Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital

03/02/2026

🎉 Happy Social Work Month! 🎉

At Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital, social workers are often the first face families meet and the steady support they come back to throughout their child's treatment. Besides constantly checking in with their patients, our social workers help families understand treatment options, team up with schools and make sure everyone has the resources they need after discharge.

This month’s theme, "Social Workers: Uplift. Defend. Transform." fits our team perfectly. Their work is practical, strategic and deeply people‑focused. We're so grateful for the steady, thoughtful efforts they make every day to uplift our patients, defend their needs and transform the way behavioral healthcare feels for families. 💚

02/27/2026

📣 Calling all Chicago teens, our friends at the Chicago Park District are hosting some upcoming Teen Opportunity Fairs, and one of them is TOMORROW!

Whether you’re 13 or 16+, there are lots of ways to jump into something new. Stepping into a first job or volunteer role can be a huge part of the healing journey after treatment.

Jobs like these help teens:
✔️ Build confidence and independence
✔️ Practice coping and communication skills
✔️ Connect with peers and mentors
✔️ Discover strengths
✔️ Start imagining what their future could look like

We LOVE seeing our former patients grow, explore and chase new opportunities, and the Chicago Park District fairs are an awesome way to start.

Learn more: https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/teen-opportunity-fairs.

Join us at the 2nd Teen Opportunity Fair happening this Saturday, February 28 at Malcolm X College from 10am to 1pm.

👉Meet with organizations,
👉Connect with experts,
👉Learn about opportunities available for Chicago teens!
👉Pre-register in comments below.

02/26/2026

Donte Allen has been working at Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital for about a year, and with a background in personal training, he brings programming skills that make movement‑based activities both engaging and meaningful for our patients.

As an activity coordinator on our expressive therapy team, he helps patients build confidence, learn body awareness and strengthen that crucial mind‑body connection. Recreational therapy plays a big role in treatment by giving kids space to move, express themselves, reset emotionally and find joy in the middle of tough work.

Donte wants families to know that they can support their children by putting them in recreational activities like sports.

💬 "It's super important for the kids to get rid of all their excess energy, even just getting off the unit is great for them when they come to expressive therapy. Then once we officially get them to program, they look forward to it. My favorite part of the job is the kids themselves. I'm able to learn from them and I appreciate that aspect of the job. Sometimes you see the kids having a bad day, but they overcome that, so if you're having a bad day, you can, too."

02/23/2026

Friendly reminder to parents: this time of year it’s especially important to help keep everyone healthy and feeling their best.

Staying physically healthy supports emotional well‑being, too. When kids feel crummy, it’s harder for them to regulate emotions, stay engaged and participate in the activities that support their mental health. A little rest now can go a long way later.

Thanks for helping us keep our community safe and supported this season! 💚

02/20/2026

This month, we honor 100 years of achievement, resilience and powerful contributions that have shaped communities, culture and history.

It's important to create supportive, inclusive spaces where every child and teen feels seen, valued and empowered. Representation matters a lot in behavioral health, because feeling understood can be a meaningful part of healing.

As we celebrate the past and present, we care about our commitment to building a future where every young person has access to compassionate care, emotional support and opportunities to succeed.

Here’s to the leaders, creators, innovators and everyday heroes who continue to inspire us. ❤️💛💚

02/18/2026

📽️ Check out this awesome interview with one of our sister hospital's former student externs to get insight into some real-world training and mentorship!

We proudly offer that same hands‑on, growth‑focused experience through our own psychology training program here at Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital. If you're passionate about behavioral health, curious, eager to learn and ready to make an impact, we want to meet you! 👋

We’re currently accepting applications for our upcoming training cohort. Jump in, learn from experienced clinicians and be part of work that truly matters. 📧 Email us for more info: garfieldpsychtraining@uhsinc.com.

02/17/2026

It's a heavy truth 👉 those who experience domestic violence typically have a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior.

But we want every young person and parent to know: you don't have to go through it alone.

At Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital, we work with teens every day who navigate unhealthy or unsafe relationships. We care about the safe path forward, and our teams understand how confusing, overwhelming and isolating it can feel.

If you or someone you care about might be struggling, take the brave first step and reach out. You deserve safety, respect and support. 🧡

02/14/2026

Our Garfield Guardians engagement team had a sweet surprise for staff to celebrate Valentine's Day! 🍰

Even our COO, Patrick Sanders, got in on the cheesecake bar action!

All of us at Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital send love to your mind and your heart today. You're growing, glowing and going at your own pace, and we care every step of the way. 💗

02/13/2026

LOVE this for our friends over at Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness!

📣 Together. Community. Access. 👏

02/11/2026

👋 That's Terrence Johnson, and he's been a recreational specialist here at Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital for about 6 months.

He brings extensive experience working with at-risk and underserved youth. After earning his bachelor's degree in recreation, he spent 12 years with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) where he coached football 🏈 (which he played in high school and college), basketball 🏀, baseball ⚾ and track and field 🏃‍♂️. He later served as a counselor for Becoming A Man (BAM), making his transition to our hospital feel natural.

Terrence believes everyone needs recreation, even kids, teens and adults outside a behavioral health facility like ours: 💬 "We all need that stress reliever, and it's about finding a happy, positive one that helps us get through stressful times. Youth are often misled and misguided on what is considered a healthy outlet, and that's where I come in. After participating in recreation, you see a change in a patient's confidence. More of their personality comes out, and then they always look forward to their expressive therapy time."

Recreation works hand-in-hand with art therapy, music therapy and our more clinical treatments. That's why we care so much about treating the whole patient, because these activities support organization, structure, teamwork, exercise, discipline and building friendships. It's all about finding the right path to healing for each individual patient. 💚

02/10/2026

Adaptability means being able to change or shift when life calls for it, and that’s what our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is all about.

PHP is this really helpful in‑between level of care where kids and teens get structured support during the day but still go home at night. Sometimes patients go straight into PHP, sometimes they step down into it from a higher level of care, and sometimes they need to step back up before returning again (and that’s okay! In fact, it’s part of the process. ✔️).

At Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital, we designed our whole continuum of care to flex with whatever a patient needs at any moment. We adjust, they adjust, and together we keep moving forward one adaptable step at a time.

Give us a call or check out our website to learn more about PHP: https://bit.ly/4c65qW7.