About PEP
Since 1971, Positive Education Program has been supporting young people to overcome and thrive. PEP provides direct and indirect services for children challenged by complex developmental trauma, mental health issues and autism, their families and the professionals who support them. PEP is committed to understanding and overcoming the significant trauma and chronic stress experienced by many of the youth we serve. Programs include five PEP Therapeutic Schools (Chesnutt, Hopewell, Phoenix, Prentiss Autism Center, Willow Creek) PEP Connections, PEP Early Childhood Plus and PEP Assist.
Mission
Supporting young people to overcome and thrive.
Vision
An equitable community where every person is valued and experiences joy and deep fulfillment.
Values
Joy: We have fun and laugh, delighting in our shared purpose of supporting one another to overcome and thrive.
Heart: We build relationships of mutual respect and honor our shared love for humanity, exercising grace, empathy and compassion.
Integrity: We are accountable to our commitments, our legacy and our future and use our organizational privilege as a skill for positive impact.
Aspiration: We challenge and support each other to innovate so we can achieve meaningful growth and change, believing in our collective potential.
Courage: We persevere in the face of the challenges inherent in breaking down barriers, dismantling racism, and creating equity.
PEP's Philosophical Framework
PEP builds on the strengths of young people and families using a whole-child, trauma-informed, relationship-centered approach. Our trauma-informed care perspective includes an explicit acknowledgement of the impact of racism, ableism, and classism and other forms of oppression that impact the populations PEP serves.
We ground our work in a strengths-based philosophy known as Re-ED. Re-ED insists on creating therapeutic environments where relationships with dedicated adults help build resilience. This work takes on a multi-sensory, multi-disciplinary approach that intentionally integrates and leverages family and community. At its core, Re-ED focuses on uncovering and building upon the existing strengths of young people, anchored in the belief that successful living is healing.
Our Approach
PEP is a Phase II Neurosequential Model of TherapeuticsTM certified site. NMTTM is a developmentally sensitive, neuro-biology informed approach to clinical problem solving, which guides all of the work we do at PEP. PEP is the only Phase II certified site in Northeast Ohio.