Milwaukee County Center for Youth
Treatment-Focused Care Close to Home
The Milwaukee County Center for Youth, which opened in early 2026, serves up to 32 youth at a time in a treatment-oriented secure residential setting designed to foster growth, accountability, and successful reintegration into the community.
A Facility Designed to Support Healing and Growth
Every aspect of MCCY was designed to create an environment that promotes safety, learning, and personal development.
Education Spaces • Healthcare • Recreation Space • Family Amenities
Core Programs, Strategies, & Activities
A Treatment Model That Guides Everything We Do
At MCCY, the environment and daily programming are grounded in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – a proven program that helps youth build the skills needed to manage emotions, make healthier decisions, and develop positive relationships.
Building Skills for a Life Worth Living
What is DBT? Dialectical Behavior Therapy is designed for youth who feel emotions very deeply. When emotions become overwhelming, it can be hard to stay calm or react effectively. DBT provides a "toolbox" of skills to help youth navigate these big feelings and find their way back to a sense of balance.
The "Both/And" Approach: The word "Dialectic" simply means that two opposing truths can exist at the same time. At MCCY, our foundation is built on this balance:
- We accept and validate our youth exactly as they are.
- We challenge them to learn the skills needed to change their lives for the better.
The Five Pillars of DBT Skills
Our youth work through five specific modules to help them succeed both here and at home:
- Core Mindfulness: Learning to live in the present moment and stay focused.
- Distress Tolerance: Finding healthy ways to get through a crisis without making it worse.
- Emotion Regulation: Understanding and managing big feelings so they don't take control.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness: Learning how to ask for what you need and set boundaries while keeping relationships healthy.
- Walking the Middle Path: Helping youth and families avoid “all-or-nothing” thinking and find common ground.
A Program That Follows Youth Beyond Our Walls
Healing doesn’t stop at our doors. MCCY integrates families and community supports into treatment so youth can continue using these skills after they return home.
- Parent & Guardian Groups: Caregivers learn the same DBT skills and language as their child.
- Family Therapy: Families practice new skills together in a supportive environment.
- Community Support: Expanding DBT groups into the community so youth can continue practicing their skills after they return home.
Our belief is simple: every youth is doing the best they can—and can do even better with the right tools. By hitting milestones and demonstrating these skills in real-time, youth earn their way back to their families and a brighter future.
Education, Skill-Building, and Individualized Support
Education and workforce preparation are central to each youth’s daily experience.
Educational Programs
MCCY partners with Wauwatosa School District to provide a full educational program that addresses existing academic needs while supporting continued growth. Services include:
- Special education supports
- Core academic coursework and credit attainment
- STEM, physical education, and expressive arts
- Culinary arts programming
- Individualized instruction according to each youth’s interests and needs
A variety of vocational trainings and certifications provide practical experience and career-readiness skills.
Individualized Services
Each youth receives a tailored plan based on both needs and interests that may include:
- Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) education and treatment (if applicable)
- Mentoring and advocacy
- Individual and family therapy
- Restorative Justice Practice
- Vocational skills & experience
- Culinary arts training or other interest-based programming
- Driver’s education or other specialized treatment services when appropriate
Additional supports help youth develop independent living skills such as personal care, money management, employment readiness, goal setting, transportation, problem-solving, peer refusal skills, and parenting to help them learn how to constructively utilize their free time both in the facility and upon release.
Looking Ahead: Part of a Broader Continuum of Care
The Milwaukee County Center for Youth is one part of a larger effort to strengthen prevention, intervention, and community-based services that reduce the number of youth entering secure care.
DHHS’ Children, Youth and Family Services (CYFS) has expanded community violence intervention and interruption efforts, along with gender-specific services for justice-involved girls. The goal is to serve youth in Milwaukee in ways that support them, their families, and the broader community.
The MCCY advances this goal by providing a more effective and restorative approach to youth justice – one that helps young people live fulfilling lives outside the justice system, contribute positively to their communities, and reduce the economic burden of youth incarceration on society.
10201 W. Watertown Plank Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
24-Hour Detention Line
(414) 257-7715
Administrative Contact
(414) 257-7721
For more information:
Kelly Pethke
Administrator, Children, Youth, and Family Services