Did you know one online search for “teen help schools” can yield millions of results? It can be overwhelming and daunting to any parent trying to decipher what is best for their struggling teenager.

5 Things Parents Need to Know Before Searching for Teen Help Schools Online

1. “My teen needs a Military school to teach them a lesson!” WRONG.

Military schools are a privilege and honor to attend, they are not for defiant, drug-using, depressed, or other behavioral issues students.

They do not provide mental health services – and if your teen is using drugs, drinking, or vaping now – by attending an open campus, it is likely s/he will consider the use again.

However, this time when he is caught (typically three strike you are out) and the parents will forfeit their tuition. This is the same for any of the behavioral issues they are asked to leave or expelled for – you will be risking your tuition as well as setting your child up for failure.

2. “My teen needs a wilderness program to appreciate what they have at home.” WRONG.

Wilderness programs are short-term programs will typically short-term results. It usually did not take 4-6 weeks to get to where you are right now, it will not take 4-6 (or 9 for that matter) to turn it around or have long-lasting behavioral results. Parents are usually guided (or misguided) into wilderness therapy by educational consultants that understand these programs come with step two.

Step two is moving on to a therapeutic boarding school (which you could have started with). We educate parents to find step one initially so your teen has consistency without program hopping. This not only helps your teenager from bouncing to therapists, staff, and environments – it can be most cost effective to the family.

Since 2001 we have consistently heard many misconceptions about wilderness programs – and parents need to separate fact from the myths.

Myths and Facts of Wilderness Therapy:

Myth: Many parents are led to believe that most quality residential programs will not accept a teen that has not completed a wilderness program. That simply is not true. 

Myth: Any teen that is using drugs needs to do a wilderness first. This is not true.

Myth: All teens do wilderness first, if not they will not succeed. Again, not true.

Fact: Wilderness programs are not necessary to enter a many therapeutic boarding schools and residential treatment centers.

Fact: Wilderness programs are an expensive band-aid. They will cost a family from $450-700+ per day and the duration is about 4-9 weeks. The fact is — long lasting behavioral changes cannot take place in short-term programs. Therefore, most students that attend wilderness programs transition on to a residential boarding school.

There is likely a need for wilderness therapy for some students, but to state that all teens need wilderness prior to treatment or will not be successful without it — is simply untrue.

You will stumble on programs that will tell you they won’t accept a student unless they have attended a wilderness program first — in our opinion, it likely not the program for you. Most therapeutic boarding schools or residential treatment facilities (schools for troubled teens) are trained to care for behavioral issues — it is likely they are either a transitional program or part of a bigger concern in this industry — politics (number 5).

Some programs use wilderness as a last resort, if after 90 days in a therapeutic boarding school your teen is not settling down or has become extremely defiant and aggressive – they may then refer you to this type of program. It does not need to be your first step.

3. What is the difference between a therapeutic boarding school (TBS) and residential treatment center (RTC) and what does my teen need?

The short answer is it depends on the state and how the state licenses residential programming.  There is no national standard and each of our fifty states have the responsibility to set their own licensure requirements for private-pay residential programming; many states divide up the enforcement between numerous governmental departments and some states do not even regulate private-pay residential care. The scope and specifics of state regulations vary greatly, and some states do not require independent licensure at all.  Therefore, parents must do their diligence when researching residential placement – knowing that the program does have state licensing is important.

What these programs all have in common is that they are all addressing physical, emotional, behavioral, familial, social, and intellectual/academic development; it is how that is addressed which differentiates between the TBS or RTC.

RTC’s typically have more clinical care than a TBS, however we have also seen emotional growth programs that have a strong clinical foundation. We suggest you interview the program/school that you believe best fits your teen’s emotional needs, which includes their enrichment therapies such as animal, art, music therapy and more. It is important to find a setting that will stimulate your child in a positive direction.

4. What is CARF and JCAHO accreditations? Are they necessary in choosing residential treatment?

CARF is Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities is an organization that oversees programs for behavioral health. If a program/school is CARF accredited, in some cases you may have a more insurance coverage. CARF accreditation can be considered a quality standard of care.

JCAHO is The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations which is the seal of approval for hospitals, and some residential treatment centers have acquired this accreditation. JCAHO is a higher level of care, although many residential treatment centers are not JCAHO accredited, they will adhere by their standards. Being JCAHO accredited will help your insurance coverage.

More and more therapeutic programs are becoming CARF accredited not only to provide more safety and oversight for their staff and students, but to offer more reimbursement for insurance claims.

