Wayne Township Mental Health Board

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Wayne Township Mental Health Board

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Wayne Township Mental Health Board funds and supports local services for mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance use prevention/treatment for Wayne Township residents.

09/02/2026

September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month, and it is also National Recovery Month.

Both of those come down to the same idea: people can get through things that feel unsurvivable, and they are far more likely to when somebody notices and stays.

This month we're going to talk about how to ask someone directly if they're okay, what to do when the answer is no, what recovery actually looks like day to day, and where support exists right here in Wayne Township.

Some of it will be hard to read. We're going to do it anyway, because silence has never protected anyone.

If today is a heavy day for you: 988 is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day. Call or text.

And if today is a good day, that counts too. Keep going.

08/31/2026

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day.

It's a day to remember the people we've lost, to acknowledge the families still carrying that grief, and to talk honestly about something that has touched more households in DuPage County than most people realize.

Overdose deaths are preventable. That's the whole reason this day exists.

Here's what you can do:

Carry naloxone. Also called Narcan, it's a nasal spray that reverses an opioid overdose. It's free through the DuPage Narcan Program, and there's a pickup location right here in our township at the Bartlett Police Department, 228 S. Main Street. You can also request a kit by mail. You do not need a prescription, and you do not need to explain why you want one.

Know it works on anyone. Naloxone cannot hurt someone who is not overdosing. If you're not sure, use it.

Know where to call. The Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances is 1-833-2FINDHELP, free and available 24/7. For treatment in our area, Serenity House and Haymarket Center are both listed on our resources page.

Talk about it. Stigma is what keeps people from asking for help and keeps families silent in their grief. Every conversation makes the next one easier.

To everyone remembering someone today: we're holding that with you. Your person was more than how they died.

If you're struggling right now, call or text 988. Any time.

Tomorrow begins September, which is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month. We'll be here for that conversation too.

08/30/2026

Next Monday is International Overdose Awareness Day. Before we get there, we want to say something plainly.

Recovery is possible. People do get better.

Substance use disorder is a health condition, not a moral failure. We know that from the research, and we know it from the thousands of people in DuPage County living in recovery right now, working jobs, raising kids, showing up.

But shame keeps people from asking for help, and shame is often the thing that kills. When someone believes they are a lost cause, they stop reaching out. When they believe getting better is possible, they call somebody.

So if you're struggling, or you love someone who is: there is help in this area.

Serenity House has provided substance use treatment across Chicagoland for over 30 years.

Haymarket Center offers comprehensive behavioral health and substance use services.

Both are listed on the Wayne Township Mental Health Board resources page.

And if you're in crisis right now, call or text 988. Any time, free, confidential.

Nobody is beyond help. Not the person you're worried about, and not you.

08/26/2026

Everyone's back on a schedule now. School, work, practices, meetings, the whole machine running again.

This is usually when burnout starts building, and it rarely shows up as one dramatic moment. It shows up as small things:

You're tired even after you sleep. Small problems feel bigger than they should. You're going through the motions at work. You've stopped doing the things you actually enjoy because there's no room left. You're short with the people you love most, which then makes you feel guilty, which is one more thing to carry.

Burnout is not a character flaw and it is not a sign you can't handle your life. It's what happens when the demands stay high and the recovery time stays at zero.

The fix is not a spa day. It's finding one thing you can let go of.

Look at your next two weeks. Find one commitment you said yes to out of obligation and let it go. One. You do not owe anyone an explanation beyond "I can't take that on right now."

That sentence is a complete sentence.

08/22/2026

Today is World Senior Citizen's Day, and we want to talk about something that does not get enough attention.

Loneliness is a health issue.

For older adults, being isolated is linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and heart problems. It is not just a sad feeling. It has real effects on the body.

And it often happens quietly. Friends move or pass away. Driving gets harder. A spouse dies. The phone rings less. Nobody announces that they have become isolated.

Here's the part worth knowing: checking on someone is a real intervention. Not a nice gesture. An actual one.

So today, call the person you have been meaning to call. Stop by. Ask if they need anything from the store. Invite them to something even if you assume they'll say no.

Wayne Township has a Senior Center with programs and services for residents. If you or someone you know could use the connection, it's worth a call.

And to the older adults reading this: you have not been forgotten. We're glad you're here.

08/19/2026

Halfway through August. Quick check-in.

How are you really doing?

Not the version you give a coworker. The real one.

Because a lot happens in a month like this. Schedules change, kids go back to school, the summer freedom ends, and it's easy to be so busy managing everyone else that nobody asks about you.

So we're asking. And there's no wrong answer.

Doing fine. Hanging in there. Barely. Better than last month. Worse than I expected.

Drop a word in the comments if you want to. Or just read this and let it be a reminder that somebody wondered.

08/17/2026

School is starting back up, which means teachers, coaches, and parents are about to spend a lot of time around young people again. That matters more than it sounds.

Adults who see kids regularly are often the first to notice when something shifts. Here's what to watch for:

Pulling away from friends or activities they used to care about

A drop in grades or effort that seems out of character

Sleeping much more or much less than usual

Getting irritable or angry more easily

Physical complaints with no clear cause, like headaches or stomachaches

Talking about being a burden, or seeming hopeless about the future

Any one of these on its own might just be a rough week. A few of them together, or a change that sticks around for more than a couple weeks, is worth a conversation.

You do not have to diagnose anything. You just have to notice out loud. Something as simple as "you've seemed different lately, and I wanted to check in" is enough to open a door.

If you are worried about a young person in Wayne Township, WAYS offers counseling for kids and families on a sliding scale. Call 630-231-7166.

And if it feels urgent, call or text 988 any time. It's free, confidential, and available 24/7.

08/10/2026

Let's talk about a resource right here in Wayne Township.

WAYS, which stands for Wayne/Winfield Area Youth/Family Services, has been serving families in our area since 1983. They offer individual and family counseling, parenting classes, anger management groups, one-on-one tutoring with certified teachers, and social emotional groups for kids.

Two things worth knowing:

They offer services in English and Spanish.

And they use a sliding scale based on household income for residents of Wayne and Winfield Townships, which includes West Chicago, Carol Stream, Bartlett, Hanover Park, Wayne, Warrenville, and Winfield.

If you have been putting off making a call because you assumed it would be too expensive, or because you were not sure where to start, this is a good place to start.

WAYS is located at 27W031 North Avenue in West Chicago. Call them at 630-231-7166 or visit ways4change.org.

08/09/2026

There are about three weeks of summer left, and there is a real temptation to cram them full.

One more trip. One more camp. One more thing before the schedule takes over again.

Here is a different idea. Instead of adding to the list, protect one afternoon that has nothing planned in it. No agenda, no destination, just time with people you like.

Unstructured time together is where actual conversations happen. Kids talk more in a car ride than across a dinner table. Friends open up on a walk before they open up on a phone call.

Busy is not the same as connected. Give yourself one afternoon to find out.

08/05/2026

Quick question: when did your bedtime start sliding?

Summer does this. Long evenings, no school in the morning, and suddenly it is midnight every night. That is normal, and it is not a failure.

But sleep and mental health run in both directions. Poor sleep makes anxiety, irritability, and low mood harder to manage. Better sleep makes almost everything else easier to handle.

If school is coming, this is a good week to start pulling bedtime back. Fifteen minutes earlier at a time is enough. You do not have to fix it all at once, for yourself or for your kids.

And if you are lying awake most nights and cannot figure out why, that is worth talking to someone about. Sleep problems are often the first thing a mental health issue shows up as.

Address

27W031 North Avenue
West Chicago, IL
60185

Website

https://www.waynetownshipmhb.com/

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