Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital! 🦃🍂 We are so grateful for all the amazing kids, teens, families, team members and community organizations we get to work with every day. Today, let’s fill our plates 🍽️ with gratitude and sprinkle in a little kindness (it’s food for the soul!). Then remember to take a moment to breathe, laugh and connect, because your mind deserves a holiday, too! #Thanksgiving #BehavioralHealth #MentalHealth

Our Garfield Guardians engagement team had a Thanksgiving surprise for our staff: free pies to take home and share with loved ones! 🥧 Everyone had their pick: apple, pumpkin, chocolate crème, banana crème or sweet potato. (We saw some tough decisions happening at the table, and zero regrets walking away with a box in hand.) Such a sweet way to head into the holiday. (Plus it helps if you still needed to pick something to bring to the table. 😆) We are so grateful for everything our teams do for our patients, for each other and for the hospital. We hope everyone has smooth travels and enjoys their time with friends and family! 🧡 #Thanksgiving #HappyThanksgiving #EmployeeAppreciation

We're excited to welcome a longtime Hartgrove Behavioral Health System team member to Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital! 😁 The Manager of the Centralized Staffing Department for both our hospitals is a big job, and Zaneta is exactly the right fit. From our CEO, Steven Airhart: "With an amazing 25 years of proven staffing excellence at Hartgrove Behavioral Health System, I can’t think of a better person than Zaneta Scales to take on this new department." Here’s to an exciting new chapter and an even stronger system for our staff and patients! 🎉 #MentalHealth #BehavioralHealth #Promotion https://lnkd.in/eYkCg9TZ

Talking to a child about suicide is one of the hardest conversations anyone can have. And on International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, we acknowledge the families who navigate that reality while trying to support kids grieving in their own way. Children make sense of the world with the information they’re given, so when something this big happens, they often fill in the blanks themselves. A simple, calm, age-appropriate discussion goes a long way in helping them feel safer and less confused. Forget about perfect words. You just need honesty, patience and space for their questions. If you’re a caregiver walking through this kind of loss, remember that support exists for both you and the children in your life. #ISSLD2025 #SurvivorsOfSuicideLossDay #SurvivorDay

For American Education Week, we celebrate the many people who support students every day, beyond the classrooms and throughout the whole school community. 📚🧠👏 Teachers can't always do everything themselves, and the mental health pros who show up for students right where they are deserve a huge shout-out, too. We're talking the school-based therapists, counselors, social workers and anyone else helping kids and teens work through tough moments, build coping skills and stay connected to learning even when life gets bumpy. Some schools have these supports built in, some partner with outside providers and others are still working toward it. Every school is on its own path, but we’re curious how things look where you are. 👇 #AmericanEducationWeek #AEW2025 #BehavioralHealth

On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor the trans lives lost to violence and discrimination, and we recommit ourselves to creating spaces where trans people are safe, affirmed and truly seen. That’s why this former patient’s words about our Polaris Program mean so much. 💚 No program, team or single gesture can undo the harm so many transgender individuals face, but acceptance, affirmation and safety do matter. They change the daily experience, shape healing and save lives. At Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital, feeling accepted as who you really are isn’t a small detail in treatment, but rather the foundation of being able to heal, grow and fully show up. Creating affirming care for trans patients in every setting is essential. While today is about remembrance, it’s also about advocating for safety, showing up with compassion and making sure every trans patient who walks through our doors knows they’re welcome and wanted here. #TransgenderDayOfRemembrance #TDOR #TransRightsAreHumanRights

Earlier this month at the Becker's Healthcare CEO + CFO Roundtable, our CEO, Steven Airhart, joined behavioral health leaders Elicia Bunch, MS, LPC, FACHE, Dr. Olieth Lightbourne DNP, MSN , BSN , CNL, and Becky Stoll for a session about crisis response and the continuum of care. The discussion touched on a reality we all feel: behavioral health needs are evolving faster than traditional systems can keep up. From workforce well-being to integrated care models, these challenges require collaboration and innovation. When leaders share what’s happening on the ground, we shape solutions that truly meet patients where they are, while preparing for tomorrow's needs. 👀 Read some of their insights here: http://spklr.io/6047BMqH9. #BeckersCEOCFO #HealthcareLeaders #BehavioralHealth #MentalHealth

During American Education Week, let's give a big welcome to cornelia perry, the newest member of Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital's education team! 👋 She started teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) in 2017, and since then she's worked both in the classroom and on the admin side. With a psychology undergrad and her M.Ed. in Special Education, she always had one foot in the world of education and one in mental health, so joining our hospital’s education department was basically the perfect match. 💬 "I have a strong belief that every child deserves a high quality, effective teacher no matter what their environment is, and I feel being here at Garfield Park really allows me to live out that philosophy. Education has always been a part of me, but especially with younger kids, I like being the starting point of their academic journey." She and the education team bring a sense of normalcy to kids who are going through a lot, and Cornelia loves knowing kids still get to show up for schooling, learn something new and have those "aha!" moments. That’s exactly why our education program is such a big part of what we do. Treatment always comes first, of course, but helping kids stay connected to learning gives them confidence, routine and momentum for when they return to their home schools. We’re so happy to have Cornelia on the team, and even more thrilled for the students who get to learn with her! 📚 #AmericanEducationWeek #AEW2025 #BehavioralHealth

When your teen struggles, finding the right level of care can feel overwhelming. That’s where our Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) comes in. It’s more support than traditional therapy, but not as intensive as 24/7 inpatient care, kind of like the middle ground that helps your teen reset, rebuild and get back on track. Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital's PHP helps teens work through challenges like: 😰 Anxiety, depression or mood swings. 😢 Grief, trauma or loss. 🏫 Stress related to school or relationships. 😔 Trouble managing emotions or daily routines. 💭 Suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors. This highly structured day program helps teens build coping skills, improve communication and feel more confident managing what life throws their way, while still being able to go home to family each evening. Wondering what the next step in care looks like? PHP could be that bridge toward healing and stability. #MentalHealth #BehavioralHealth #OPsupport

Be honest, have you ever mixed up mental health and emotional health? (If you have, that's okay! 😉) #MentalHealth #EmotionalHealth #BehavioralHealth https://lnkd.in/epjDswgr