Programs & Services

Residential Treatment

Lawrence Hall cares for 10% of all youth in the state child welfare system who are in residential programs in Cook County.

By the time these youth come into Lawrence Hall’s Residential Treatment Program they have lived in an average of 12 different places. Numerous studies show that without intervention, they are more likely to engage in criminal behavior, experience psychiatric hospitalizations, and suffer from substance abuse, homelessness, and unemployment.

Through the acute-care Residential Treatment Program, community family homes and specialty service centers, adolescents and their families receive intensive therapeutic treatment that is strengths-based, family-focused, and outcomes-driven. The treatment philosophy addresses trauma, promotes family attachment and bonding and supports the family connection. It teaches skills necessary to accept responsibility, understand consequences, and provides opportunities for civic engagement and life skills education.

Lawrence Hall’s commitment to highly individualized and specialized services means most of the agency’s youth are able to leave the program and return to their families or move into foster care or older adolescent programs.