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Having a teen move to a troubled teen
facility can be tough on everyone in the family. To avoid this, some
families opt for an alternative school instead.
Alternative schools allow teens to still live with their families while
providing them a highly structure school environment during the day.
While these programs can be highly effective for teens that are just
beginning to have issues, teens who have serious behavioral issues that
are exacerbated by contact with their peers will need a more radical
break from their everyday life. While these teens may make excellent
progress in the structured day program, being with the same old friends
in the evenings and on weekends can lead them to continue their
destructive behavior.
Parents of these teens will usually find that boarding schools are a
much better alternative. Boarding schools come in a variety of styles,
including those with military, therapeutic, or Christian approaches.
No matter what their specific approach, these specialty boarding schools
are all specifically designed to provide help to teens who are
struggling with really tough issues on a 24 hour basis. While many
students will stay in these programs for between three to six months, be
prepared for it to take up to a year or more in order to make permanent
behavioral changes in your teen. These schools typically offer a wide
variety of activates designed to help teens, including academic
curriculum, athletic programs, courses in personal development,
emotional growth sessions, and daily chores designed to instill personal
responsibility.
A boarding school with a Christian approach will use a Chris centered
philosophy in order to transform your teen. There are several
specialized boarding schools that do are not affiliated with a
particular religious denominations, but use the Judeo-Christian
principles of honesty, respect, and hard work in their efforts to help
troubled teens.
Military schools are often most effective in dealing with teens who
require enhanced structure and discipline in their daily lives. They are
not, however, designed to help your child through serious issues such as
addiction or depression. Military schools often have a very selective
admissions process, requiring good grades and letters of reference. For
many, attending a military school is seen as a privilege. Troubled teens
that are admitted to military school are usually not given the tools
they need to achieve real emotional growth.
For those extreme cases where troubled needs require extensive therapy,
a therapeutic boarding school is the best options. These schools usually
offer a structured therapeutic environment, usually including both
individual and group therapy sessions. While these schools are often
more expensive, the investment will usually yield better results.
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Alternative Schools for Troubled Teens