History

Response Center is a not-for-profit counseling, educational and resource center serving adolescents (age 12 to 21) and their families. A program of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Response Center is administered by Jewish Child and Family Services.

Our mission is to support adolescents and their families in the Jewish and general community by providing prevention, outreach, counseling and medical services in a teen-friendly environment that empowers teens to make healthy life choices.

Established in 1970, Response Center initially focused on adolescent drug abuse, but has since widened its scope to include a wide range of adolescent and family emotional and social concerns.

Response Center provides individual, family and group counseling, along with medical services focused on adolescent sexual health and outreach and prevention programs. Staffed by social service professionals, Response welcomes teens of all religions, races and ethnic backgrounds. If you or someone you know wants more information, please click on the “Contact Us” link to the left.

Our fees are based on a sliding scale: no one is turned away based on an inability to pay.

Response operates in two service areas: on the North Shore (in Skokie) and in the Northwest Suburbs (in Prairie View). The center’s Outreach programming includes: interactive workshops, leadership, social and recreational activities; drug and sexually transmitted infection prevention and education; pregnancy prevention; violence prevention; and physical challenge programs for the purposes of group team building. Response Center’s Teen Clinic provides medical services sensitive to teen concerns including birth control, pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Individual, family and group counseling is available to help teens and families cope with a range of concerns including anxiety, parent-teen communication and relationship issues.