Does my teen need a therapeutic boarding school?
How do therapeutic schools help troubled teens and are we ready to search for schools for troubled teens? Deciding on a therapeutic boarding school for a troubled teen is probably one of the biggest decisions a parent has to make.
Never doubt, you are your child’s advocate. No one knows your child better than you do. Although they might be acting out of character at this moment, deep down you know your son or daughter is in there.
Are you facing:
–Entitled, privileged teen
–Screen addiction (cell-phone, video gaming, social media)
–Digital self-harm
-Depression, anxiety, stress
-School refusal, skipping classes
–Underachieving (smart, but failing classes)
–ADHD, ODD, RAD
-Anger, rage, destructive (especially if you remove their phone)
-Withdrawn, changing friends
-Disrupted sleeping patterns
-Defiance, breaking curfew, disrespect to family rules
–Vaping, drug use, drinking
If you’re experiencing a few of these behavior issues, it’s likely you’re feeling frustrated and like your home is a battleground.
It’s likely you’ve tried local therapy and even a school counselor that your teen has shut-down. Possibly outpatient treatment failed, the school setting isn’t working, you even tried a short-term hospital stay that was unsuccessful. You have exhausted your resources at home.
Why Therapeutic Boarding Schools Could Help Your Troubled Teen
A therapeutic program is specifically set-up to stop the downward spiral of a teen’s behavior and change the course to an upward one.
When a teen is removed from the stressors and triggers of home – not to mention their peer influences and devices (social media) – with a slowed down manageable pace – and placed into an environment with staff, activities (enrichment programs) and therapy designed to encourage change – (build self-worth) – the opportunity for the kind of true and deep change required to turn your teen’s life around can finally start to happen.
A positive and consistent environment replaces the toxic environment they’re leaving. They won’t have access to drugs or alcohol – or their social media or devices. The peer influences are now cut-off. If they’ve been struggling academically, often this new and unique environment is where they will begin to thrive again. In many cases, they will be able to not only catch up but surpass where they were in school since they are now able to focus on their studies in a healthy environment.
If there was family discord, the destructive cycles with siblings and/or parents are now stopped and communication is deliberately slowed down to include mediated conversations, letter exchanges, and intermittent visits.
This completely changes the dynamic and stops parents and teens from engaging in the same ineffective communication patterns used before. It’s as if a pause button is pushed and teens eventually are able to move away from their rigid perspectives and look at their relationships from a new and clear vantage point.
They begin to gain perspective on life events that may have created trauma, or on their contribution to the “mess” their lives have become. They learn about their own unique emotional and cognitive make up and their problems or limitations as a starting point for the journey forward.
Choosing the Right Therapeutic Boarding School for My Teen
The internet is a wonderful educational tool or it can be a place where we can find misinformation. This is about being an educated parent. P.U.R.E.™ was founded for these exact reasons, to help you find a safe therapeutic boarding school for your teen’s individual needs.
You will stumble on fearmongering sites as well as reviews that can be worrisome, and it will cause you to pause. It’s important to become a critical thinking parent while investigating these schools and programs.
Understanding the terminology is key to starting your process. Knowing the difference (which is very slight) between a therapeutic boarding school and a residential treatment center. Are you interested in a ranch setting? What enrichment programs would benefit your teen? Do you understand the myths of wilderness programs?
Are you now thinking, will my teen hate me forever if I make this decision? Your teen will likely be scared of the new situation and may also promise to “do better at home” if you’ve discussed the possibility of going to a boarding school – or most parents threaten it (which you never should do). In our experience, your child will likely grow from fear and anger they already have — to love and understanding that this decision was made with their best interests in mind.
We help you find the right therapeutic boarding school for your troubled teen and your individualized needs. We don’t believe in primitive or punitive facilities.
Read: 5 Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens.
Read: Where Can I Send My Troubled Teen.
Read: What is the Goal of Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens?
Read: Why Therapeutic Boarding Schools Are Effective.
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For more information, contact us for a free consultation to learn more about the benefit of therapeutic boarding schools and how to find help for your troubled teen.
