ Non-profit government contractor
§ Relationship to funders, referral entities, clients and the community
§ Pressley Ridge mission as it relates to the system of care
§ Questions & discussion
September 20, 2004 – Workshop 1 – Afternoon session
· All about Pressley Ridge
1. Review using Experiential Activity: Understanding the United States child welfare system
2. Reckoning With Rainbows video
3. Pressley Ridge organizational mission and values
4. Scope of service and programs
§ Four Service Lines – Education/Day Treatment, Home-Based Services, Treatment Foster Care and Residential Treatment
§ Regional programming – Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland/Delaware/Washington D.C., and West Virginia/Virginia
§ The Pressley Ridge Institute – Research, Consultation, Training and Service Development.
5. Clients: Who are our children and families?
6. Outcomes measurement and program evaluation overview
7. Operational management structure
8. Financial profile – annual performance summary
9. Questions & discussion
September 21, 2004 – Workshop 2 – Morning session
· Re-EDucation: a theoretical framework
1. Nicholas Hobbs and some historical context
2. Principles of Re-ED
3. Experiential Activity: Finding Re-ED in all that we do
4. The Teacher/Counselor
5. Re-ED principles in action: Mario’s Story
6. Questions & discussion
7. Contemporary Re-ED: Building an evidence base
· Re-ED validation efforts & hierarchy of research questions
· THE BIG QUESTION: Does Re-ED make a difference in the lives of kids and families?
· Measuring Re-ED: A framework for assessing and agency’s level of Re-EDness
· Model fidelity
· Measuring model fidelity
· Re-ED best practices
8. Re-ED as the heart of an organization
9. Questions & discussion
September 21, 2004 – Workshop 2 – Afternoon session
· Development of a clinical model: PRYDE Therapeutic Foster Care
1. Review homework reading
2. Articulating core values and practice principles
3. Identifying strategies and interventions to carry out the principles
4. Developing clinical protocols and consistent operating policies/procedures
5. Selecting quality performance indicators of success
6. Setting formidable benchmarks
7. Collecting data and measuring outcomes
8. Questions & discussion
9. Experiential Activity: Creating your own clinical model
10. Managing the PRYDE model
11. Replicating the PRYDE model
12. 2004 treatment results
13. Questions & discussion
September 22, 2004 – Workshop 3 – Morning session
· Pressley Ridge at Ohiopyle: A Therapeutic Wilderness School
1. Review homework reading
2. Pressley Ridge at Ohiopyle video
3. About the program – location, kid demographics, length of stay, etc.
4. Campbell Loughmiller and the treatment milieu
5. Experiential Activity: Positive Peer Culture
6. Core program components:
· External structure/regular routine
· Evaluation based on predetermined criteria
· Democratic group context
· Emphasis on cause and effect
· Natural consequences
· Unobtrusive supervision
§ Ensured competence
§ Tangible to abstract processes
§ Integrating academic and treatment issues
§ Strong adult/child relationship
§ Humanistic intervention
§ Immediate problem solving
§ Adult directed peer accountability
7. Questions & discussion
September 22, 2004 – Workshop 3 – Afternoon session
· Measuring success of our treatment relationships
1. Review homework reading
2. What is a Therapeutic Alliance?
3. Premises of Therapeutic and Working alliances
Therapeutic Alliance:
§ Perception of emotional bond
§ Agreement on treatment goals
§ Agreement on tasks needed to reach goals
§ Perception of openness and truthfulness in the relationship
Working Alliance:
§ Collaboration
§ Communication
§ Agreement on goals of treatment
§ Support and mutual problem-solving
4. Relationships
5. Why study Therapeutic Alliance and Working Alliance?
6. Research findings
7. Understanding resistance within the therapeutic relationship
8. Youth and adult perceptions of the therapeutic relationship
9. Association between Therapeutic Alliance and youth functioning
10. Questions & discussion
September 23, 2004 – Workshop 4 – Morning session
Parenting disabled and troubled children
· Understanding behavior
1. Welcome to parent participants and brief personal introductions
2. Introduction to Pressley Ridge and training outline for next two days
3. A poem: Welcome to Holland
4. Attitudes and expectations
5. Raising special children – Characteristics of children with disabilities
§ Intensity
§ Persistence
§ Sensitivity
§ Perceptiveness
§ Adaptability
§ Regularity
§ Energy
§ First Reaction
§ Mood
6. Discussion about a parent’s experience of discovering their child’s disability and about persistent parenting challenges
September 23, 2004 – Workshop 4 – Afternoon session
Parenting disabled and troubled children
· Afternoon Session – Understanding behavior (continued)
1. Brain function and biological processes of children with ADHD, learning disabilities and other developmental challenges.
