Our Story

The Turning Point story

For more than 50 years, Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center has provided solid support when and where it’s needed most. Our caring, compassionate team members help clients living with mental illness find ways to experience more fully functioning lives. They also contribute to creating healthier, happier communities where people can be heard, cared for, and respected.

Avenues of recovery

As a nonprofit outpatient mental health center, we offer multiple options for recovery, providing affordable, compassionate care to people during some of the most difficult times of their lives. Located in Skokie, Illinois, we serve approximately 1,400 children and adults each year from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.

Committed to diversity and inclusion

Our clients range widely in age, diagnosis, and socioeconomic group. Their cultural, ethnic, and religious orientations are as diverse as the staff members who serve them. As an organization and as individuals, we are committed to eliminating barriers to care, racial biases, and other forms of oppression and to focusing energy on this important work.

Here when we’re needed most

Whether responding in the moment to someone experiencing a mental health crisis or working with clients to find longer-term solutions, we’re here to help. Turning Point provides individual and family therapy for adults and children beginning at age six, group therapy, case management, a residential living program, and crisis services including the Living Room at Turning Point and mobile crisis response teams that extend our reach further into our service area.

Our history. A caring community.

1969 Orchard Mental Health Center, the forerunner of Turning Point, opens its doors to the community at 5248 W. Washington Street, Skokie, Illinois.
1970 The center expands to a staff of five and relocates to 8600 Gross Point Road, Skokie.
1974 The center launches a program for adolescents and calls it Turning Point.
1976 The center changes its name to Orchard Mental Health Center of Niles Township.
1978 Prompted by a thwarted Nazi march through Skokie, home of many Holocaust survivors, the center creates a Holocaust response program for those needing support.
1981 The center hosts a children's film festival, opening with "Free to Be You and Me."
1992 The center moves to 8324 Skokie Blvd., Turning Point’s current location.
1994 The center's name becomes Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center.
2001 Turning Point names Ann Fisher Raney as its new CEO.
2002 Turning Point hosts its first annual Town Hall Meeting, a tradition that continues to this day.
2011 The Living Room at Turning Point opens to provide free support for adults in crisis.
2011 & 2012 The Skokie Chamber of Commerce names Turning Point its Non-Profit of the Year, the first organization to be so honored for two consecutive years.
2015 The National Council for Behavioral Health recognizes Turning Point with its Impact Award for Excellence in Behavioral Healthcare Management.
2016 Turning Point launches Open Access, a streamlined intake process for new clients.
2017 The Illinois Association for Behavioral Health honors Turning Point with its Excellence in Mental Health Award.
2017 The Skokie Health Department and Board of Health honors Turning Point with its Public Health Partners of Excellence Award.
2019 Turning Point celebrates 50 years of continuous service to its clients and the communities it serves.
2020 Turning Point swiftly responds to the global pandemic with safe, effective alternatives to in-person services, substantially expanding its crisis services to meet the growing need.
2021 Turning Point is named Skokie Business of the Year.
2022 Funded by a state grant, Turning Point launches its first-ever mobile teams to provide crisis response off site within its service area.