ABOUT PEER SERVICES — EVANSTON
Founded in 1975, PEER Services is a nonprofit that operates two outpatient treatment facilities in Illinois. This facility, located in central Evanston, 15 miles north of central Chicago, offers outpatient treatment, as well as prevention and intervention services, for adults and adolescents struggling with substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders.
The center offers medication-assisted treatment, but its website does not specify which medications are used. According to CiteHealth, there are also specialized tracks for those diagnosed with HIV or AIDS, DWI offenders, and women.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Treatment begins with an initial assessment conducted by a counselor, which is used to put together an individualized treatment plan. PEER Services uses 12-Step along with evidence-based treatment methodologies.
For adults and adolescents alike, treatment is offered at two levels: an intensive outpatient program (IOP) and general outpatient treatment. The adult IOP meets for three, three-hour sessions a week on weekday afternoons; the IOP generally lasts eight weeks, and clients are encouraged to attend aftercare for six weeks after completion. General outpatient care consists of up to two sessions a week of both individual and group counseling. There are also dedicated services for older adults.
For adolescents, the general outpatient program generally lasts a minimum of 60 days and involves one hour a week of individual counseling. The adolescent IOP involves three weekly group sessions and a weekly individual session, and at all stages of adolescent care, special emphasis is placed on working with the client’s family and support system.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
According to the facility’s website, staff includes a physician, nurses, master’s level therapists, certified addiction counselors, and family therapists. The two individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the staff’s level of training and experience gave a two-star rating and a five out of five-star rating, respectively.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The two alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com to date provided mixed feedback. Both reviewers gave the center three out of five stars for its overall effectiveness and indicated that they would not recommend treatment at this center. They also gave the facility low ratings of two and three stars for its family program and its treatment for co-occurring disorders. “Money driven,” one of the anonymous reviewers commented, and the other wrote: “The rules was crazy.”
However, both these reviewers also indicated that they felt seen and respected at the facility, and that they had benefited from treatment. “They never judged and were very compassionate… I enjoyed my time and found it very helpful,” one of the reviewers wrote, and the other added: “Staff would listen to me… I meet people that I made life long friends.”
Reviews left on secondary sites were also mixed: at the time of this writing, PEER Services had five perfect five-star ratings and a single one-star rating on Facebook, where the organization may manage own page.
On CiteHealth, the facility has a single one-star rating. “This organization is a joke. One staff member takes months’ to get back to you. The executive director just wonders around the building; ask her a question and she doesn’t have an answer,” the anonymous CiteHealth reviewer wrote.
FINANCING
PEER Services accepts Medicaid, Medicare, All-Kids, and FamilyCare, and is an in-network provider for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. The center can also accept other insurance policies on an out-of-network basis. Both alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the center’s affordability gave it three out of five stars.
According to the facility’s website, no client is turned away because of an inability to pay, and PEER Services offers full and partial scholarships for uninsured and under-insured clients based on family size, income, and other factors such as any medical problems.
[1] https://www.facebook.com/pg/peerservicesinc/reviews/
[2] http://citehealth.com/rehab-centers/illinois/cities/evanston-city-in-cook-county/peer-services-inc#reviews