Troubled Teens Resources

Why do some teens seem to be able to actually “Just Say No” to drugs and others cannot. What essential lessons can be distinguished as being pivotal in raising a balanced teen?

A study suggests that core competency skills can equip a troubled teen to fight peer pressure as well as guide the teen to finding healthy solutions to pain or anger or sorrow.

“They can combat powerful social influences from friends and siblings to use multiple substances, including cigarettes. Moreover, this research provides important support for drug-abuse prevention programmes that include the teaching of competence skills, including refusal skills and decision-making skills,” she said.”

Core competency skills are described as “good self-management and positive psychological characteristics”. Self- management needs to be both taught and demonstrated. It goes without saying that in a culture that is driven by instant gratification, troubled teens see very little in the way of self-discipline and restraint. Even star athletes, whom you would expect to exhibit exemplary self-discipline, are now notorious for their unrestrained behavior.

We are obsessed with sheltering our teens from adversity and protecting them from predators when an equal amount of time needs to be spent equipping them to deal with exactly those threats and predators.

Military schools, troubled teen boarding schools and many wilderness programs equip a teen with core competency skills.Troubled teens in such programs learn accountability, responsibility and self-management. That is why such institutions are often favored by parents over a public school system that, more and more, mirrors the dysfunctional culture that teens need to be taught to resist.