Therapeutic Youth Home
UCAN's Therapeutic Youth Home provides a structured, stable and therapeutic living arrangement for children in DCFS care. The Home works primarily with children and young adults between the ages of 7-18 who have histories of severe trauma, abuse and neglect. Because of their past experience, the clients placed in this program are in need of a highly structured, 24-hour-a-day treatment facility to address the behavioral and emotional difficulties that surround their previous exposure to trauma and abuse.
The center currently consists of eight dorms. The program provides placement and treatment for both male and female clients. Clients are grouped by gender, age and, to the extent possible, by treatment needs. We also have a unit that can accommodate and provide treatment for pregnant female clients.
Clients in the Therapeutic Youth Home are offered a wide variety of individualized and group treatment services to aid them with the process of healing and gaining the social and coping skills to graduate from treatment and move to a less restrictive setting. Services offered to our clients include:
- Individualized assessment and treatment planning
- Weekly individual therapy (more frequent as needed)
- Weekly group therapy
- Educational support services including placement, monitoring of progress and tutoring, if needed
- Specialized groups (e.g. anger management, self esteem, current events, cooking, life skills, healthy sexuality, empowerment, LGBTQ)
- Family therapy (if applicable)
- Monthly psychiatric consultations
- On site nursing and health support services
- Art therapy / classes
- Enrichment activities
- Recreational therapy
- Involvement in park district and other sporting programs
- Volunteer work in the community (e.g. working with the elderly, feeding the homeless)
- Massage Therapy
- Music Lessons
- Drama therapy
- Daily community meetings
- Daily goals processing groups
- Specialized discharge and transition planning with supportive services offered up to 180 days post discharge
- In addition, we are hoping to add pet therapy, yoga therapy, and dance therapy in the near future
To view some of the artwork created by the youth living in our Therapeutic Youth Home, click here.
Click here to read about the Therapeutic Youth Home trip to Holiday Home Camp in Wisconsin.
Click here to read about WorldWhere celebrity dance instructors visiting UCAN's Therapeutic Youth Home!
Click here to read about the Drama Therapy Program at our Therapeutic Youth Home!
For more information, please email us at info@ucanchicago.org.
