Plum Tree Psychology Expands to Meet Youth Mental Health Crisis

ST. CHARLES, Ill. – January 05, 2026 – In a direct response to the escalating mental health crisis among young people, Plum Tree Psychology, a behavioral health practice specializing in child and adolescent care, has announced a significant expansion of its services. Beginning this month, the St. Charles-based practice is increasing its capacity to address the growing needs of families in Kane County and the surrounding communities, aiming to shorten wait times and provide crucial support when it is needed most.

The initiative comes as families navigate the new year, a period historically marked by a sharp increase in demand for pediatric mental health services. The pressures of a new academic semester, coupled with anxiety, mood concerns, and learning challenges that often intensify after the holidays, create an annual surge that can overwhelm existing resources. By proactively increasing appointment availability and service capacity, Plum Tree aims to provide a vital lifeline to children and adolescents struggling with their emotional well-being.

“Families are telling us they want help sooner, not months down the road,” said David Savoia, Practice Manager at Plum Tree. “As we begin 2026, our focus is on reducing barriers to care and ensuring children and adolescents receive the support they need as early as possible.”

Addressing a Community in Crisis

Plum Tree's expansion is not merely a business decision but a necessary reaction to a dire public health landscape. Across Illinois, the state of youth mental health has become a pressing concern. According to recent data from the National Survey of Children's Health, an estimated 16% of Illinois youth—over 365,000 children and adolescents—have a current diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or a behavioral disorder. Compounding the issue, a staggering 61.8% of Illinoisans aged 12-17 suffering from depression received no care in the past year, highlighting a massive gap between need and access.

This gap is felt acutely at the local level. Reports from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago show that nearly half of Illinois children have experienced worsening mental health symptoms in recent years, with increased frustration, moodiness, and anxiety being commonplace. This translates into a higher burden on emergency services, with hospitalizations for non-fatal suicide attempts among Illinois youth rising significantly. Plum Tree's decision to expand in January directly confronts this reality, providing a structured outlet for families seeking support before challenges escalate into emergencies.

The practice’s expansion plans include a new office build-out and a significant increase in clinical availability. This move is designed to absorb the post-holiday influx of patients and create a more accessible pathway to care for new families entering the system.

Scaling Compassion and Capacity

While growth is central to its 2026 strategy, the leadership at Plum Tree emphasizes that expansion will not come at the cost of its core mission: providing individualized, high-quality care. The challenge of scaling a healthcare practice lies in balancing increased demand with the need for a personal touch, a concern the organization is addressing head-on.

“Growth only matters if it improves the experience for families,” Savoia added. “Our goal is to expand responsibly so children feel known, parents feel supported, and care never feels rushed or impersonal.”

This philosophy is reflected in the practice's comprehensive service offerings. Plum Tree provides a multidisciplinary approach that includes evidence-based therapy modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), as well as specialized psychological and neuropsychological evaluations. Their services extend to medication management, ADHD coaching, and unique programs like the Hoot & Holler chronic illness therapy group, which supports youth adjusting to long-term medical conditions. By investing in a broad spectrum of care, the practice ensures it can meet the varied and complex needs of each child and family.

A Collaborative Approach to Care

Recognizing that mental wellness is a community-wide responsibility, Plum Tree is also focused on strengthening its partnerships with local schools, pediatric practices, and other community organizations. This collaborative strategy is essential for early identification of at-risk youth and creating a coordinated network of support that wraps around the child.

This effort aligns perfectly with existing initiatives in Kane County. The Kane County Health Department already leads the Kane County System of Care (KCSOC), a network of providers and parents working to improve mental health outcomes. Local school systems, such as St. Charles Community Unit School District 303, have been proactive in connecting families to resources through tools like ReferralGPS, a database of local treatment providers. Plum Tree’s expansion and its commitment to partnership will bolster this ecosystem, adding much-needed clinical capacity to a community that is already organized and mobilized to address the crisis.

By working closely with educators and primary care physicians, the practice can help ensure that children's emotional and behavioral struggles are identified sooner. This integrated approach helps prevent students from falling through the cracks and supports both their emotional well-being and their ability to succeed academically.

Navigating a High-Demand Landscape

While Kane County is home to several mental health providers, the sheer volume of need has created a high-demand landscape where long wait times are often the norm. This delay between seeking help and receiving it can be detrimental, allowing symptoms to worsen and making treatment more complex. Plum Tree's expansion is a critical step toward alleviating this bottleneck.

By deliberately increasing its service capacity, the practice is not just growing its footprint but enhancing the region's overall healthcare infrastructure. For parents watching their child struggle, the difference between an appointment next week and an appointment three months from now is immeasurable. Timely intervention is a cornerstone of effective pediatric mental health care, leading to better long-term outcomes and mitigating the impact of mental health challenges on a child's development.

As the St. Charles practice opens its doors wider in 2026, it offers more than just additional appointment slots. It provides a renewed sense of hope for families navigating the complexities of youth mental health, reinforcing the message that in Kane County, support is available and accessible when it comes to a child's well-being, there is no time to wait.