Alternatives

Just steps away from Washington Park, Alternatives serves youth ages 10-24 across Chicago. They offer school and community-based mental health counseling, prevention education, and youth advocacy. As a nonprofit, they focus on equity, healing, and systems change while providing no-cost behavioral health care for those with public insurance or no insurance at all. Therapists at Alternatives use a strength-based, trauma-informed approach grounded in evidence-based care. Individual, group, and family counseling focus on conflict resolution, identity, emotional regulation, and life-skills development. Services are offered in schools, youth centers, and through telehealth. They also provide behavioral health education for teachers and social-emotional learning (SEL) tailored to each school’s needs. Alternatives offers youth-led substance use prevention, community-based advocacy, and trauma-informed capacity-building within Chicago Public Schools. Their Youth Advisory Committees give students a voice in shaping local prevention work. Through their crisis response hotline and wraparound mentorship, they help youth at risk of justice or child welfare involvement stay safe, supported, and connected to growth opportunities.