Are you struggling with your good teen making bad choices as they get back to school?
You’re not alone.
Since 2020 teen depression and anxiety has doubled. Teens are worried – the average youth is facing stress, anxiety and some are feeling loneliness. For those that were already experiencing risky behaviors, this can be more troubling.
You’ve exhausted your local therapy, in many cases, your teen has been able to manipulate their way around their therapist. Maybe you’ve tried outpatient — even a short stay in a local hospital. Now your teen is either refusing to go to school or skipping classes.
Is residential therapy for you?
When a parent calls P.U.R.E. they are usually surfing the internet and confused by all the fancy websites, terminology they are now learning about (RTC, TBS, Wilderness, transport services and more) and wondering — is this really want my child needs?
The fact is, in many situations you have a good kid that is now making some bad choices and you never in a million years thought you would be facing this day.
None of us did. Yet here we are.
That’s the best part – you’re not alone.
There are many therapeutic boarding schools and programs in our country, probably because there are many families in need of help today. Although there are many good programs and schools – there are also many that you need to be skeptical of – as well as many sales people you need to concerned about that may not have your child’s best interest at heart.
When will you know it’s time for residential therapy?
1. Have you exhausted all your local resources? From using local therapy to extending into outpatient teens can be easily shut-down. Although we know that many times it’s difficult to get a teen to open up to therapist – or even attend a session, parents need to know they at least tried. When in residential therapy, the entire program evolves around their emotional wellness, 24/7. Being removed from their negativity – helps tremendously.
2. Living with a relative. Some families have attempted to move the troubled teen to a relative. Again, sometimes this works – and others it can be a band-aid, however it can help you make that decision that you have exhausted your local resources before you decide to choose residential.
3. Is your teen a danger to themselves or other people (you)? Has your child become violent towards you or themselves? This is when you know it’s time to start researching for residential therapy. It’s not working at home.
4. Do you feel like you are hostage in your home by their behavior? Do you feel like you are walking on egg shells? Being careful about what you say or how you act for fear they may become explosive? Again, this is a red flag it may be time for residential therapy.
Read: What is the Goal of Residential Treatment.
Read: The Purpose of A Therapeutic Boarding School.
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If you’re considering a therapeutic boarding school for your difficult teenager, contact us for a free consultation.
