Who are the kids?

The Light Center sees both individual and group participants and works cooperatively with many community based organizations.

Our Population—Youth who are:

physically, developmentally, or behaviorally challenged
struggling in their home, school, or community due to oppositional behavior
struggling in their home, school, or community due to drugs, abuse, or neglect
in primary treatment with on-going mental healthcare affiliation
engaged in short-term treatment with specific target goals
aligned with court services as juvenile offenders
seriously at-risk due to severe socio-economic disadvantage

Where do they come from?

“Our kids” come from all around, with the majority coming from McHenry and Kane County.

Many parents hear about the Light Center, word-of-mouth, and are enthusiastic to try something innovative and different with their troubled youth. Stories of abuse, neglect, and drug and alcohol abuse are common. Teachers & counselors seek out the Light Center when traditional educational models have failed. And many social service agencies have come to rely on Light Center services to speed and reinforce their treatment goals.

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What are the treatment goals?

AAL-Animal Assisted Learning: Education/Recreation/Prevention
AAT-Animal Assisted Therapy: Intervention/Treatment/Reinforcement

Equine Assisted Skills… Animal-Assisted therapy... Horticultural Programming…
What does this mean and what are the kids actually doing???

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and the pictures above are no exception. The Light Center is a reality based program; it’s all about touching, feeling, and experiencing. Working with animals is empowering without imposed control. Whether leading a horse, cleaning a stall, or watering the garden, the kids practice problem solving on a real physical level. Success and failure are just words… When kids “experience” success they know they’ve done a good job and naturally feel good about themselves. And when they don’t, the Light Center helps kids re-engage with their natural instincts and look for healthy alternatives.

Real, physical activities help kids to notice and trust their own natural instincts and skills; the kids make judgment calls based on real life experience & corrected thinking; not abstract concepts. Research is clearly showing that the further kids get from natural surroundings the more disconnected they become from their own internal controls; judgment becomes skewed and healthy boundaries become clouded.

When you’re working with animals there’s no judgment, no authoritative restrictions, no technology, and no room for mind games. When a child or teen says one thing, but his body language says another, the horses (especially) react to this. A hyperactive child may find that the animals run when he’s too loud or too fast. A depressed teenager may learn how animals live in the present; they protect themselves in the moment but they don’t hold grudges from the past. A teen, already in juvenile correction, may see that better choices lead to better outcomes. When kids can “experience” a concept, the concept becomes a reality they can learn from. The Light Center uses the animals and the garden to create & enhance those experiences in a fun, meaningful, and truly unique way.

What do kids learn?

How body language says more than words
How better choices make better outcomes
How to assert themselves positively
How to be honest & responsible for their own feelings and actions

Enrollment and Pricing

Light Center sessions are scheduled and invoiced by the hour, Monday through Friday. Most sessions last from 1-2 hours. Participant applicants must be enrolled in the program prior to scheduling. Pricing is determined on a case-by-case basis and scholarships are available whenever possible and applicable. Case history and group size are considered in determining cost. Contact the Light Center for further information on pricing and participation options.