ABOUT WOODRIDGE INTERVENTIONS
Located in DuPage County southwest of Chicago, Woodridge Interventions provides residential treatment for adolescents and adults struggling with substance use and dually diagnosed mental health disorders. A continuum of services also includes a transitional home for older teenagers and outpatient programming for youth, men, and women. Detox services are not available. Woodridge is part of Abraxas Youth & Family Services (also referenced as Cornell), which operates educational and rehab programs in five states. Abraxas I in Marienville, Penn., provides residential substance abuse treatment for girls and boys, and Southwood Interventions in Chicago offers medical detox for adults.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Staff from Woodridge Interventions conduct assessments on-site and at off-site locations throughout Chicagoland. In some cases, same-day admission is possible. Residential clients are frequently involved in the juvenile or criminal justice systems or the child welfare system.
All three residential treatment programs involve cognitive behavioral therapy. Treatment staff also approach rehabilitation from strengths-based, trauma-oriented, and culturally-response perspectives, according to the facility’s website. Gender-specific therapy is prioritized. Additional modalities include aggression replacement training, leisure education, and mindful meditation.
The adolescent residential program treats boys aged 13 to 18. A modified therapeutic community and positive behavior and support model incorporate individual, group, and family therapy, social skills training, and medication as appropriate. Serving young men from 16 to 19, the Woodridge adolescent recovery home foregrounds peer-led recovery and case management, coordinating transitional and other support services. Residents are typically employed or enrolled in school while living in the structured environment. They also learn about parenting and health and wellness.
In the adult men’s program residents receive a minimum of 25 hours of treatment per week in a highly structured, intensive therapeutic community. Clients focus on changing thinking patterns related to behavioral challenges.
In both standard and intensive outpatient programs (IOP) at Woodridge Interventions, clients participate in many of the same types of treatment modalities as residents, including 12-step principles and practices. The coaching-oriented Matrix Model is also applied and IOP runs for four to six weeks.
Additional Woodridge Intervention services include DUI evaluations and education, on-site alternative schools, family education and groups, and on-site Alcoholics, Narcotics, and Cocaine Anonymous meetings.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Treatment team members at Woodridge Interventions include medical staff, certified addiction counselors, and recreation therapists.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The Woodridge Interventions center is located on 11 wooded acres, where clients stay in shared bedrooms and have access to walking paths and an on-site gym, indoor basketball half-court, art room, and dining room with small tables. Website photographs feature naturally lit indoor spaces and simple furnishings in a clinical setting. The residential adolescent program includes recreational opportunities through the Illinois Inter-Agency Athletic Association.
According to the Abraxas website, the adolescent residence houses 38 boys, transitional home has space for 12, and adult men’s area has 39 beds.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The sole alum polled by Best-rehabs.com to date provided positive feedback for Woodridge Interventions. Overall treatment effectiveness, the staff’s level of training and experience, and family participation each received ratings of four out of five stars, while holistic therapy offerings received just three. All metrics measuring accommodations, from facility cleanliness and meals to exercise and leisure activities, were also rated four stars. The reviewer praised the facility’s commitment to meeting individual needs.
Five individuals (including one loved one of an alum) contributed to an average rating of 3.2 out of five stars for Woodridge Interventions on Google. The three highest ratings were not accompanied by written comments. Two reviewers expressed concerns, including about significant miscommunication between center staff and the court system, unprofessional behavior, overworked staff, and an environment not conducive recovery.[1]
An additional eight Google reviews submitted for the same facility under the name Cornell Interventions Woodridge averaged similar ratings. Three reviewers discussed treatment for LGBT individuals, with two describing a policy akin to “don’t ask, don’t tell,” while the third reported no problems. In a representative positive review, alum M.S. wrote that he received “the discipline I needed,” also praising the staff.[2]
WHAT STAFF SAY
Current and former employees of Woodridge Interventions submitted moderately positive reviews overall to Glassdoor and Indeed. Together, seven ratings averaged 3.1 out of five stars. All three Glassdoor reviews reflected staff respect for the mission of the organization, or as one wrote, “desire to help all clients.”[3] Some staff on each site echoed concerns about under-staffing. Indeed reviewers praised co-workers and described their work as making a difference for clients.[4]
FINANCING
The Woodbridge Interventions website indicates that initial assessments are provided free and private insurance and Medicaid are accepted for treatment. Other funding comes from government sources. The one alum polled by Best-rehabs.com represented pricing as “very fair.”
[1] https://goo.gl/2UfrcQ
[2] https://goo.gl/UehbjN
[3] https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Abraxas-Youth-and-Family-Services-Chicago-Reviews-EIIE363794.0,33IL.34,41_IM167.htm?filter.defaultEmploymentStatuses=false&filter.defaultLocation=false
[4] https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Abraxas-Youth-and-Family-Services/reviews?fcountry=US&floc=Woodridge%2C+IL