Ascension Alexian Brothers - Behavioral Health Crystal Lake

“They DISCRIMINATE against children with special needs. They will NOT help your child. Was told by the psychiatrist my child required 1:1 support and this facility was not fit for her needs, was told my child had "too many difficulties". I am in complete disbelief at the fact the psychiatrist claimed he did not want to change or manage any of my child's medications. I thought this place was ment to help children struggling, and teach them strategies and tools. The case worker has no idea what she was doing, I kept getting calls from her it felt like every hour since she would forget to ask all the questions. My child was here 2 days, and on those 2 days, I was called to have her picked up early.”

“Honestly this has to be the worst experience ever. Workers need to learn how to respect boundaries and they are just not respectful at all. I would never recommend this place for anyone.”

“My 8 year old daughter was admitted here for severe anxiety after the start of third grade. It took a lot of individualized plans to get her into the building and participating in the program. But it was a way for us to get her the help she needed and also keep up with her school work since she wasn’t attending. Look into it if your child is struggling. It may not work for everyone but it worked for us and I’m so thankful to have had it!”

“Unfortunately my son was referred to this program twice. Last fall, and this summer. Last fall he did amazing, the staff was amazing, they were so kind and supportive and gentle with the kids. My son put in so much effort and I saw so much change. Sadly no one listened to me when I said he needed to stay longer and he was discharged. I will never understand why this level specifically of mental health care is not offered for an extended amount of time without the child being a danger to themselves or others. Our second time around was a disaster. A DISASTER. My son was placed with older teens when he himself is not even a teen yet, kids were able to sneak in vapes nicotine and thc and what ever else that my son was able to access. THREE weeks in we had our first family session, after ZERO communication from staff members other than to communicate his drug test results. There was no phone call to me in the beginning to talk in depth about what has been going on. His intake appointment was rushed because they had to start the program for the day. It was sloppy, the entire thing was sloppy and it was clear from day 1 that these kids are not their priority. They put my son on a behavior contract immediately due to something he hadn’t done for over 10 days prior to his arrival at the program. How does that make sense? Oh and vaping nicotine will set you on the path to substance abuse/rehab referrals and discharge from the mental health program (you know, the program that was decided your child literally needs? But ok) While it is not OK healthy legal nor appropriate for minors to vape nicotine, it’s not a way to get high, to numb yourself, to escape reality etc. Ultimately when his behavioral issues presented themselves to them, blurting out answers and one day refusing to cooperate in a group session he was discharged from the program. What a joke. These kids come to you for help, it’s your job that you signed up for to help them WORK THROUGH and give tools to change these behaviors during the time they are in your program. Not send them home and discharge them because their behavior is inconvenient for you. I held this program in such high regard, but these new people have taken something truly helpful and special and run it into the ground. I will never recommend this program again to anyone whose children are struggling. I hope a staff change comes again soon and the program can get back to what it’s meant to be so these kids can get the care they desperately need and deserve.”