Programs and Services

YSB offers the following services. Most services are offered on a sliding fee scale and can be adjusted to fit your financial situation. Please call 815-748-2010 for more information regarding fees.

Please click on a link for more information:

• Youth & Family Counseling - personalized individual/family counseling for youth ages 8-18 and their families.
• Girls Empowerment Group - assessment and groups aimed at helping girls identify and apply their power and voice as individuals and as a group focusing on issues that are important in the lives of adolescent girls.
• DeKalb County Youth Project - assessment and groups designed to help youth who display difficulty dealing with problems that arise from peer pressure and stress, including anger and emotion management.
• Alcohol & Drug Early Intervention - assessment and groups to educate teens about alcohol and drug-related issues.
• Tobacoo Intervention Program - assessment, education, and guidance to youth who are using tobacco products.
• Alternative to Suspension Program - offer services to youth suspended out of school to provide services in lieu of spending time, unsupervised, in the home.
• Runaway/Lockout Crisis Intervention - immediate assistance for families with youth that refuse to go home, have runaway, or have been locked out of the home.
• Juvenile Diversion - second chance for youth who are first time offenders in the Juvenile Court System.
• Unified Delinquency Intervention Services - for court-related youth at risk of commitment to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
• TeenREACH - after-school program offered by the Sycamore School District for academic and life skill enrichment.
• YSB Speakers Bureau - presentations on issues related to youth available to the public.

Youth & Family Counseling (YFC)
Youth & Family Counseling offers individual and family counseling to youth aged 8-18 and their families. YFC is designed to address the specific needs of those experiencing difficult situations in their lives. In addition, youth can be referred for a comprehensive assessment to determine if additional services are needed.

 

Girls Empowerment Group (GEG)
The Girls Empowerment Group encourages girls to seek and celebrate their “true selves” by giving them a safe space, encouragement, structure and support to embrace their important journey of self discovery. A strength based approach helps girls identify and apply their power and voice as individuals and as a group focusing on issues that are important in the lives of adolescent girls. Topics include learning about self, connecting with others, exploring healthy living and planning for the future. The aim of the program is to provide education and supportive counseling geared toward the specific needs of adolescent girls.

 

DeKalb County Youth Project (DCYP)
Youth Project is geared toward youth between the ages of 11 and 18. The program was developed for the purpose of equipping youth with the skills to identify, manage, and appropriately express anger and other intense emotions, in order to prevent aggressive and abusive tendencies, promote pro-social skills, improve anger control, and reduce the frequency of acting out behaviors. Youth can be referred for counseling or META (Managing Emotions, Thoughts, & Actions), an educational group that focus on three components: Anger Control (the Emotional component), Moral Reasoning (the Thoughts component), and Social Skills (the Actions component).

 

Alcohol / Drug Early Intervention (EIP)
Early Intervention is designed to educate teens about alcohol, drug, and tobacco-related issues. A two-session screening assessment is used to gather drug/alcohol history and make recommendations for services. This program uses group education to provide accurate information regarding alcohol/drug use and exploration of the decision-making process involved in making healthy choices. It also offers process groups in our DeKalb County schools.

 

Tobacco Intervention Program (TIP)
Tobacco Intervention is designed to provide assessment, education, and guidance to youth who are using tobacco products. TIP can be provided through EIP groups as well as on a case by case basis. Youth referred to this program are able to identify smoking patterns and learn tobacco facts and strategies for making changes which promotes a healthier lifestyle.

 

Alternative to Suspension Program (ASP)
Alternative to Suspension offers services to youth suspended out of school in lieu of spending unsupervised time at home. The curriculum includes academic assistance, service learning, assessments, suspension prevention, anger management, drug/alcohol prevention, peer conflict, career exploration, and physical fitness components. ASP collaborates with schools to help youth maintain academic and attendance status.

 

Crisis Intervention
Crisis Intervention assists families when a youth is refusing to return home, has run away from home, or during a lock-out crisis situation by providing immediate intervention 24 hours a day as well as follow-up counseling. Referrals for this program generally come from police stations in DeKalb County when families are unable to reach a solution in which everyone feels safe and understood. Families who qualify for this program will receive four free sessions of counseling. The goal for services through this program is to keep families together and to prevent DCFS and/or court involvement through counseling.

 

Juvenile Diversion
Juvenile diversion is a program for youth who are first time offenders in the Juvenile Court System in lieu of legal ramifications. Youth are referred to this program by the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office. This program assists youth by linking them with comprehensive services, which can include counseling, assessments, and community service amongst others.

 

Unified Delinquency Intervention Services (UDIS)
The Unified Delinquency Intervention Services (UDIS) program provides intensive services for court-involved youth at risk of commitment to the Illinois Department of Corrections. The youth participates in the program for six months, which includes weekly individual and family counseling, mentoring, and job exploration. A team approach with the youth, family, the program coordinator, therapist, mentor, and probation officer is utilized to divert the youth from deeper involvement in the criminal justice system. Youth must be court-ordered by a judge into the UDIS program.

 

TeenREACH
TeenREACH is an after-school program offered by the Sycamore School District for academic and life skill enrichment. The program is offered to Sycamore Junior High students as well as some Sycamore Elementary School students. DCYSB contracts with the TeenREACH program to provide mentoring services, career exploration, volunteerism opportunities and experiential therapy. Youth are referred to the program by school district personnel.

 

YSB Speakers Bureau
YSB offers staff members as speakers to social service agencies, schools, community organizations and others as a way to increase knowledge about specific topics related to staff expertise. Topics include: Parenting issues, drug/alcohol issues, emotion management, working with adolescents, juvenile justice, bullying, and many others. Most speaking engagements are conducted for free or at a minimal cost.