This can be frustrating to parents, especially when they are at your wits end and desperately seeking help. Many are dealing with an out-of-control teenager that is creating havoc in their home.

Once you realize you need a therapeutic boarding school and start your search, one of the top 3 steps in the process is money and financing.

Starting your search within your budget is priority — as you stumble on programs that seem like the perfect match for your child, you realize most do not list tuition or fees.

Getting help for adolescent mental health for behavioral issues can be costly, however there are options to offset some of the fees such as medical insurance.

Many parents initially have the sticker-shock and feel hopeless. It can seem overwhelming when you are in crisis with your troubled teenager.

The average cost of therapeutic boarding schools will start at about $9000 a month and up. The duration your child is there, depends on your teen, but the average stay is 6-9-12 months. As we share with parents — it didn’t take 4-6 weeks for your teen’s behavior to get to where it is at, it won’t take a short-term program to turn it around. You will need at least 6 months to change behavior for long-lasting results.

If you find programs/schools that cost a lot less in tuition (under $5000), you may want to double check the credentials of the staff – such as the therapists and teachers.

Some parents believe that a short-term wilderness program will fix their teen since they aren’t that bad — keep in mind, unless this behavior just started, a short-term program will likely give you short-term results. Most wilderness programs don’t list their costs which typically start at $450 a day up to $650 daily and usually doesn’t include the equipment you have to purchase.

Average stay for wilderness therapy is about 6-9 weeks. Most will then suggest you move on to a therapeutic boarding school.  The question is, why don’t you simply start at the therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment center?

Why are therapeutic boarding schools so expensive?

Residential treatment in general for adolescents can be costly for a variety of reasons.

Inside a therapeutic boarding school/residential treatment program:

–Quality care (safe and positive environment), credentialed staff
–Education, accredited academics
–Enrichment programs, extra-curriculum designed to encourage change (such as animal, art, music, gardening, therapies and more).
–Parent involvement, workshops and family therapy

Boarding schools for troubled teens provide 24/7/365 care for your child that includes around-the-clock medical and mental health support as well as their education.

Most teens enter these programs as smart kids but were falling behind in school (underachieving); now that they are in a consistent school environment, they can focus and get back on track academically — some will surpass where they need to be in residential treatment.

Schools for troubled teens also provide healthy food and eating habits as well as a positive environment for emotional growth, better sleep and overall physical wellness provided by a supportive staff.

Therapeutic boarding schools continue to incorporate talk and group therapy, as well as other behavior therapies — and most importantly is family therapy and providing workshops and transitional home plans.

Why are wilderness programs so expensive?

We don’t have that answer. They have a therapist visit them in nature, you purchase the equipment. Most do not include academics. Your teen will likely gain self-worth, learn to build a fire — but unless you are moving into a long-term program, it will likely yield short-term behavioral results.

Paying for Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Although not every family can afford behavioral boarding schools such as therapeutic boarding schools, there are financial options such as educational loans. If a family has a college fund for their troubled teen or young adult, it might be time to consider using it. Once their teen is back on track emotionally, there are many great community colleges as well as college scholarships available.

Many PPO insurance plans include out-of-network coverage which helps pay for a portion of the clinical component of the program. Most schools will provide a courtesy verification of benefits (VOB) to give you a determination of coverage. Some programs will file the insurance for you and deduct it from your invoices while others will give you the billing statements for your child’s clinical hours for you to be reimbursed.

If you have HMO, Medicaid, or Tricare, they typically require you to stay in-network to have coverage. Parents would contact the number on their medical card to ask for adolescent residential treatment centers that are in their providers’ network. It’s always wise to ask for at least three options. Some providers will require you to have a therapist’s referral. You may have to see ask for a therapist in the network first.

For families searching for scholarships, they are extremely limited if at all. Always ask the program you are interested in if they have any available. Free programs or programs with sliding scales (in accordance with your income) can usually be found through your local United Way services or the National Guard Youth Challenge programs.

There are mental health services for all levels of income, it can be tedious and time consuming since money is a factor but getting your child the help they need is priority.

Also read:

Where to Send My Troubled Teen?

5 Tips for Searching Online for Schools for Troubled Teens

5 Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

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Contact us for a free consultation, we help you find the right therapeutic boarding school for your troubled teen and family. 

The post How Much Do Therapeutic Boarding Schools Cost? first appeared on Help Your Teens.

Outpatient treatment was unsuccessful, the school setting is not working, and a short-term hospital stay was unsuccessful — yet a residential treatment (outside of your teen’s comfort area) can work!

Why? Because it’s specifically set-up to stop the downward spiral of a teen’s behavior and change the course to an upward one.

Has your teen become out-of-control? Destructive in the home (especially if you try to remove their phone)? Have you exhausted your local resources and now they are refusing to attend therapy?

Does any of this teen behavior sound familiar:

• Defiance, anger, rage
• Entitlement, breaking curfew, sneaking out
• Disrespectful, attitude, breaking family rules
• Substance use, drinking, vaping
• Internet, smartphone, or gaming addiction
• Self-harm, suicide ideation
• Running away, stealing, legal issues
• Posting inappropriate content online
• School refusal (smart, but failing)

If so, you are not alone!

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 consistent and positive environment replaces the toxic environment they are leaving. They will not 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.

