The Mill, located on a 27-acre site in Rockford, IL, is a “staff secure residential treatment facility with a 72 bed capacity” that has “used the Positive Peer Culture (PPC) treatment modality since its inception in 1978.” Recently they have “enhanced their therapeutic model to better serve children with psychiatric issues” and now blend Cognitive Behavior Therapy with PPC to serve “high end” youth who need more services. They provide counseling and educational programs for abused, neglected, and at risk youth between 12 ad 21 years of age, with their residential program serving males and females between the ages of 12 –18.

The treatment includes group counseling, art & music counseling, life skills education, community involvement, and athletics. Each youth’s program is individualized with input from the family, student, and referral source. Residential youth attend either the therapeutic day school, a public school, or they can pursue a GED or receive on-the-job training. The average length of stay in the residential treatment program is between 6 and 18 months.

The Mill’s “mission” is to guide their students through a “strength based approach” to help them develop appropriate attitudes, behaviors, and skills that lead to “responsible and productive” lives. The Mill is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and “their staff work cooperatively with community mental health agencies, law enforcement organizations and educational institutions.”