JCAHO is typically found in higher level of care facilities, although some residential treatment centers have that extra level of accreditation.

Both these accreditations are important; however, they are not necessary. For years residential treatment has been operating without them and have been successful. These are voluntary accreditations.

5. What is NATSAP and IECA seals of approval that are some programs sites? 

NATSAP is the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. This is a self-made organization that was reprimanded in a congressional hearing in 2007 for their lack of oversight of their members. Participating programs and schools pay a fee to be members to have their seal of approval on their sites.

More concerning is some parents are under the illusion that unless a program is NATSAP approved, it is not a quality program. That is simply not true. Not all schools and programs feel the need to be a member of this club, nor do they have to. Unlike CARF or JCAHO, it (NATSAP) does not offer much in benefits.

IECA are the Independent Educational Consultants of America, and their members are known as Educational Consultants that pay the fees to belong to this self-made organization. Like with NATSAP, they have their own circle of schools and programs they support and unlikely to consider those that do not want to participate (pay) to belong to private clubs.

There are many excellent schools and programs in our country today that have been around for decades that have never been involved in private organizations (clubs) and have succeeded on their reputation. It is important for parents not to be dissuaded by the politics of the troubled teen industry.

Also read:

Success in Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Finding Safe Therapeutic Schools

How to Decipher Bad Press for Teen Help

The post How to Search for Teen Help Schools Online first appeared on Help Your Teens.

5 Things Parents Need to Know Before Searching for Schools for Troubled Teens

1. “My teen needs a Military school to teach them a lesson!” WRONG.

Military schools are a privilege and honor to attend, they are not for defiant, drug-using, depressed, or other behavioral issues students.

They do not provide mental health services – and if your teen is using drugs, drinking, or vaping now – by attending an open campus, it is likely s/he will consider the use again.

However, this time when he is caught (typically three strike you are out) and the parents will forfeit their tuition. This is the same for any of the behavioral issues they are asked to leave or expelled for – you will be risking your tuition as well as setting your child up for failure.

2. “My teen needs a wilderness program to appreciate what they have at home.” WRONG.

Wilderness programs are short-term programs will typically short-term results. It usually did not take 4-6 weeks to get to where you are right now, it will not take 4-6 (or 9 for that matter) to turn it around or have long-lasting behavioral results. Parents are usually guided (or misguided) into wilderness therapy by educational consultants that understand these programs come with step two.

Step two is moving on to a therapeutic boarding school (which you could have started with). We educate parents to find step one initially so your teen has consistency without program hopping. This not only helps your teenager from bouncing to therapists, staff, and environments – it can be most cost effective to the family.

Since 2001 we have consistently heard many misconceptions about wilderness programs – and parents need to separate fact from the myths.

Myths and Facts of Wilderness Therapy:

Myth: Many parents are led to believe that most quality residential programs will not accept a teen that has not completed a wilderness program. That simply is not true. 

Myth: Any teen that is using drugs needs to do a wilderness first. This is not true.

Myth: All teens do wilderness first, if not they will not succeed. Again, not true.

Fact: Wilderness programs are not necessary to enter a many therapeutic boarding schools and residential treatment centers.

Fact: Wilderness programs are an expensive band-aid. They will cost a family from $450-700+ per day and the duration is about 4-9 weeks. The fact is — long lasting behavioral changes cannot take place in short-term programs. Therefore, most students that attend wilderness programs transition on to a residential boarding school.

There is likely a need for wilderness therapy for some students, but to state that all teens need wilderness prior to treatment or will not be successful without it — is simply untrue.

You will stumble on programs that will tell you they won’t accept a student unless they have attended a wilderness program first — in our opinion, it likely not the program for you. Most therapeutic boarding schools or residential treatment facilities (schools for troubled teens) are trained to care for behavioral issues — it is likely they are either a transitional program or part of a bigger concern in this industry — politics (number 5).

Some programs use wilderness as a last resort, if after 90 days in a therapeutic boarding school your teen is not settling down or has become extremely defiant and aggressive – they may then refer you to this type of program. It does not need to be your first step.

3. What is the difference between a therapeutic boarding school (TBS) and residential treatment center (RTC) and what does my teen need?

The short answer is it depends on the state and how the state licenses residential programming.  There is no national standard and each of our fifty states have the responsibility to set their own licensure requirements for private-pay residential programming; many states divide up the enforcement between numerous governmental departments and some states do not even regulate private-pay residential care. The scope and specifics of state regulations vary greatly, and some states do not require independent licensure at all.  Therefore, parents must do their diligence when researching residential placement – knowing that the program does have state licensing is important.

