Several Therapeutic Options to Consider
Troubled teens generally need 24-hour supervision. Such programs away from home can provide a drastic change in atmosphere for the teen in an attempt to quickly end his destructive behavior, including removing the teen from negative influences.
Best Christian Therapeutic Boarding Schools and Programs
Christian Therapeutic Boarding Schools - Boys (click on any link below for more info) Promise Village Agape Boarding School Shepherds Hill Academy (coed wilderness pgm) Arivaca Boys Ranch Teen Challenge Ranch Arivaca Boys Ranch Safe Harbor Academy Vero Beach Boys Ranch Gateway Military Academy Prayer Mountain Academy
Christian Therapeutic Boarding Schools - Girls (click on any link below for more info)
Columbus School for Girls Lakeland Grace Academy Shepherds Hill Academy (coed) Wings of Faith Academy Boise Girls Academy |
Boot Camps strive to force a troubled teen to take direction of her life through physical and mental trials. Boot camps are generally not a good choice for teens who are acting out due to a loss in their life, abuse, or a psychological or medical problem. A teen spends about a month at camp and faces physical and disciplinary challenges that will help her overcome negative influences and behaviors, providing a reality check that was otherwise not present. Most parents find that boot camps have limited success and for just a short time after the teen returns home, so sometimes they are coupled with a therapeutic residential program once the boot camp is over. There are also some boot camp programs and programs that operate oversees. Explore any such program like this with intensity, paying special attention to the staff of the program and their methods (since they are generally unregulated). Make sure you meet those who will be supervising your child and understand their discipline policy. Moving a problem to another country where there is not oversight of programs or minimum compliance standards is not always the answer to your teen’s needs. This may prevent your involvement with your child, and not give our child the adequate experience he or she needs. Again, never put a teen who is doing harm to himself or herself (cutting, suicidal thoughts, risky behavior, eating disorders) or who has a psychological or developomental issue or major depression in a boot camp.
Wilderness Camps encourage a teen to correct his behavior by accepting responsibility for his actions in a rough wilderness setting. Conventional wilderness camps do not lend well to emotional healing of a troubled teen but help him overcome physical challenges and self-esteem issues. Therapeutic wilderness programs with qualified counselors are usually designed to help address emotional and behavioral issues as the child develops close, personal relationships with counselors and other teens going through similar struggles. They are usually a 30, 60 or 90 day programs. They remove a child from a drug or alcohol environment (though if a child is addicted, detox and rehab may be needed before being accepted in a wilderness program) and allow him or her to spend time talking, reflecting, and confronting in a back-to-basics environment. Our observation is that those who participate in wilderness programs usually need some type of longer-term follow-up program, such as a residential program. The two programs work well in complementing each other and can make a permanent life change for the teen versus a temporary one.
Therapeutic boarding schools are longer term programs (usually 6-12 months) designed to help troubled teens work through their issues and get started on developing a healthier lifestyle. They offer intense counseling and small group therapy, along with a quality education and 24/7 mentoring and supervision. Unlike a traditional boarding school where the emphasis is on academics, a focuses mostly on changing attitudes and behavior (education is secondary, though usually accredited and thorough). A residential program can provide your teen with the help and mentoring he or she needs, as well as defined boundaries and a continued education. It will give time for the whole family to heal. The better programs provide the parents and family with seminars and weekend retreats, so it becomes a family effort to achieve success, not just the burden of the teen. The staff will help parents learn what to expect from their teen as they move through the program, which sets minds and hearts at ease. Everyone can then look past heated emotions to focus on healing.
You may need a residential program for your teen if you've been thinking...
"Our family cannot live like this any longer."
"I can't put a finger on it, but something is wrong with that kid."
"Everyone runs for cover when he comes home."
"I can't sit by and watch him destroy himself."
"We've got to do something before she goes too far."
When contacting any program, ask the difficult questions; and make sure you visit the campus before placing your child. Always look at a program’s references, reports to the Better Businesss Bureau, and the qualifications of the staff. Never place your child somewhere without first talking to other parents who have recently placed their child with that particular program (make sure you get a list of 20 or so parents, so the program can't so easily cherry-pick the best ones). When requesting a list of parents to talk to, also talk to ones who currently have a child in the program. Even consider talking to the local police or sheriff to see if there have been disciplinary or excessive runaway issues with the program, or any issues with abuse. When you look up information about the program online, remember that anyone can say anything online and some people are just bent on bringing down every therapeutic program because they don't believe kids should be sent anywhere they don't want to be sent. So, unless you see a lot of negative comments, take it with a grain of salt but dig deeper to make sure it is a reputable program.
It’s a tough call to make. Not only when to send your child to a program, but where to send your child. Trying to determine who to entrust your child to is a difficult task. Look at references, call former parents, and get a feel as to whether the staff and management are just in it for the money, or because it is a "calling" to help rescue kids. It will make a difference in the quality of the program, and will make a difference in the help that is offered to your child.