Nexus-Onarga Family Healing

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Onarga, IL
Nexus-Onarga Family Healing

We provide residential treatment in Onarga, IL. We are dedicated to our mission of changing the course of a child's life by stabilizing families.

Nexus-Onarga Family Healing is part of Nexus Family Healing, a national nonprofit mental health organization with over 50 years of restoring hope for thousands of children, families, and adults each year through community mental health therapy, crisis and stabilization, foster care and adoption, and residential treatment. We use innovative, personalized approaches to heal trauma, break cycles of harm, and reshape futures. We believe every child is worth it — and every family matters. Learn more at NexusFamilyHealing.org.

11/19/2025

To create an environment that is both calming and inspiring, Grand Prairie School/Expressions Day School teacher Tim Walder has turned his classroom into a flourishing indoor green space with his personal collection of house plants. Students water and care for the plants, and in the process, discover the unique needs of each plant, from spider plants to succulents. Walder's leafy friends are also blossoming in other areas of the school, and the positive reactions are growing among students and staff!🪴🌺🌿
Thanks, Tim, for sharing your green thumb with Nexus-Onarga!

11/14/2025

Our Staff Retention Committee stirred up a "Cup of Kindness" for a celebration of World Kindness Day on campus! Delicious homemade soup provided by team members gave fellow employees an opportunity to enjoy the coziness of warm soup while reflecting on kindness and gratitude - and the role that kindness plays in restoring hope to youth at Nexus-Onarga. ** Thank you to all our SUPER kind soup makers who made this event possible! **
If you're looking for a career where you can make a difference and inspire hope with kindness, learn more at www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/careers.

11/11/2025

This Veterans Day we honor and express our gratitude to all those who served and sacrificed for our freedom. 🇺🇸 Our history with the Onarga Military School reminds us of the OMS alumni who were bravely called to serve. To our veterans currently working at Nexus-Onarga, we thank you for your courage and dedication!

11/08/2025

We are happy to announce that Dr. Sharon DiGiacomo is our November Employee Spotlight! As the psychologist for the youth served at Nexus-Onarga, Dr. Sharon DiGiacomo understands that it's sometimes the simplest acts of kindness that make a big difference. She knows that offering a snack to a child is not just about food. It’s also a way to provide care and encouragement. When she puts a child’s hood up in cold weather, it’s not just about warmth. It’s a nurturing gesture that lets the youth know they matter. With this focus in her work, it’s clear to her coworkers how much she truly cares about the wellbeing and success of our youth - which is also why staff say she’s awesome!🥰Dr. Sharon offers positivity not only to the youth, but also to our campus team, acting as a mentor to others as she teaches by example the power of kindness.
Congratulations, Dr. Sharon! ~ Thank you for twenty-five years of supporting the health of our youth! As we celebrate kindness this month, we are grateful for your role in manifesting this in your work and across campus!

11/05/2025

Our Nexus-Onarga volleyball team has been getting glowing reviews--not just for their athletic skills on the court, but also during the post-game handshake. Sure, our youth are happy when they win with the most points, but the focus of the Illinois Inter-Agency Athletic Association, the program our youth participate in, is sportsmanship and teamwork. It's the "good game" we hear youth say to one another in the team lines that truly defines a victory - not the numbers on the scoreboard!
High five🖐 to our rec department and staff who coach, support, and cheer on our team!

10/31/2025

Our campus is bursting with FALL right now, and we are here for it! Our youth have appreciated the harvest and spooky season decorations that started popping up in September thanks to staff working together to decorate for a festive fall feeling🍂🍁.
Grand Prairie School not only celebrated Red Ribbon Week with special dress-up days, but several high school classes created brightly colored ofrendas (home altars) for the Mexican holiday Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead) complete with traditional offerings of tamales and pan de mu**to. On Thursday afternoon, employees were treated to a 👻chilling👻 ice cream social, and our Recreation Department hosted an after-school event featuring fun games and goodies for youth. Our clinical supervisors also got into the spirit during their off-site workshop with a creative costume challenge for their team. Finally, Friday's Halloween celebration gave youth the opportunity to participate in a campus trick-or-treat tour, with fantastic costumes all around--even our therapy dog Marley joined in! Thank you to our Nexus-Onarga teams who made this a boo-tiful celebration!🎃👻🎃

