Jim Scarpace is Executive Director at Gateway Foundation in Aurora, Illinois. Jim has over 28 years of experience in the mental health, substance use disorder, and criminal justice field. He has his Masters's degree in Clinical Psychology and has been a licensed clinical professional counselor for the last twenty years. He currently is also an assistant professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and has taught graduate classes in clinical psychology for the last 17 years. His previous roles included being a supervisor for the Department of Probation and court services in Dupage County where he assisted in developing a mental health program for high-risk youth, as well as supervised therapists and probation officers in the forensic setting who worked with juvenile offenders with mental health and substance use issues in addition to criminal behaviors. In addition, He has also worked with chronically mentally Ill adults in a hospital setting focusing on treatment planning, assessment, and family counseling preparing for discharge as well as for several years in the community as a therapist with adolescents with severe mental health disorders. Jim also coordinated a residential facility for high-risk children and adolescents involved with the department of children and family services. His areas of expertise include Addiction, Trauma, Group Therapy, Crisis intervention, Family Therapy, and advocacy.
Rapper Earl Simmons was open about his personal battle with drug addiction — what can we learn from his story and addiction itself?
Gateway Foundation opened March 4 in Downers Grove, amid reports of increased overdoses in DuPage County during the pandemic.
Gateway Foundation has opened a new treatment center in Skokie in a space formerly used as a furniture store.
"We'll be talking about understanding what opioid use disorder is from a medical perspective, which will reduce the mischaracterization of addiction as a moral failing or character flaw," Scarpace said. "This will allow more people to come forward and ask for help. I will also review current treatment options and innovative approaches."
The Daily Herald