Northwestern Medicine’s new youth-centered outpatient program focuses on mental health care

SYCAMORE – To better serve the mental health needs of adolescents, Northwestern Medicine Behavioral Health Services has rolled out a new Intensive Outpatient Program.

The health system’s Intensive Outpatient Program enables adolescents to receive three hours of group therapy along with one hour of tutoring for three to five days a week, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

At the mental health clinic, 760 Foxpointe Drive in Sycamore, staff recently started processing intakes for the program.

“By seeing that transportation was a barrier, location was a barrier, the health system came together to support the opening of a new program to really support the community.”

—  Emily Dienst

Emily Dienst, program manager at Northwestern Medicine Behavioral Health Services and Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, said the health system as a whole recognizes the need to bring more behavioral health care services and different levels of behavioral health care services to the community.

“We know many community members that are referred for a higher level of care with behavioral health are oftentimes provided with the closest options which are upwards of an hour away to be able to access that care,” Dienst said. “There was a gap, kind of a desert, so to [speak], of care not being close to home, and that would either make it difficult for a youth to get to the program or access that in any type of way. By seeing that transportation was a barrier, location was a barrier. The health system came together to support the opening of a new program to really support the community.”

[ Survey says DeKalb County residents want more support addressing mental health needs ]

A recent countywide survey conducted by the DeKalb County Mental Health Board also showed that area residents say they want more access to resources meant to address mental wellness.

About one in every four individuals who responded to the survey said they’re not aware of local mental health services. Among those respondents, data indicates that 30.6% are not receiving mental health services.

Among those who completed the survey, some desires expressed were for more support or peer groups, the development of an intensive outpatient treatment center and partial hospitalization programs in DeKalb County.

The community’s calls for more mental health support come amid a national shortage for therapists and a mental health emergency among youth.

Dienst said the new program shares some similarities to the clinic’s adult Intensive Outpatient Program, but it has some differences.

“What we’re very excited about for our adolescent program is … we’re focusing a lot on using dialectical therapy that has some really fantastic skills on mindfulness, communication skills, how to get through a crisis without making it worse, bringing a lot of really applicable skills that we hope that youth can immediately start using in their daily life,” Dienst said. “We’re incorporating individual therapy, family therapy, [and] medication monitoring. We have a tutor that’s on site who assists with school coordination.”

The program is meant to provide short-term treatment to adolescents for a period of eight to 10 weeks, Dienst said.

“It’s really based on somebody’s progress in treatment,” she said. “When somebody is progressing along in treatment, we take outcome measures to track along. Everybody has their own individual treatment plan with their specific goals of what they’re working on while they’re with us. As somebody is getting closer to their discharge date, we coordinate with outpatient care to make sure that they’re set up with outpatient services long term once they’re all done with programming.”

Northwestern Medicine Behavioral Health Services accepts most major private payer insurances and Medicaid.

For more information about the program or to inquire about a screening, call 815-748-8334.