Hartgrove Behavioral Health System

06/18/2026

📽️✨ Say hello to Connor Pond, former student of our psychology training program!

He attended the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at National Louis University, and as a diagnostic psychology extern here at Hartgrove Behavioral Health System, he tackled complex, meaningful cases, learned alongside talented peers and was mentored by leaders who supported him every step of the way. (Oh, and he helped a lot of patients, too! 😁)

Seriously, our hands-on training program is full of smart, supportive people who generally want to see you win and grow into the kind of clinician you want to be.

If you're a student thinking about your next step in behavioral health, shoot us an email to learn more: 📧 [email protected].

06/17/2026

Opening up can be difficult, especially for men who've been taught to push through or keep it all in. But talking about what you're feeling is how things start to get better.

Our Clinical Coordinator, Andrew Lindsey, LPC, encourages the strength it takes to open up: 💬 "Men often don't know how to express their emotions, and many emotions are considered unmasculine. It has to be talked about."

The term "man up" can do more harm than good when it comes to mental health. Bottling things up and pretending to be fine? That's the old playbook. ✍ Let's rewrite it together.

Men, we got the right tools 🔧, and we're here when you need to talk: https://hartgrovehospital.com/contact-us/.

06/16/2026

👋 Meet someone who's always got our patients' backs.

As our patient engagement specialist, Michael Scianna makes sure nothing slips through the cracks as he serves as a voice and advocate for every single patient that walks through our doors. He's been with Hartgrove for 6 years, starting as a mental health specialist (MHS) and moving into a program specialist before stepping into his current role 7 months ago, and we're spotlighting him for Healthcare Risk Management Week.

From Michael: 💬 "I like helping people in a very direct way. We provide very good programming, and there's a lot more structure than you generally see at other places. Safety always comes first here, and we want patients to leave feeling like they've accomplished something positive."

His role is all about collaboration. Making sure patients get the right treatment, at the right time, in the right way helps reduce risk and keeps everyone safer. We appreciate Michael constantly linking teams together, speaking up for patients and make sure their experience feels right from start to finish (and even after they leave).

06/15/2026

Loved connecting with our business development colleagues! 🤝

06/12/2026

📣 Let's go USA! 🙌

We're in the ⚽ spirit here at Hartgrove and at our sister hospital, Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital, where staff members wore the colors of their favorite teams. We had lots of Mexico fans yesterday (congrats on the win!), with the USA out in full force for today's match.

Even our leadership team got in on the action! That's Keith Henderson (left), group director of human resources, and Vernard Alsberry III (right), group director of business development. And while they each professionally played that other kind of football (🏈), they're still feeling the vibes!

06/11/2026

Get to know Hannah Boatright, clinical therapist at the Schoolhouse Counseling Center!

Building trust with young students is her specialty, and it's easy to see why. She's someone kids actually *want* to check in with.

📽️ Watch the video to hear why she became a therapist along with some of the most rewarding parts.

Some bonus news about Hannah: she just passed her exam to officially become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)! 👏🙌

06/10/2026

Part of Pride Month is making sure everyone has access to the healthcare they need.

Mental health and substance use don’t affect all communities equally. LGBTQ+ individuals are at a higher risk for substance use issues, often due to things like stigma, discrimination and barriers to affirming care.

We see this, and we care deeply. As we continue expanding our substance use disorder (SUD) services, our goal is simple: offer a space where people feel safe, seen and supported, no matter who they are or where they’re starting from.

When you seek our help, we meet you with treatment that respects your full story. 💙

06/09/2026

🎓👏 Congratulations to our very own Matthew Cramer on receiving his Master of Healthcare Administration from Loyola University Chicago (Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola Chicago)!

He joined Hartgrove and our sister hospital, Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital, as a group business development specialist a few months ago, and we're so proud of everything he's accomplished so far! He’s deeply passionate about expanding access to behavioral healthcare, especially for underserved communities, and he’s all in when it comes to serving patients with the highest level of acuity (a group that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves).

Here's what he said about his time here: 💬 "I'm excited to apply my knowledge to a community that has historically been underserved. Everyone struggles with their mental health at some point, and behavioral health has always had a special place for me. The dedication, resources and knowledge behind our specialty programs truly meet the ever-changing needs of our patients, and there’s a genuine desire from our teams to integrate with and support the communities we serve."

Matthew really hit the ground running here, and we look forward to seeing him continue to grow in his career!

06/08/2026

Glad to have our Schoolhouse Counseling Center team members in attendance!

Thanks to Midwest PBIS Network for leading this important training!

Day one of the ISF-SHINE Cohort 1 training is officially in the books! It was great to have everyone gathered in the same room to get this work started.

For context, ISF-SHINE (School Health and Interventions for Nurturing Excellence) is a five-year federal Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant. The whole goal is to transform student well-being and academic success by integrating mental health services directly into the school day, blending PBIS and MTSS data and practices into one cohesive system.

There is a lot of intentional systems-building ahead of us, but seeing the energy from these teams on day one makes the journey exciting.

A massive thank you to our Cohort 1 partners for showing up ready to dive into the work:

Lake County Regional Office of Education #34

Crete-Monee School District 201-U

Crystal Lake Elementary District 47

UIC College of Education

Looking forward to what this group will accomplish together over the coming years!

06/05/2026

Today we're proud to take part in Friday, a national day of awareness to highlight how America’s hospitals and health systems combat violence in their workplaces and communities.

Creating a safer space takes work. It means training staff on how to properly de-escalate tough situations, having clear safety protocols with your security team and supporting employees when something does happen.

Here at Hartgrove, we care about a culture where respect goes both ways. Safe behavioral healthcare workers means they can show up fully for their patients, and that's something we take very seriously.