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 is 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.

What can a quality therapeutic setting will offer your teen?

A well-designed residential treatment program (therapeutic boarding school) accelerates the environment to enhance the likelihood and speed of change. The foundation of such environments is the creation of a safe, relationally warm place where the teen is protected from self-destructive behavior, unburdened from the “overwhelm” of life, and immersed in relational climate that invites introspection.

Such places enable young people to look at their choices, their personal limitations, and the outcomes of the strategies they are using, and to recognize their own contributions to their problems and unhappiness. From a basic, high-level vantage point, effective treatment programs share common elements:

• A full and balanced daily life structure and schedule.
• Clinical support through individual and group therapy.
• Constant exposure to positive role models and coaching from staff.
• A positive peer culture in which teens who have progressed influence other teens in positive ways.
• Clear and constant expectations and rules.
• Experiential and recreational activities.
• Methods for defining and recognizing progress.
• Academic programming and support.
• Parent education and involvement in the treatment process.

Also read:

What is the Goal of Residential Treatment?

Where can I send my troubled teenager?

 5 Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

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Contact us today for a free consultation – we help you find the right therapeutic boarding school for your troubled teen.

The post Why Residential Treatment Works When Home Therapy Fails? first appeared on Help Your Teens.

Deciding on residential treatment or 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, spoiled teenager
–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 warzone.

It’s likely you’ve tried local therapy and even a school counselor and your teen has shut them out. 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 Residential Treatment 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 consistent and positive 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 Residential Treatment for My Teen

The internet is a wonderful educational tool or it can be a place where we can find misinformation. P.U.R.E. was founded for these exact reasons, to help you choose the therapeutic boarding school for your individual teenager.

A simple online search for “therapeutic boarding schools” yields over 3 million results! It’s difficult to find safe places to send troubled teens.

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 residential treatment program 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 Residential Treatment is Effective.

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For more information, contact us for a free consultation to learn more about safe residential treatment for your teen and family.

The post Does My Teen Need Residential Treatment first appeared on Help Your Teens.

One big question parents want to know is, what is the goal of residential treatment and why is it any different than getting help at home?

When you place your teenager into a therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment center, these environments provide intense help for students with emotional and behavioral problems. When they are struggling with emotional issues, it also impacts their schooling.

In most cases, the family has already exhausted their local resources — their teen has not responded to outpatient treatment, the school setting is not working, a short-term hospital stay was unsuccessful, and it is now time to consider residential treatment.

Are you experiencing?

-Is your teen doing drugs?
-Are they depressed, withdrawn?
–Addicted to their cell-phone, video gaming?
-Are they self-harming, suicide ideation?
-Smart, but failing in school?
-Skipping classes, school refusal?
-Suspended or facing expulsion?
-Changed friends, negative peer group?
–Loss of interest in activities or hobbies?
-Explosive, destructive?
–Stealing, legal issues?
-Angry, rage, violent?
-Struggling with ADHD, RAD, Bipolar?

If you’re experiencing several of these characteristics and your teen is refusing to get help, it’s likely you’re home has become extremely hostile.

Once you locate a quality residential treatment program, your teenager will temporarily live outside of their home and in a facility (therapeutic boarding school) where they can be supervised and monitored by trained staff.

5 Goals of Residential Treatment or Therapeutic Boarding Schools for Teenagers

1. Evaluation.  Your teen (once removed from their home environment and peer influences) will likely have a comprehensive evaluation to assess emotional, behavioral, medical, and social needs, and support these needs accordingly and safely.

2. Treatment plan. Determining the right residential treatment program for your teen includes finding one that can meet his/her individual needs. Residential programs will design an individualized treatment plan that puts into place interventions that help your teen attain their goals.

3. Therapy. When your child was at home, it is likely he/she either refused to attend counseling, maybe manipulated the therapist, or possibly simply didn’t engage with them. While in residential treatment, your child will be attending both individual and group therapy to help them through their healing process.

Now that your teen is in a therapeutic setting, it is more difficult for them to keep up their walls. These therapists are trained to work with youth that are difficult to breakthrough.

4. Family involvement “peacefully”. Well-rounded residential programs encourage and provide opportunities for family therapy and contact through on-site visits, home passes (when the time comes), telephone calls and other modes of communication. Trained staff is always available to help navigate issues of concern for both the parents and when/if the teenager gets upset from meetings or letters.

Most residential treatment programs and therapeutic boarding schools also offer parenting and family workshops. These can be extremely beneficial in making the transition back home.

5. Builds self-worth. Residential treatment programs not only offer clinical teams to help your teen emotionally, most provide additional behavioral therapy through enrichment programs. These are designed to help your teen develop coping skills as well as building self-esteem to make better choices in life.

Examples of enrichment programs that residential treatment programs and therapeutic boarding schools offer:

–Art Therapy
–Animal Assisted Therapy
-Sports Therapy
–Horticultural (Gardening) Therapy
–Music Therapy

Also read:

5 Benefits of Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens

 Are Therapeutic Boarding Schools Effective?

Where to Send My Troubled Teen

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Contact us for a free consultation to help your family find the right therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment for your teen and family.

The post What is the Goal of Residential Treatment? first appeared on Help Your Teens.