O e s t e r l e n
  Services for Youth 
1918 Mechanicsburg Road
Springfield, Ohio 45503
937-399-6101

 Sexual Behavior Problems Unit for Males

Oesterlen Services for Youth, Inc. has been serving youth and their families since 1903. Located in Springfield, Ohio, on a 93 acre campus, the agency maintains a full range of residential and community based programs for youth experiencing emotional, behavioral or psychological difficulties.

Oesterlen was among the first in Ohio to develop staff and program intensive, fully self-contained, residential units for male and female adolescent youth, serving severely emotionally and behaviorally troubled youth. Oesterlen also has extensive experience offering therapeutic programs for adjudicated juvenile sex offenders and youth with sexual behavior problems.

VISION: We envision a society in which children can grow up free from abuse and exploitation; a society in which children are nurtured and protected.

MISSION: It is the mission of Overlook Cottage to provide a holistic treatment environment to assist youth with sexual behavior problems to identify, accept, and address their sexual and non-sexual behavior problems to develop a responsible, crime-free lifestyle.

Overlook Cottage houses up to twelve adolescent males. The program is limited to youth aged 12-18 who have engaged in sexual behavior that is abusive to others. The staff intensive environment includes sleeping rooms, dining room, living room, recreation areas, school classroom, kitchen, and staff offices. An immediately adjacent outdoor court for volleyball or basketball offers fresh air recreation opportunities without leaving the confines of the unit environment.

The cottage has been designed for maximum visual supervision of residents at all times. Motion detectors, high mounted around corner mirrors, and cameras assist the specially trained staff in monitoring the residents. The main living area provides ample space for all programmatic activities in the unit.

Residents who demonstrate stable behavior may be escorted from the cottage to use Oesterlen’s full size gymnasium, large recreation room, weight training and fitness center, outdoor fitness trail, softball diamond, soccer field and outdoor challenge course.

The unit contains a school classroom staffed by the Springfield City Schools. Residents attend an accredited school and may earn high school credits as a part of their therapy at Oesterlen. High school students can earn credit for work study over the summer.

Because the problem of sexual offending and inappropriate sexual behavior is a public health epidemic and creates problems for all of society, we strongly believe that each youth in our program should give something back to the community. We expect each youth to participate in community service activities that are organized, arranged, and supervised by our cottage staff.

Oesterlen's therapeutic program is based upon the “Practice Standards and Guidelines of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.” Mr. Jonathan E. Ross of the Ross-Loss psycho-educational model for sex offender treatment has served personally as a consultant to Oesterlen.

Under the leadership of a licensed clinical therapist, trained in providing therapy for sexual abusers, the treatment team includes a cottage supervisor, a specially trained youth leader staff of twelve to fourteen persons, recreation workers, a teacher, teacher’s aide, a registered nurse, a registered and licensed art therapist, and chaplains. A consulting Board Certified Child Psychiatrist functions as the Medical Director/Supervisor providing medication management and treatment consultation.

Within the first seven days of placement, a clinical treatment plan is developed which includes a detailed diagnosis, risk level assessment, and treatment goals and objectives with a target date for treatment completion. The clinical treatment plan also anticipates appropriate aftercare following the resident’s discharge from Oesterlen. The schedule and program are highly structured. The daily schedule may include individual therapy, group therapy, educational activities, process groups, and independent living skills training. Youth are guided through Phases of Treatment, designed to assist them in recognizing their problem behavior, understanding it, and developing internal strategies to prevent relapse.

Oesterlen Services for Youth, Inc. offers a continuum of residential and community services for boys and girls. Residents may move to a less restrictive living environment as their behavior progresses. Oesterlen maintains independent living, and treatment foster care programs.

Oesterlen's outpatient sex offender program may be used as part of an aftercare plan by clients who move to any of Oesterlen's less restrictive residential options (treatment foster home or independent living), or by clients discharged from Oesterlen who remain in the Springfield area.

Residents who are able may be mainstreamed into the community Springfield City Schools system, which includes the Clark County Joint Vocational School.

Referrals of prospective candidates for Oesterlen's Overlook Cottage for adolescent males with sexual behavior problems are welcome. Referral information should include as much information as possible about the offense history, victim impact statements, and related juvenile court dispositions, any previous psychological examinations, previous social work or therapeutic interventions, an educational history, and any history of previous agency placements.

For a preliminary conversation or to set an appointment, please call the Residential Intake Coordinator at 937-399-6101 or within the state of Ohio at 1-800-404-KIDS. Referrals may be faxed at any time to 937-399-6609.

Oesterlen is licensed by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The Ohio Department of Mental Health also certifies services provided by Oesterlen. We are full members of the Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies, the Child Welfare League of America, and Lutheran Services in America. Oesterlen is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its synods in Ohio.