What these programs all have in common is that they are all addressing physical, emotional, behavioral, familial, social, and intellectual/academic development; it is how that is addressed which differentiates between the TBS or RTC.

RTC’s typically have more clinical care than a TBS, however we have also seen emotional growth programs that have a strong clinical foundation. We suggest you interview the program/school that you believe best fits your teen’s emotional needs, which includes their enrichment therapies such as animal, art, music therapy and more. It is important to find a setting that will stimulate your child in a positive direction.

4. What is CARF and JCAHO accreditations? Are they necessary in choosing residential treatment?

CARF is Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities is an organization that oversees programs for behavioral health. If a program/school is CARF accredited, in some cases you may have a more insurance coverage. CARF accreditation can be considered a quality standard of care.

JCAHO is The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations which is the seal of approval for hospitals, and some residential treatment centers have acquired this accreditation. JCAHO is a higher level of care, although many residential treatment centers are not JCAHO accredited, they will adhere by their standards. Being JCAHO accredited will help your insurance coverage.

More and more therapeutic programs are becoming CARF accredited not only to provide more safety and oversight for their staff and students, but to offer more reimbursement for insurance claims.

JCAHO is typically found in higher level of care facilities, although some residential treatment centers have that extra level of accreditation.

Both these accreditations are important; however, they are not necessary. For years residential treatment has been operating without them and have been successful. These are voluntary accreditations.

5. What is NATSAP and IECA seals of approval that are some programs sites? 

NATSAP is the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs. This is a self-made organization that was reprimanded in a congressional hearing in 2007 for their lack of oversight of their members. Participating programs and schools pay a fee to be members to have their seal of approval on their sites.

More concerning is some parents are under the illusion that unless a program is NATSAP approved, it is not a quality program. That is simply not true. Not all schools and programs feel the need to be a member of this club, nor do they have to. Unlike CARF or JCAHO, it (NATSAP) does not offer much in benefits.

IECA are the Independent Educational Consultants of America, and their members are known as Educational Consultants that pay the fees to belong to this self-made organization. Like with NATSAP, they have their own circle of schools and programs they support and unlikely to consider those that do not want to participate (pay) to belong to private clubs.

There are many excellent schools and programs in our country today that have been around for decades that have never been involved in private organizations (clubs) and have succeeded on their reputation. It is important for parents not to be dissuaded by the politics of the troubled teen industry.

Also read:

Success in Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Finding Safe Therapeutic Schools

Goals of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

The post Schools for Troubled Teens 101 first appeared on Help Your Teens.

Are you considering a therapeutic boarding school with a Christian foundation?

There is a teenage mental health crisis happening and parents are searching for places to send their difficult teens. In many cases, families are searching for Christian programs to give their teenager the foundation they are being raised with.

Are you facing:

-Teen depression, anxiety
-Teen ADHD, ODD, RAD
-Teen defiance, rage, rebellious
–Internet addiction (cell-phone or video gaming)
-Teenage substance use, drinking, vaping
–Withdrawn, isolation – not participating in family functions
–Changing peer groups
-Skipping classes, school refusal
–Self-harm, suicide ideation
-Stealing, lying, manipulating
-Drifted from your family values
-Property destruction, explosive behavior

You’ve tried therapy, they either refused to attend or engage. You have tried your pastor or possible a youth counselor from your church — and hit a brick wall. Outpatient treatment has failed. School setting is not working, you may have tried a short-term hospital stay that was unsuccessful.  It’s time consider outside resources such as a therapeutic boarding school.

Families that have a strong Christian faith or foundation, prefer to locate schools or programs that will instill the same values as their own.

Read the 5 Benefits of Boarding Schools.

What is a Christian Boarding School for Troubled Teens?

Christian therapeutic boarding schools for troubled teens are very similar to residential treatment programs and traditional therapeutic boarding schools with addition the of a spiritual component.

This is not to be confused with religious schools or programs that usually have mental Christian counselors (which are not covered by insurance), questionable academics and limited (if any) enrichment therapeutic programs.

The religious programs are typically are less in tuition, however your teen will be there (sometimes) twice as long. They also fall under a different umbrella so they don’t have to meet the same standards or regulations as quality Christian therapeutic boarding schools or residential treatment centers. It’s important that parents understand the difference.

