In 1982, Dave Ziegler, Joyce Ziegler, and Judy Littlebury, acquired a substantial historic ranch whose origins extend back to the era of the Oregon Trail and, prior to that, to the Native American peoples who first inhabited the region. The property—featuring expansive forests, flowing streams, two rivers, and a thousand-foot mountain—embodies the natural splendor characteristic of Oregon.
Upon this land, distinguished by its history and remarkable landscape, the founders established a new home for children requiring specialized care. The program was intentionally designed to provide abused and vulnerable children with an environment of beauty, tranquility, and stability, thereby supporting their healing and healthy development.
Jasper Mountain Center was established by its founders and admitted its first child in 1982. From the outset, many of the children who came to reside at Jasper Mountain disclosed histories of physical and sexual abuse. The central focus of the program has consistently been the treatment of young, abused children within a nurturing, family-like environment rather than an institutional setting.
The program integrates established psychological and psychiatric practices with innovative approaches to the treatment of abused and emotionally disturbed children, creating a comprehensive model of care designed to foster healing and long-term well-being.
As patterns of behavior became more clearly understood, the residential treatment program developed distinct areas of clinical specialization. More than four decades of experience have resulted in effective interventions for some of the most challenging childhood disorders, including traumatic stress, violent behavior, sexualized behaviors, and attachment-related difficulties. The program has received national and international recognition for its innovative work in each of these areas.
Psychiatric Residential Treatment brings together multiple therapeutic approaches in a consistent, structured environment. When combined, these interventions can lead to meaningful and lasting change. As children engage in this level of care, positive shifts in brain structure and functioning begin to emerge.
Neurological Reparative Therapy (NRT) offers a clear roadmap for how these changes occur, illustrating how treatment can support healthy attachment, social success, and healing from trauma. Developed by one of our founders, Dr. Dave Ziegler, the NRT model is detailed in his book Neurological Reparative Therapy: A Roadmap to Healing, Resiliency and Well-Being.
Click here to explore additional titles authored by Dr. Ziegler.
SPRINGFIELD CHILD ABUSE RESOURCES IN 1983
While treating severely abused children is essential, it became clear that additional efforts were needed within the community to prevent such adversity from occurring. In 1983, a task force composed of community leaders undertook a thorough review of the statistics, complexity, and scope of the child abuse problem in Lane County. The seventeen-member task force identified a single viable course of action: the establishment of a new social service agency dedicated to the prevention of child abuse.
As a result of this initiative, Springfield Child Abuse Resources opened its first office in December 1983
SPRINGFIELD CHILD ABUSE RESOURCES & JASPER MOUNTAIN
Springfield Child Abuse Resources and Jasper Mountain continued to operate as separate agencies, collaborating closely, until their directors met in 1987 and formulated a plan to merge into a single, comprehensive child abuse agency offering treatment, prevention, education, and residential services. Jasper Mountain, as it exists today, is the product of that merger, with additional programs developed in the years that followed.
Jasper Mountain School, a full educational program, was established in 1989. In 1995, the organization expanded further with the creation of a short-term evaluation center (the SAFE Center) and a Therapeutic Foster Care Program. A Day Treatment Program was added in 1997, and in 2004 the agency launched its community-based wraparound services, known as the Village Program.
Over time, Jasper Mountain has grown into one of Oregon’s most significant organizations dedicated to addressing child abuse and has developed into a respected national and international resource for vulnerable children.