10/29/2025

Our Nexus-Onarga staff recently joined together with the power of pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Connecting with one another to honor and remember family and friends, survivors and fighters, is a valuable reminder that collective action can make us stronger! 🩷
Showing up for others makes a difference. Read more at www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/blog/power-empathy-making-meaningful-connections

10/24/2025

Not long after the Cornerstone Café & Gallery opened in 2010 to offer vocational training for Nexus-Onarga youth, the community coffee shop was already brimming with potential! Fast forward to 2025, and our youth are learning more and more each day under the skilled eye of Manager/Vocational Specialist/Chef de Cuisine Archer Christie, who clearly sees how youth benefit from the training structure at the café. In addition to building their cooking skills, he's been teaching the importance of communication in the kitchen: "It's real loud, real quick, and everyone is on it!" Simple safety calls like "Behind you!" or "Oven open!" alert team members to help avoid kitchen accidents as they navigate the space together. Every day in the kitchen is a new opportunity for the youth to expand their culinary language and interpersonal skills, and it's "Coming through hot!"
Looking for tips to communicate with your teen? Read more here: www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/blog/how-have-genuine-conversations-your-teen

10/20/2025

We're excited about the new Nexus Family Healing podcast, "In This Family," that launched at the start of October featuring Dr. Michelle K. Murray! She explores the impact of mental health within families through honest, candid conversations. Listen and subscribe now: https://www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/podcast

10/17/2025

Honest Abe would be proud! Our high school Industrial Arts student is making the Land of Lincoln proud with his careful construction of a mini log cabin. He's building the model for our junior high students who have been making periodic visits to the IA shop to observe the creative process. According to the aspiring woodworker, each "log" was individually shaped to specific measurements on a lathe, the corners were precisely cut with a sliding compound miter saw, and dowel pins were used to provide stability to the walls. In addition to the learned skills these steps required, this project was the builder's first experience using wood stain. He chose the walnut color to give the cabin a natural look, and it looks like he nailed it! 🔨

10/14/2025

Thank you to our community supporters and OMS alumni for a wonderful weekend of food and friendship as we hosted the Onarga Lions Club & Nexus-Onarga Pancake Breakfast and OMS Alumni Homecoming over the weekend! Our youth cafeteria team enjoyed their morning with the community and appreciated the opportunity to serve! We are grateful for our partnerships with the OMS Alumni Association and Of Onarga Illinois, as well as the support of Federated Bank.IL, West CUSD 10 High School National Honor Society, and Café & Gallery, who helped with ticket sales to make the breakfast a success! Happy Fall, indeed! 🍂🍁🍂

10/11/2025

It's all hands on deck to get ready for the arrival of the Onarga Military School alumni! Our facilities department are handling many behind-the-scenes tasks for tomorrow's reunion events on campus. Across the quad, preparations are underway for the Lions Of Onarga Illinois and Nexus-Onarga Pancake Breakfast! Join us tomorrow morning, 7-11am, at the OMS Hall Cafeteria, to welcome former OMS cadets and renew community connections!

Address

110 N Locust Street
Onarga, IL
60955

Website

https://www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/nexus-onarga-family-healing/residential-treatment-programs

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Our Story

Nexus-Onarga Family Healing is located approximately 90 miles south of Chicago, in the quiet community of Onarga, IL, on the site of a former military academy. Our campus features specialized programs and private bedrooms that provide safety and comfort for boys, ages 10-20. In this structured, homelike environment youth can safely address sexually problematic behaviors, emotional and behavioral issues, and underlying chemical abuse issues.

In addition to residential, educational, vocational, and foster care services for youth, Nexus-Onarga also operates the Nexus-Onarga Professional Development Institute, which trains individuals and groups that work with youth.

Learn more at www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/nexus-onarga-family-healing/residential-treatment-programs.