There are many excellent spiritual (Christian) therapeutic boarding schools and residential treatment programs in our country. These are programs that are striving to improve your teen’s mental wellness through a positive and encouraging setting.

Christian boarding school settings offer:

-Positive and nurturing setting
-Amazing teachers and staff
-Enrichment programs such as (music and art, animal therapy, gardening, sports)
-Accredited academics (always ask for a copy of their accreditation)
-Credential staff and therapists

In the majority of Christian boarding schools for troubled teens, they will have church services weekly which are non-denominational, although your teen is not required to participate, they do need to be respectful.  

Also read:

How to Choose the Right Therapeutic Program for Your Teen.

 The Emotional Impact of Cyberbullying on Teens.

What is The Goal of Residential Treatment.

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Contact us for a free consultation if you are interested in safe Christian therapeutic boarding schools for your troubled teenager.

The post What Is A Christian Therapeutic Boarding School first appeared on Help Your Teens.

One simple online search for “troubled teen schools” yields over 11 million results! It is overwhelming for parents.

It’s one of the hardest decision you will make, choosing a safe therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment center for your troubled teen.

Not only is it a major financial decision, it is a huge emotional one for your teenager and your family. How do you know what is right for your teen’s needs?

The teen help industry has changed over the years, but what hasn’t changed is parents needing help for their struggling teens and young adults. With the rise in social media and internet addiction, we have seen more and more youth becoming withdrawn, failing in school and some turning to self-harm or using drugs.

Overall teenage mental health has been on the decline for young people and parents are at their wit’s end. Since 2020 teen depression anxiety has doubled — experts have blamed excess screen-time as part of the cause.

Exhausting Local Resources for Teen Help

Before you decide on residential treatment, parents should exhaust all avenues of local resources.

Here are some options to consider:

• Local therapy. Sometimes you need to switch therapists (counselors) a few times to find one your teen can relate to. However, you may get to a point where you realize your child is not going to be receptive (or is being manipulative) and it’s not working. In some cases the teen is refusing to attend.
• Outpatient treatment. This can be beneficial to some teens since it offers more clinical hours weekly. It also gives them group therapy which can be helpful. The one negative is they are still in their home environment and surrounded by their friends (if they are negative influences) as well as with their devices.
• Short-term hospital stays. In some situations, a short-term adolescent psychiatric hospital can give you an evaluation that helps you with a diagnosis for your teen’s behavior and medication to address it. However, it’s the long-term that can be the struggle. Will they continue the medication at home, and will they continue with therapy?
• Teen coach/mentor. Coaching and mentoring are relatively a new trend being used by families to encourage your teen to make better choices. This would be a person that can help your teen navigate peer pressure, social media, friendships, and other issues that sometimes they have a hard time expressing with a traditional therapist.
• Live with a relative. As a last resort, some parents allow their struggling teen to move-in with a relative to see if this changes behavior.

When local resources fail, it may be time to consider residential treatment or therapeutic boarding schools.

It’s time for you to read, Why Residential Treatment Works When Home Therapy Fails.

Reading Troubled Teen Program Negative Reviews

Parents are scared, apprehensive and concerned — this is part of doing your diligence in researching.

“How do you suggest we navigate negative reviews and posts on social media?” – Anonymous parent

Your teen needs help, you have exhausted your local resources and now you’re trying to find the right (best) residential placement for your son or daughter. Every time you think you found the perfect program you also find negative reviews. 

We are not here to dismiss negative reviews as much as we are here to help parents sift through the internet to determine cyber-fact from cyber-fiction (or misinformation). The teen help industry is a big business, there ‘is no doubt, they want your business — so you need to be a smart consumer. It is time to learn to analyze places to send trouble teens reviews to sort through what can be consider as distorted truths and possibly outright lies to discourage parents from getting their child help.

It’s time to read, Helpful Tips for Researching Schools and Programs.

Online reviews are tricky, they are people’s opinions and experiences. As many of you realize, especially if you are business owners or professionals, it can take you 20 years to establish your good reputation and within 20 minutes it can be destroyed with one or two disgruntled client/customer reviews. Maybe they were legitimate complaints, maybe they were misunderstandings — either way you could potentially lose financially for a long time or a lifetime.

The teen help industry is not any different, but we do take it more seriously since it is about the treatment of our children. With this it is also more reason to understand that people will be more extreme and emotional when writing a review (likely a complaint) about a program.

