Award-winning West Chicago Terrace Life Skills Program SOARs
Recipient of the 2023 National Association of Rehab Providers and Agencies (NARA) Impact Award, the West Chicago Terrace’s life skills program’s creators, including Linda Riccio, OT/L, Vice President of Therapy Services, have since expanded the series to better meet residents’ mental health and discharge preparation needs.
The program, which originally featured modules on seven key competencies needed for living more independently, now offers six more additional modules, including G.E.D. and health literacy programs.
“The West Chicago Terrace SOAR skill programs go the extra mile to help our residents rise above their current circumstances, break free from the barriers that limit them, adapt to change, and eventually fly free.”
– Linda Riccio
Helping Residents with Mental Health Challenges SOAR
Basic essential life skills training programs address a range of skills – from self-maintenance to social functioning, community living, and substance abuse management.
“These skills are often taught in adolescence; however, this is often also a time when signs of mental illness begin to emerge,” says Riccio. “As a result, sometimes these skills are not fully developed, which is one of the reasons why we offer SOAR supplemental education.”
In addition, the new “above and beyond” West Chicago Terrace life skills training, known as SOAR, digs deeper into modules that include key steps for:
- running a household
- food and nutrition
- safety
- banking
- understanding forms
- being a valued employee
- health literacy
- reading and math skills
- word mastery literacy
- community living
Beyond teaching core competencies in these areas, SOAR considers baseline reading abilities and educational background to help ensure that graduates are better prepared to succeed in the community.
