Residential Treatment Counseling
Western suburbs of Chicago and Neighboring States

Few things are as meaningful as helping people connect to resources that provide meaningful assistance in time of crisis.  Educational consulting has provided this in a unique way with Jeanette Spires and Associates.  My experience as a therapist in community mental health helped me to learn the importance of the different players in a child and family’s area that may influence both negatively and positively.  Collaboration with others in the community provides resources of information and perspective. In an agency working with the foster care system my learning expanded regarding the fundamental importance of a solid emotional attachment in both therapy and especially with families wanting to care for their children. I also learned the challenges of gaining access to the resources that may be available in times of special need. My appreciation for families seeking care for themselves has grown through my experience providing therapy in private practice. Most recently, my work as a therapist in a day hospital program has shown me a variety of clinical issues, while maintaining the appreciation for people struggling with real life problems.  In all these settings, accessing the strengths of people in need and viewing them in the context of a family system greatly supports their goals to progress.

Throughout my life, spiritual resources have been important and I recognize the values that many families in crisis have with including religious and spiritual priorities with an adolescent’s treatment.  This is not something that I would ignore in helping a family determine what treatment programs would be used. My hope is that my work, in a relatively brief time period of an adolescent and her family’s life, may assist them determining their own direction and matching their values while even learning to enjoy unexpected growth.

You may reach Joel at  309-212-4434 (cell) or  joelcagwin@gmail.com