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The board, volunteers and staff of SGA Youth & Family Services envision a society
that affords each child and young adult the support, safety, and resources necessary
to realize her or his fullest potential.
SGA Youth & Family Services supports the emotional and social development of Chicago area adolescents and young adults by providing therapy, prevention, case management and other supportive services for individuals and families.
To make positive choices, adolescents need resources and support to promote optimal growth and build life skills for sound decision-making and problem solving. They need people they can trust and turn to for consistent support, understanding, and the tools to explore and clarify their own values and goals. In the inner city, where violence, racial tension, and isolation threaten teens on a daily basis, the need for trustworthy relationships and psychosocial supports is even more critical, especially for those vulnerable to personal crises, substance abuse, depression, and suicidal behavior. Through professional counseling, psychosocial support, and prevention services, SGA helps troubled youth make a more successful transition into adulthood while at the same time strengthens families and communities.
SGA Staff: Meeting the Challenges of At-Risk Youth and Families
Helping young people who are faced with many academic and social barriers is by its very nature challenging work and can sometimes be difficult. However, as a long established and accredited provider, SGA employs highly qualified clinical managers that understand the tenets of sound psychotherapeutic and prevention work, and clinical staff members who are master's and bachelor's level clinicians, which include social workers and counselors licensed by the state who hold the certifications of Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Licensed Social Worker, and Licensed Clinical Psychotherapist. The agency provides a comprehensive in-house continuing education program for its clinicians to ensure that they remain informed about current issues in the field. SGA’s President, Susana Marotta, has a PhD from the Institute for Clinical Social Work and has been guiding SGA for twelve years. Under her leadership the agency’s growth has been steady and sustainable.
As a learning organization, SGA is committed to seeking out and adopting best practices in both its clinical and administrative operations.
SGA provides internship and fellowship placements for high school, college and graduate students, and is committed to advancing the knowledge and practice of clinical social work, psychology, non-profit administration, and related professions.
SGA’s work is greatly enhanced by our partnerships with the following organizations.
SGA Salutes our Partners and Collaborations!
Adler Institute
Administration for Children and Families
Anixter Center
Argosy University
Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
Chicago Department of Family and Support Services
Chicago Department of Public Health Clinics
Chicago Police Department (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy)
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago School of Professional Psychology
City Colleges of Chicago
Community Schools Federation of Illinois
Department of Children and Family Services, Local Area Networks
DePaul University
Harvard University Center for Public Interest Careers
Illinois Department of Human Services
Illinois Collaboration of Youth (ICOY)
Illinois State’s Attorney’s Office
Illinois Violence Prevention Authority
Loyola University
Mercy Hospital-School Based Clinics
Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Settlement House
Office of Juvenile Probation
Ounce of Prevention Fund
Purdue University
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Justice
United Way of Metropolitan Chicago
University of Chicago
University of Colorado
SGA greatly appreciates and wishes to thank the numerous individuals, foundations, and corporations who have played a major role in sustaining and furthering SGA’ work in the community.
As part of its commitment to the social work profession and in collaboration with local graduate schools of social work, SGA has a strong internship program that provides training experiences for master's and doctorate level interns. Student interns from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Argosy University, University of Chicago School of Social Work, Loyola University, and University of Illinois, Jane Addams School of Social Work, both learn and contribute to the work of the agency. They receive close supervision by experienced clinicians who both teach and mentor.
- SGA Youth & Family Services is committed to the emotional and social well-being
of its clients, and therefore considers first the needs of the client population
in all organizational decisions.
- SGA Youth & Family Services values the potential of each individual, respects
the contribution each has to offer and celebrates differences as well as
commonalities among diverse people.
- SGA Youth & Family Services values honesty, integrity, trust, respect,
confidentiality, and accountability in its interactions with clients,
staff, board members, funders and other individuals and groups with whom
the agency interacts.
- SGA Youth & Family Services values its history and traditions and preserves
its proud legacy through the continual development of innovative and quality
services responsive to the changing needs of young people and their families
in the Chicago area.
Founded in 1911, SGA Youth & Family Services, then known as The Joint Committee for Vocational Training, provided vocational and educational guidance to young people applying for work permits. Its distinguished founders included Edith Abbott and Sophonisba Breckenridge, who also founded the forerunner to the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Nobel Prize winner, Jane Addams was on the Board of Directors until 1924. Later, SGA shifted its focus to reforming child labor laws, and used scholarships to help keep children in school. For two decades, SGA's scholarship program continued to grow until the Fair Labor Standards Act passed in 1938, establishing child labor laws and eliminating the need for scholarships to keep children in school. As they recognized the need for counseling to address the emotional reasons for school drop out, the Vocational Service Committee and the Scholarship Association for Jewish Children began to hold joint annual meetings, and then joined forces to become SGA. Individual and group therapy and prevention programs remain at the core of our services. Please click here to read a detailed account of the history of SGA.
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