A Family’s Experience with Providence Farm

Dear President Frum,

This correspondence is regarding our family’s experience at Providence Farm, 1620 Sunset Ridge Road. [Our son] is a current Providence Farm resident. He was set to attend college last fall but unfortunately fell on hard times. Over the past year and half he has unfortunately been in and out of treatment for dual diagnosis for depression and substance abuse and has been unable to find the right fit for treatment that would make a true difference in his recovery. Many facilities are very institutional by design and seem to miss the nurturing environment so many young adult men need outside of one’s home environment, especially coming out of an initial treatment facility.

We are grateful for having found Providence Farms under the direction of Stephanie Zwilling and her staff, which provides a unique therapeutic setting by creating a nurturing environment, a sense of independence, structure through accountability, and specialized therapy specific to each client’s needs. The Farm requires these young men to attend school and/or work, volunteer for community service, learn how to live a productive life, and participate socially without the need for drugs and alcohol. In the short time [our son] has been at the Farm, we have already experienced significant development in his overall recovery through self-understanding, development of life coping skills and most importantly a hope and belief that there is a life to live beyond drugs and alcohol. Just a few short months ago our Family was emotionally preparing for the worst that we would lose our son. But today, with the help of Providence Farm, our family and more importantly [our son] has hope that he can live a productive sober life. We acknowledge he, like many others, will have a life of recovery, but his chance for success will significantly increase through the therapy and skills he develops at Providence Farm.

The partnership between Providence Farm, the Village of Northbrook and the overall community has filled a treatment gap that should be modeled throughout all communities to meet to growing demand of mental illness and substance abuse. On behalf of our family, we are thankful the Village has allowed Providence Farm to exist, especially within a residential neighborhood, which may seem insignificant to some, but makes a world of difference to the psyche of those living there by giving them a sense that they are part of community. We are confident Providence Farm will make a positive difference in our son’s life to be a productive citizen and hopefully for many other young adults in search of help within and around the Northbrook community.