Finding Your Stride

An Overview
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Contents
General Program Information
o Our Mission
o Brief History
o Program Overview
o The 12-Strides (The Finding Your Stride 12-Step Model)
o Community-Based Treatment Model
Program Breakdown: Two Segments
Strides for Parents
Scheduling
Cost and Payment
o Facility-Based Treatment Model
o Admission and Exclusion Policy
o Income Sources
o Future Goals
Forms and Resources
o Organization Development
501c3 Application Process Information
E.A.G.A.L.A. Certification Program
Grant Application Information*
o Community-Based Model
Self-Disclosure and Consent to Treatment
Consent/Contract for Equine Therapy Treatment Contract*
Adolescent Intake Form*
Family Needs/Strengths Assessment*
Treatment Plan*
Client Feedback/Therapeutic Efficacy Assessment*
Liability Insurance and HIPPA Documents*
Payment and Donation Forms*
Psychoeducational Resources for Parents/Clients*
o Facility-Based Model
Prototype Program: Victor Cullen Center
Maryland Department of Juvenile Services
Overview
Statement of Need (May, 2013)
Vendor Resources and Relevant News Article
o Budget Outline
*indicates the provision of examples where originals are inaccessible
Finding Your Stride
An Overview
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Our Mission
At Finding Your Stride, we are committed to facilitating positive-change in the lives of
adolescents and their families. As a Christ-centered, non-profit substance-abuse treatment
program we are dedicated to changing the lives of adolescents in a variety of high-risk
circumstances. We utilize experiential therapy, social advocacy, and systems interventions
in the holistic treatment of our clients. Our community-based 12-Step (STRIDE) model
integrates the family system into the healing process. Our facility-based intervention
integrates the 12-Step program alongside behavioral-modification exercises to meet the
needs of highly restricted juvenile populations. It is our ultimate goal to help individuals
find peace and balance in their lives, redirecting their life trajectory.

Finding Your Stride
An Overview
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A Brief History
Finding Your Stride (FYS) was developed by Chris and Chuck McClanahan in June of 2013.
Having served the adolescent populations of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania nearly a
quarter-century through the operation of Theres Room in the Inn Boys Ranch (an all-
male residential treatment facility), they recognized the desperate need for effective
interventions in the lives of so many at-risk adolescents. Being unable to treat every child
in need, and being forced to watch teens slip through the cracks, the McClanahans were
prompted to change their approach. They responded with a highly mobile and adaptable
program designed to be implemented in a variety of therapeutic settings. FYS is capable of
bringing the treatment to the program and/or population in need, rather than being limited
to a fixed location. Adolescent populations, from every background, now have the
opportunity to experience FYSs highly innovative and effective interventions. The
experiential approach is particularly well suited for family-systems suffering with
substance abuse issues.

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An Overview
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Finding Your Stride
The Finding Your Stride program is highly adaptable, and applicable in a variety of
therapeutic settings. Currently, there are two branches of the program, each focusing on
differing segments of the adolescent population in Maryland. The community-based model
treats adolescents with addiction issues in the community; treatment is delivered in an
outpatient setting, with particular focus on the family system. In the facility-based model,
adolescents in restrictive residential settings are given an opportunity to participate in a
unique form of treatment within the confines of their institution; treatment is delivered in a
mobile round-pen, brought to the facility by Finding Your Stride staff.
At Finding Your Stride (FYS) teens and their families interact with horses in a controlled
arena or round-pen environment. The opportunity to work with horses in this way creates
hands-on experiences that serve to incorporate all five (5) senses into the therapeutic
process. The exercises and workshops implemented in the program are designed to
identify and address the chaotic elements of the addicts life and family/environmental
system, and assist in the journey of overcoming those obstacles.
Oftentimes, the interactions with the horse(s) create visual representations of the cognitive
and/or behavioral modifications necessary to continue to progress through the recovery
process. These enlightening experiences are crucial for the redirection of the problem
behaviors and negative thinking so insidious in the addicts life. Following each session,
clients process their experiences with our professional staff, with particular emphasis on
identifying problematic thoughts, feelings, beliefs and/or behaviors that became apparent
to them during their session with the horse(s). The power of their experience is magnified
by their interactions with horses and their peers in unique and dynamic ways.
Please Note: FYS is not about teaching individuals to ride horses, nor is it about
horsemanship. Clients need not have any experience with horses in order to participate in
the program. All experiential interventions are performed on the ground within the arena.
Also, it is not necessary for individuals to have experience with horses to volunteer with
FYS. We welcome anyone with a heart for our mission.