If a parent had a bad experience, it could be a divorce situation that one parent was the custodial parent and moved forward with the placement as the other one did not have a say in the school. You will find that one disgruntled parent starts complaining about things in the program they do not have any knowledge of since the ex keeps them out of the loop. Sadly, it more has to do with poor family relations rather than program issues.

Another point of contention with parent complaints stem from financial reasons. If a parent believes they are owed money or have not been refunded properly, they will find things to complain about in hopes to be compensated. In some cases, a parent will remove their teen early (before graduation) or their teen is dismissed, and they expect a full refund. The contract they signed determines their reimbursement. When it comes to money, we know it can be extremely sensitive – so it is best to dig a bit deeper to find out exactly what the issues were.

When teens are on forums venting or sharing about their negative program experiences, it can be upsetting for potential families to read. I encourage you to consider following:

• When were they placed into a program?
• What program? Is the program still open or closed now?
• Why were they enrolled into a program?
• Do they have a relationship with their parent/family now?
• How does their parent feel today – if you can find out?

This is not to dismiss anyone’s experiences, as much as it is to help parents sort through online reviews. There are usually extenuating circumstances behind each post. Sometimes it is not possible to acquire this information, so ASK the program owner or director directly about this former student’s statement. If you are not satisfied with the answer, move on to another program choice for your son/daughter.

If the teen is alleging abuse or neglect, do a public records search to determine if there is a lawsuit against the program. Not all allegations end up in court so contact the local Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and ask if they have any reports against the school. They may not be able to give you names, but they will know if there are reports filed against the program.

There are many programs and schools for troubled teens in our country, they are not going to please every one of their families. That does not mean they’re allowed to harm children or defraud parents.  

Since we mainly see the negative online reviews, we always encourage parents to ask for parent references to hear more about how a program did help their teenager. You may think the school is only giving good references (which is true) but there are ways to ask questions to get some negative input — such as, “It seems your son had a very good experience at ….., if you could change one thing about it, what would it be?” Or, “Although your daughter seems to have done well, where do you think the school could improve?” Or, “Was there anything that ever concerned you when your teen was at the school.”

Tip: Always remember, you can ask the owner of the program about any of the online reviews. If they do not want to answer it — that is your answer.

Troubling Teen Help Websites

“The program I want to place my son is listed on a beware site.” – Anonymous parent

This gives parents pause and most of all, can prevent them from getting their teenager the help they need. Although these websites may believe they are doing a service to families that need help with their troubled teens, the truth is the fearmongering causes them to hesitate. Most parents, after reaching their wit’s end, realize these sites may mean well, but they can not help their son/daughter. At this point they now are experiencing more troubles with their teen whether it is with the law or emotional wellness. They need outside help — they need help with their troubled teenager.

These sites that are mostly created by people or advocates that were once harmed in programs or know someone that were neglected in a program and although they have good intentions, when it comes to living with a troubled teenager that is in serious need of help — they are at a loss.  If you ask them (these sites) for safe trouble teen programs, they will tell you they are are none. That is troubling. Especially for the parent that has a teen in desperate in of help – and believe it or not, some teens want help.

One of their advocates will consistently remind parents to continue to seek local therapy. How many of you can raise your hand to say that worked? How many of you can say your teen will even attend therapy? The list of local options above are there since many of you reading this have likely tried most of them before making this huge decision of residential placement. The last thing you want is now someone trying to tell you to try therapy — AGAIN. We have!

There are many quality teen help programs in this country. The key is research. Parents can do this – we have a list of tips of how to research and questions to ask schools and programs so you will be on a better path.

You will find sites that say you need to hire an $6000-$8000 educational consultant to find quality teen help. No, you don’t.

You will find sites that say you need a program that is NATSAP affiliated. No, you do not, NATSAP is a self-made organization that is membership based. It’s up to the program to decide if they want to pay their fees. It is part of the political circle that gives the teen help industry a questionable name.

In Conclusion

Be an educated parent. Knowledge is power. This is your troubled teen that is crying out for help with their negative behavior. We all have good teens that might be making bad choices, it’s up to us to now make the right decision. Maybe it is local therapy, maybe it is a teen coach — or maybe it’s residential treatment. Whatever it is — as a parent you are your child’s advocate. Contact us for more information on teen help options.

Also read:

Success Rate of Teen Boarding Schools

 5 Benefits of Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens

Goals of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

The post The Troubled Teen Industry Negative Reviews first appeared on Help Your Teens.