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Silverstone said focusing on rates of experienced PTSD is critical in gauging the positive outcomes of treatment, as PTSD has been shown to have long-term implications that can significantly “alter the life trajectory of the child.”

There was also a significant reduction in reported depression and anxiety.

The Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch opened east of Edmonton in September 2014 on 52 hectares. It offers intensive treatment for sexually abused children between the ages of eight and 12 in a camp-like setting.

Glori Meldrum, who was abused as a child by her grandfather and is founder of the Be Brave Ranch, said this data confirms the positive outcomes she and other workers have seen in children treated at the ranch.

“Today is the realization of a dream,” she said, adding the eight years of effort she spent trying to bring the ranch to fruition is yielding encouraging results for vulnerable children.

“I never had any resources as a kid, so what I wanted to give these kids was the ability to get better quicker and to grow up into healthy adults and not have to deal with all of the awful mental health (issues) that I had to,” Meldrum said.

The Be Brave Ranch was built and continues to run without government support, relying on donors.

With a struggling economic climate, Meldrum said donations have dropped about 70 per cent from last year. Without ongoing support, it may not be able to afford to continue to treat children — who come from across Canada — beyond the next few months.