Can residential treatment center help my troubled teen? Are you at your wit’s end with an out-of-control teenager?
We are facing a teenage mental health crisis, since 2020 teen depression and anxiety has doubled. Experts say part of this cause is the increase in screen-time.
Do these describe your teen:
-Teen depression, anxiety
-Teen ADHD, ODD, RAD
-Bipolar, mood disorders
–Underachieving, skipping classes, school refusal
-Teen defiance, rage, rebellious
–Internet addiction (cell-phone or video gaming)
-Teen drug use, drinking, vaping
–Withdrawn, isolation – not participating in family functions
–Changing peer groups
–Self-harm, suicide ideation
-Stealing, lying, manipulating
-Drifted from your family values
-Property destruction, explosive behavior
If you are experiencing a few of these behaviors and have tried counseling (therapy), outpatient treatment has failed, the school setting is not working and a short-term hospital stay was unsuccessful, it might be time to consider a therapeutic boarding school for your troubled teen.
What is the purpose of a residential treatment center?
A residential treatment center is a type of alternative boarding school that specializes in educating and helping troubled teenagers and young adults.
Residential treatment centers help troubled teens that have behavioral and emotional challenges as well as cognitive learning challenges that can’t be properly addressed in a traditional school environment.
These programs also offer psychological counseling and help restore students’ mental, physical and emotional health.
The goal of residential treatment is to rehabilitate the student and make them healthy emotionally. Many therapeutic boarding schools offer additional therapies such as: animal-assisted therapy, art therapy, music therapy or horticultural therapy. These are all beneficial for helping teens learn how to manage their feelings and build self-worth through developing coping skills.
Many parents assume that therapeutic boarding schools mean you have to sacrifice your child’s education. This is not true. In most situations, when a teen enters the program, they are typically failing (underachieving) in their home school setting, usually due to their behavior or mental health issues.
A quality residential treatment center with accredited academics should be able to get your teen back on track again. (Tip: Ask for a copy of their accreditation to be sure their transcripts will be transferable back to your school). Reality is, their emotional growth is priority, but you shouldn’t have to neglect their academics.
A well-rounded residential treatment center also encourages and provides opportunities for family therapy and parenting workshops. This is a great source for parents to be able to have mediated conversations with their teenager, and start the healing process.
Read: The 5 Benefits of Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens.
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Contact us for a free consultation to help your family find the right residential treatment center for your teen and family.
