OBH Council Member Since: May 2015

Populations Served: Children to Young Adults (0-26) and their families

Program Offered: Community-based prevention and education positive youth development and outpatient individual, family, and group outdoor behavioral healthcare through adventure.

Licensing and Accreditation: AEE/OBH Accreditation expected 11/2017.

Our mission at Adventure Works is to assist youth in overcoming challenges and becoming healthy adults through adventure-based counseling.

Adventure Works is a non-profit, community-based outdoor behavioral healthcare organization serving at-risk youth in Northern Illinois. Our programs utilize the natural environment and adventure-based experiences to promote positive changes in behavior and overall well-being.

 Adventure Works offers outpatient, group-based counseling services aimed at encouraging healthy risk taking. Utilizing our area’s natural resources, and led by mental health professionals, sessions are educational and therapeutic in focus and designed to help youth develop social skills, enhance psychological resilience, reduce behavioral problems. Working in partnership with the community’s homeless shelter and other organizations serving families with at-risk youth, Adventure Works’ non-profit status allows youth to participate regardless of their ability to pay.

Adventure Works operates with an open-ended model of treatment with “rolling” admission and discharge.  Youth can access the services when the need arises and stay as long as needed to meet individual goals. All youth and parent/guardian participate in comprehensive psychosocial and individualized treatment planning sessions at the beginning of the treatment process, which is then updated as needed.  Youth are grouped with peers their same age, with some groups being gender specific and others modeled in a multi-gendered format.