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An Overview
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The 12-Strides
1. We admit we are powerless over our addiction(s), and that our lives are out of
control.
2. We believe that God can restore us, from insanity to sanity.
3. We freely decide to turn our lives and our will over to God.
4. We will take a complete inventory of our lives, fearlessly investigating and recording
anything we discover about ourselves.
5. We admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the root cause of our
addictions and chaos.
6. We are totally committed to the transformation of our lives through Gods
supernatural power, committing all that we are to Him, and to recovery.
7. We humbly ask God to remove our character defects.
8. We have made a list of those that we have wronged, and have become willing to
make amends to them.
9. We have personally made amends wherever possible to those we have wronged.
10. We take daily inventories of our thoughts, feelings, actions and beliefs, admitting
when we are wrong without delay.
11. Daily, we pray and meditate in order to improve our relationship with God. We ask
Him for knowledge of His will for our lives, and the strength and courage to act on
that will.
12. We are not only committed to the transformation in our lives daily, but in the lives
of those that are at-risk around us. We will carry the message of hope and salvation
to them.






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An Overview
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The Community-Based Model
This branch of the Finding Your Stride program is designed to address the needs of
families in the community. In this model, individuals participate in a program designed to
address the family-system as a whole. As a result, parents or guardians must agree to
participate and engage in the recovery process prior to being admitted. The 26-week
community-based program is broken down into two simple segments:
1. Strides for the Client: One (1) hourly session per week for the full twenty-six (26)
weeks. During the sessions, the adolescent will be mentored and counseled by
trained staff, and a Licensed Professional Counselor. Interactions with other
program participants and the horses will provide ample opportunity for individuals
to have life-changing experiences.

2. Strides for the Family: Intervention and prevention methods will be provided to
parents through Strides for Parents Weekend. This educational weekend trains
parents to interact effectively with their addicted child. This aspect of the program
offers support and instruction to parents who are struggling with their current
circumstances throughout the twenty-six (26) week process as well. Support and
instruction are delivered by professional staff and empathetic parents who have sat
where you are today. Treatment and support will help parents make effective
decisions and implement healthy boundaries.
Strides for Parents
No parent should have to journey this road alone. Having discovered their son or daughter
is using/abusing substances can be one of the most painful experiences in any parents life.
At Finding Your Stride, we understand what it is to bear that burden, and we are
committed to mentoring and supporting you through this process. We will equip you with
the necessary tools to navigate through the challenges ahead. We understand the burnout
associated with caring for an addicted child, and we are committed to preventing it at all
costs. We will help you in the following ways:
We will be encouraging and hopeful, bringing perspective and experience to
these extremely difficult situation.
We are truly accessible throughout this process, providing home-visits and
twenty-four (24) hour phone support.
We are professionally trained and certified in the process of assessment and
diagnosis, enabling us to truly determine the severity of your childs problem.
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An Overview
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We are committed to the recovery process, and if it is determined that more
extensive/intensive treatment is necessary we will not only refer you to reliable
treatment facilities, we will walk with you through the registration process.
We will coach you through implementing the 12-Stride Program as a family.
We will work with you to set healthy boundaries, and reclaim your home
disarming chaos and toxicity wherever it lies.
We will supply you with drug/alcohol testing kits, and other resources available
to you for the purpose of holding your child accountable.
Scheduling
The twenty-six week program consists of one treatment session per week, with time slots
available Monday through Saturday. Daytime and evening openings are available to
accommodate hectic family schedules.
Strides for Parents Weekend will be held on a prescheduled date. Parents will be informed
of their mandatory participation at the event prior to admission to the program, and will be
asked to adjust their schedules accordingly. It is vital that the family unit be a part of the
recovery process for any addict and for the family themselves. Please be prepared to
participate in this weekend of recovery.
Home-visits and support calls will be scheduled individually with the counseling staff.
Twenty-four (24) hour assistance will be available to both clients and families when
needed; all contact information will be distributed upon receipt of payment.
Cost
Total Cost for the Finding Your Stride community-based program: $5950
This includes:
Twenty-six (26) hour long sessions with client at $100 per session (one session per
week). Sessions run continuously until completion of the program.
Strides for Parents Weekend totaling $750.00.
a. Lunch and Snacks will be provided
b. Excludes the cost of overnight accommodations, which must be made
independently from program registration. Please contact the intake
coordinator for accommodation information, or with any questions or
concerns.
Twenty-six weeks of coaching and support offered to parents and family at $100.00
per week.
a. Minimum one (1) call per week to discuss progress (more when necessary).
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An Overview
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b. A personal visit each month to discuss progress, issues and concerns
i. No additional charge will be assessed for distances of under one
hundred twenty (120) miles. A dollar ($1.00) travel fee, per additional
mile will be assessed for any distance in excess of 120 miles.
c. Twenty-four hour (24 hour) support via telephone.
i. Please Note: We are not an emergency response service. In the
event of a true emergency please contact 911 or your local crisis
intervention services.
Information regarding any additional resources, coaching or mentoring necessary to
ensure your success in the recovery process.
PLEASE NOTE: We understand that some families/individuals cannot afford the cost
of treatment. In such a case, we will not turn you away. Please contact our office to
explore other financing options that may be available to you.
Additional Payment Options
Sliding-scale rates: based upon annual income, and number of individuals in household
Sponsorships: both specific (a particular donor sponsorship), and/or nonspecific
(sponsorship provided to nonspecific client and distributed based upon sliding-scale
criteria)
Finding Your Stride
An Overview
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The Facility-Based Model
The second branch of the Finding Your Stride program is aimed at offering treatment to
adolescents/juveniles within detention facilities in the Maryland Department of Juvenile
Services (MDJS). These individuals are likely to have conduct and/or behavioral problems
in addition to substance-abuse issues (some may not have substance-abuse issues at all,
but this fact does not preclude them from participation in treatment). Currently, Maryland
facilities are struggling to successfully intervene and treat the growing number of
adolescent offenders within their system; these youth seem to be on the fast track to
graduation, landing themselves in adult prisons for extended sentences.
It is our goal to interrupt their trajectory, bringing our unique form of therapy into the
facilities that house these youth. Both offenders and staff can benefit from the treatment
and training programs Finding Your Stride has developed. In partnering with MDJS, we
have the opportunity to intervene in the lives of teens that have been written off as
irreparable to many. As with all aspects of the program, we believe in a systems-approach
to therapy, and we are committed to empowering staff to more effectively manage
Marylands juvenile offenders through empathy and de-escalation workshops. Our expert
staff, having worked with the difficult juvenile populations of Pennsylvania, Maryland and
Virginia for nearly a quarter-century, is specially equipped to understand and overcome
the challenges facing MDJS staff members today.
Note: The needs of each facility, along with mandated restrictions and regulations,
determine the workshops and interventions utilized.
An example of an eight (8) week program, which will be implemented in April of 2014 at The
Victor Cullen Center, follows this document.
In addition, a brief explanation of the Maryland Juvenile Justice system, its levels of security
and the populations it serves, follows as well.