2. Behavioral and emotional challenges for children and parents.
3. Experiential activity: I have a learning disability
4. Basic concepts of behavior management:
§ Principles of reinforcement and consequencing
§ Consistency
5. Questions and discussion
6. Advocacy for your child
7. Help me to Learn! : a letter to my teachers
8. Experiential activity: Help me to learn
9. Questions & discussion
September 25, 2004 – Workshop 5 – Morning session
Parenting disabled and troubled children
· Responding to the special needs of your child
1. Review homework reading
2. Treatment is Teaching/Teaching is Treatment
§ Behavior is learned
§ People teach people
§ ABC’s of behavior analysis
3. Basic counseling and behavior management techniques
§ Active listening
§ I-feel messages
§ Skill teaching
4. Basic counseling and behavior management techniques (continued)
§ Negotiation
§ Positive discipline strategies
5. Questions and discussion
September 25, 2004 – Workshop 5 – Afternoon session
Parenting disabled and troubled children
· Taking care of the caregiver
1. A Poem: You and I
2. Experiential Activity: Wait a Minute!
3. Challenging Children, Overwhelmed Parents
§ Impact of your own feelings
§ Emotional Self-Assessment
§ When fear takes control – managing your overwhelm
§ Creating a “holding” environment
4. Questions and discussion
5. Review of Behavior Management Strategies
6. Formation of a Parent Support Group
7. Questions and discussion
8. Prayer for Children
The training was conducted by Lisa Ott, MSW, LCSW-C, Director of Project Development and Luke McDonough, Program Director for Delaware,
both with almost 20 years of experience working with troubled and troubling children at Pressley Ridge. Andrea Gruber, the Director of Pressley Ridge’s Central and
East European Operations also participated in the training. In addition, B. Scott Finnell, Pressley Ridge’s President and CEO also visited the training and
spent time with the participants.
The actual outcome of the project and future steps.
As the result of implementation of the project we have 36 persons ready to work with and help the troubled kids and youth on the
basis of the American programs in the Donetsk region. They obtained knowledge on the principles and practical experience of assistance to the
target group of kids and youth and their families and already started using the gained skills in their practical work. Working 5 days a week they
provide services for at least 10 patients daily, which equals to 1800 persons weekly; taking into consideration the fact that the improvement of a
young patient’s state benefits his family (at least 2 additional persons), the number of people benefited by the project goes up to
5400 every week. Besides, every trained worker can train a group of 10 professionals every 3 months. Holding such trainings aiming at
spreading the American experience in our region is planned for the next year. Only a part of the training participants has necessary conditions
for holding such seminars, but still at least one half of them (20 persons) are ready to hold seminars for their colleagues on the studied American
programs (the next year it will be 20 trainers x 10 persons x 4 times = 800 new trainers). All this trained staff will be able to use the American
type of programs in their work and serve their patients, which gives us 800 x 10 patients x 20 days per month = 160000 persons benefiting from the project.
We plan to organize the work of the Family Center according to the principles of the studied Re-ED methods; to hold seminars, at which the participants of the training
are to teach other social workers, physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists, representatives of the NGOs of our region working with our target group the
gained knowledge for it to be used in practical work with troubled youth. It seems to us a good idea to present the materials of the training on the site of
our organization alongside with the contact information helping the interested organizations and persons to establish contacts and to cooperate,
to develop common projects and to exchange the experience.
In addition to the on-site training in Donetsk, based on our long-term partnership with Pressley Ridge, 3 of the training participants are
invited to the US to spend a 6-12 months training at Pressley Ridge. The purpose of the training of these individuals is for them to become
“master trainers” who upon return will provide more training in the city, do direct work with troubled children and youth, and their families, and
coordinate the work of professionals using the American method.
How did the project benefit multiple alumni?
9 of our alumni having taken part in the training are physicians (2), social workers (2) and members of the NGOs engaged
in the activities aiming at assisting the troubled kids and families (5). They gained new knowledge and practical skills in the field and
improved professionally and now provide better services to the target group. Inna Movchan and Yurii Stratovich employ the American principles
of work with the troubled youth and kids, which fact helps them in their career progress; Lyudmyla Kevlova plans to prepare a booklet for the
social workers of Donetsk to spread the principles of Pressley Ridge among her colleagues; the rest being engaged in the correction work with
troubled kids and their families started using the new experience in their activities.
Was the project an overall success?
I consider the project was a great success – it is proved by evaluations given by the participants of the training immediately after
holding it, when they were full of impressions – and by their numerous calls. First of all the problem touched upon is really urgent
for our city, and the people involved in solving it used to put up their hearts into their activities, seeking every opportunity to find
the better ways of doing their work. We were very careful selecting the interested participants and the training showed that the choice was good,
as all the participants were very active and worked as an excellent team. The main reason of the training being a success is the highest professionalism
of our trainers and their thoroughness in preparation for the training. They did a great job working at the contents of the materials and managed to
create a unique atmosphere from the very beginning of the training.
List any anticipated professional collaboration resulting from this project.
The training was held as a part of the already existing partnership project between the two sister cities – Donetsk and Pittsburgh – which implies
the creation of the Family Center in Donetsk assisting variously troubled children, adolescents and their families on the basis of the American programs.
The Pressley Ridge Institute as the American partner and the Donetsk City Council, charitable funds and several NGOs as the Ukrainian partners are in
the process of creating the Center. The city authorities provided the center with a building and staff – and Pressley Ridge assists in professional training
of the workers as described above.
Besides, there is a plan to spread the activities of the Family Center to Gorlovka, creating a branch of it in this city.
General Summary/Conclusion
Solving the problems of children and youth is the task of greatest importance, as the younger generation is our future.
Both our countries do their best to help those youngsters who need special care. Each country has accumulated its own experience,
and the exchange can be very useful for everybody. Our task is to protect the rights of every child and to provide him or her for the opportunity to
be equal in rights, to be valuable member of society. Together it is easier for us to find ways of helping our children. Besides, such
events as the held training help us to understand the peculiarities of social structure and cultural traditions and make it easier for us
the creation of civil society in Ukraine.
Materials:
— Pressley Ridge: detailed information about the school assisting troubled and
troubling children and youth in their special needs (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania):
— ReEd: description of the philosophy and methods of work employed in the Pressley Ridge:
— Information and advice for the parents having troubled kids:
— Description of one of the programs of assistance for troubled children and youth:
— Information about the therapeutic school in wilderness:
