About Nicasa
Nicasa Behavioral Health Services is a nonprofit, behavioral health and social service agency that has been serving the residents of Lake County since 1966. Our mission is to transform one life at a time through our behavioral health and social services, which is realized through our vision of strengthening the communities we serve by being the premier behavioral and social health service provider.
We provide services across a continuum of care that includes education, prevention, harm reduction, early intervention, treatment, and recovery. Our growth into a five-site, nationally recognized leader in comprehensive substance use prevention and treatment is a result of our ability to seek out those in need, identify strengths and resources, and deliver services that create positive choices and lifelong solutions. All of our services are provided in English and Spanish and include, but are not limited to, substance use treatment, mental health and problem gambling counseling, in-school prevention programming, Teen Court diversion, parent education classes, family advocacy, behavioral health care coordination, and a residential recovery halfway house for adults.
Nicasa’s five Lake County locations include:
- Round Lake – Headquarters, Counseling, and Prevention Services
- Waukegan (Greenwood) – Counseling and Prevention Services
- Waukegan (Bridge House) – Community-Based Residential Recovery Halfway House for Adults
- North Chicago (Judy H. Fried Center) – Family Advocacy Center
- Highland Park – Counseling Services
Nicasa is committed to providing quality, compassionate service to those in need regardless of race, age, gender, or economic status.
Nicasa’s counseling, early intervention, and prevention services have received 3-year accreditation by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) International, Inc. since 2017. This certification demonstrates Nicasa’s commitment to outcome-driven, client-centered care, fiscal responsibility, and programmatic excellence.
Nicasa’s History
In 1966, Nicasa was founded by members of a local Alcoholics Anonymous group as a one-employee organization. Its original mission was to provide advocacy and a more humane approach to the issues of recovering alcoholics and their families.
Since then, Nicasa has grown to become a leader in the field of substance abuse and mental health services. Nicasa developed some of the State’s first Latino services, DUI programs, community awareness and public education campaigns, and prevention programming.
In 1988, because of Nicasa’s integrity and expertise, the judges of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Lake County and McHenry Counties ruled Nicasa as the sole provider of alcohol/drug abuse evaluations for those arrested for alcohol-related offenses in Lake County.
In 2010, Nicasa was able to expand its battery of services to include families that do not have a substance abuse problem with Family Advocacy Services. These services have been very successful and continue to help families achieve stability and self-sufficiency.
In 2013, Nicasa began offering mental health services in response to a severe shortage of available mental health services in Lake County. Nicasa continues to develop and provide innovative services to meet the changing needs of the men, women, youth and families in our communities.