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An Overview
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Admission and Exclusion Policy
The primary focus of the Finding Your Stride program is the treatment of substance-abuse
issues. In addition, FYS staff-members are professionally trained, and state licensed, to
treat and diagnosis mental health disorders. The experiential nature of the program is
designed to reduce the natural defensiveness and apprehensiveness of adolescent clients.
Admission to the program is based on first-come, first-serve basis.
In order to ensure the safety and viability of the Finding Your Stride program, it is of the
upmost importance that participants be selected based upon qualifying criteria. In regards
to both the Community-Based and Facility-Based approaches, individuals will be
assessed individually and their admission/exclusion will be decided on a case-by-
case basis. Generally, clients in need of extensive inpatient psychiatric treatment, those
with extremely violent and/or unstable behavioral patterns, predatory sexual histories,
and/or history of pyromania will be excluded from the Community-Based Model. With
regards to the Facility-Based Model, juvenile offenders with violent or predatory sexual
offences, those with chronic behavioral issues (including violence against staff and other
offenders), those receiving disciplinary reports, and/or any other facility or staff-based
sanctions will be excluded.

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An Overview
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Funding
Currently, the primary source of funding for Finding Your Stride is through charitable
donations. As a non-profit organization with 501c3 status with the Internal Revenue
Service (IRS), FYS is able to accept tax-deductible, charitable donations from both
individuals and corporations. These donations are a primary source of income for both the
community-based model (providing operations costs, which include feed and sheltering
costs for horses, transportation and maintenance costs on all vehicles, staff-salaries, as well
as the sponsorship of teens without financial access to treatment), and the facility-based
model (allowing for FYS to offer our services to institutions without sufficient funding, and
covering operational costs, e.g. travel expenses). Donations are accepted in both cash and
non-cash forms. Non-cash donations include (but are not limited too) feed, vehicles,
electronics, barn-space, and horses.
In addition, we are in the process of developing corporate-partnerships with Groom Elite
and Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, which will allow us to obtain horses (usually
horses in need of safe and secure homes) via charitable donation. Organizational
partnerships such as these will allow us to secure the resources necessary to expand
operations, higher staff and focus energy on the primary goal of the program: successful
treatment.
Beginning in April of 2014, we will be entering into a provisional-partnership with the
Maryland Department of Juvenile Services; the goal being to establish a formalized
agreement to provide services to both staff and offenders. It is through this opportunity
that we hope to cement our place in the treatment of highly-restricted adolescent
populations.
Public and private grants are also a potential source of income for FYS. A variety of grants
are available to both equine and substance-abuse treatment facilities. Also, non-profit
status enables us to apply for grants design to support charity organizations.


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An Overview
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Goals for the Future
1. Finding Your Stride Website Launch, which will make networking, marketing,
payment collection, fund solicitation and the application process efficient,
interactive and independently accessible.
2. Become a Certified Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted
Learning Program, which will allow us to network and interact with likeminded
organization around the country.
3. Establishment a Formal Contract with the Maryland Department of Juvenile
Services, cementing an income source, guaranteed access to highly-restricted
populations and additional resources for organizational growth and expansion.
4. Formalize partnerships with Groom Elite and Thoroughbred Retirement
Foundation, which will secure access to horses as the company grows and expands.
5. Successful Application and Retention of Public and/or Private Grant Monies,
again establishing a secure source of income to promote internal stability and
growth, as well as external influence and exposure.