Residential Services

Hathaway-Sycamores Residential Services are dedicated to helping children and adolescents with emotional trauma and mental illness. We enlist the Department of Children and Family Services, parents and families as partners in short-term intervention. Our major goal is to shorten the length of stay for children and families in the continuum of care. Our approach to working with children and families adheres to the best practices in children's mental health. Who We Serve The residential treatment program serves boys eight to 18 years of age. The Departments of Mental Health, Children and Family Services and Probation refer children and youth for placement. Children have usually exhausted all alternative placements prior to coming to us.

Services Provided

We welcome children and their families and enter into a partnership with them, building on their strengths and identifying their needs. Family involvement throughout the child's placement is considered paramount for both successful treatment and reintegration of the child into the community. We recognize that each child and each family is unique. Treatment planning is a collaborative team effort that includes the clinician, program supervisor, childcare workers, psychiatrist, family members, Parent Partners and others involved in the life of the child. In instances where a child's family cannot be immediately identified, team members attempt to locate family members who may live out of the area or even out of state. If necessary, additional resources will be used to help find a family member with whom the child can connect and be united with when treatment is completed. Our residential program is designed to reduce stress, stimulation and demands so that the child, with the help of the professional staff and his team, can master the tasks of daily living.

By attending to the child's needs and recognizing his strengths, we help the child to connect his own behavior to emotional needs and develop internal controls. The following treatment methods are used for all children and families: Each child and each family shares their story and has it witnessed and documented. A facilitator coordinates an integrated planning process that leads to permanency. A DCFS social worker, parents and families are partners with the child throughout all treatment planning and service provision. The team creates a shared mission, identifies unmet needs and develops creative, individualized interventions based on the strengths of the child and family. Through PACE After-School Mental Health Activities, the children have a wide selection of special interest groups they can attend, such as mask making, horseback riding, gardening. The program provides the children with a wealth of experiences and the opportunity to develop their interests and talents. All children attend the non-public school on the residential campus. Behavioral support and medical services assure their physical security and health.