Troubled Teens Resources

What do you do when you find that your teen is using drugs?  It is becoming more of a reality for parents in today’s society.  Some parents are shocked to find that their child is abusing drugs or alcohol.  The “rest of the story” is sometimes even more disturbing.  A teen that is abusing drugs has to be buying them with something.  Initially a troubled teen will steal money from parent’s siblings and other extended family members.  When they get caught doing this they are forced to become more creative to support their new habit.  Some teens turn to selling drugs, prostitution, or burglary to purchase the drugs they need.

If a teen opts to sell drugs he is introduced to his drug dealers’ source.  The more he sells the higher up he can go until he is no longer dealing with kids from his school or neighborhood.  He has entered the world of dangerous criminals that will seriously hurt anyone that crosses them or doesn’t pay them.  It can make a parent shutter to think about the possibilities this scenario could have.  Needless to say, their child is in over their head.  In many cases the child doesn’t even realize the danger his life is in.  It may be difficult to remove a child from a situation like this.  It is possible however, but much caution and certainly police involvement should be obtained. It may be necessary to move your child far away from the negative friends and drug dealers that he is hanging around with.  Parents have found help by moving their teen to Tipton Academy in Tipton Kansas.  The remote location is ideal for making positive changes.  It is unlikely that any of your child’s “friends” will travel very far to help them making Tipton’s remote location even more attractive.  When a troubled teen is removed from his circle of so called friends there are very few that will even inquire about where he is. 

TiptonAcademy has helped many youth learn positive behaviors through the positive peer pressure techniques used there.  If you have teen that is treading in dangerous waters give them a call they can help 877 968 8443.  Tipton Academy has been in business for almost 4 years and they have successfully helped many families to get back together.  If you would like to talk to one of the parents of Tipton Academy students, give them a call.

The youth of today are faced with many different challenges and pressures on every front.  They are pressured by peers to experiment with drugs and engage in sexual activities.  It is difficult for the youth of today to stand up to the pressures of their peers they “hang out” with.  Some teens can experiment with drugs a little and decide if they like the experience.  If they decide they don’t like the way they feel when they are high they quit and move on.  The problem is some youth are unable to stop after their first experience.  With Meth such an affordable drug and so readily available many teens are unable to break the craving to continue to use it.  It is a fact that many people become a Meth addict after one experimental try of the deadly drug.   For more information on this popular drug follow this link to Meth information.  The link will take you to a site entitled Teen Success.  The site is very informative and can give you suggestions on how to help your teen succeed.  You can also find information on boarding schools for troubled teens.

Tipton Academy is one school that Teen Success refers to.   Tipton Academy is an all boy campus using positive peer pressure and a unique dog training program.  The boys are able to train a dog and then help the recipient, a physically challenged person learn to utilize the animal.  This method has proven very successful, and has assisted many teens in turning their lives around.  The positive peer pressure is very effective in helping teens learn how to motivate each other and how to receive constructive criticism.  The teen is much more likely to respond to direction from a peer than an adult.  This is why the positive peer culture has proven so effective.

Meadowlark Academy is another program the Teen Success refers to.  It is an all girl’s facility also using positive peer pressure combined with the dog training program.  Girls are able to train the dogs very effectively and the dogs respond very well to them.  The girls are also responsive to the positive peer pressure.  In many cases the problems troubled teens have in life are tied to following the crowd mostly because of the peer pressure that drives the crowd.  Once a teen learns to be free thinking, independent, and not so worried about what their negative friends think they are well on their way to success. 

When a teen heads down the road of substance abuse parents first reaction is usually shock that their baby has entered world of teen age drug abuse.  In todays society youth are starting earlier and earlier on gateway drugs like marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco.  When the newness wears off they move into more destructive drugs and usually a new circle of friends.  With new more expensive drugs youth are then forced to find ways to support their new sources of recreation.  This usually comes in the form of stealing from family members, shoplifting, and even dealing to pay for their own habit.

Parents are usually shocked to find that their child has been selling drugs to support their own habit.  Once admitted into a program teens will honestly reveal the extent of their abuse.  Most parents are oblivious to the fact that their child was even using drugs let alone dealing in them.  At Tipton Academy many students have come clean about the issues they had prior to their enrollment in this boarding school for troubled teens.  Part of the healing process for parents and students is to for the teen to divulge everything he has done before he was placed.  This can be very difficult, but is very effect in the overall healing process employed by Tipton Academy.

Tipton Academy also has some very effective parent seminars.  These are scheduled quarterly and have proven to be an integral part of the student and parent coming back together.  A parent can feel so alone, especially right after enrolling their child in a program.  Tipton Academy has a parent support network that can provide comfort and a great deal of support.  Parents feel that they finally have someone they can talk to who can understand what they are going through.  If you would like more information please contact Tipton Academy direct 877 968 8443.

One of the troubled teen boarding schools that we refer to is Tipton Academy.  They have been helping families for a little over three years.  They use some unique techniques to help young men make changes in their lives. 

Tipton Academy utilizes Positive Peer Culture along with a dog training program that allows the young men to train/foster a puppy while they are making changes in their own lives. 
 Programs have successfully used animals for many years to help youth make changes in their behaviors.  It is impressive to watch the impact it has on a boy when he sees that his outbursts scare his dog.  At the very least the dog’s reaction initiates the young man to stop and think about how he is speaking to others, leading him to learning ways speak rationally to those he is in conflict with.  Another advantage of this program occurs when the boys are able to train the new owner of the dog they have been training.  This is an emotional event has a positive impact on both the recipient and the trainer. 

Tipton Academy is fortunate to have competent leadership with years of experience in helping troubled teens.  Michael McClendon is the Director at Tipton Academy.   Mike, or Big Mike as the boys call him has 10 years practical application using the positive peer techniques.  In Mike’s words, “It takes more patience to use this type of program because the boys actually prove to themselves that life is easier when they behave properly.  This happens when a student is forced to face the “natural consequences” of his choice and actions.  The best example of this is when two boys arrive at approximately the same time.  When one boy making appropriate choices advances and the other student who arrived at approximately the same does not advance, the natural consequences are explained to the boy.   Once he is able to clearly see he is his own worst enemy, the one who controls his own progress he will usually begin to start make better choices.  This lesson also has true life applications; when someone makes good choices they achieve positive things, just as negative choices and actions reap negative rewards and consequences”.

Liz was numb. She glanced at her 13 year old teenager. The forbidden tattoo was defiantly blazoned on his forearm, holes from the removed piercing still were visible on his nose. Those things would fade, she pondered, but would the hatred and sullenness in his eyes and face and words ever go away?

They were waiting for their therapist who was going to accompany Liz and David to the military boarding school where David’s out of control behavior and burgeoning drug abuse had led them. Liz couldn’t help but remember the last time she had sent her son anywhere it was to summer camp when he was 10. His joy and animation seemed like memories collected from another life, a life when they were a happy young family and her son a bright and enthusiastic child. How could that only be three years ago, she mused. What had they done so wrong in three years?

Liz of course is not alone. Thousands of parents have gone through the painstaking research on residential treatment programs, teen boarding schools and brat camps. Thousand have stood with their insides torn apart, waiting to deliver their child into the embrace of the boarding school or military school that research and counsel had led them to select.

And perhaps that is the hardest part. Getting rid of denial and getting down to doing the research that will save your troubled teens life. Military schools, or boarding schools that embrace the disciplines and structure that military schools are noted for, are most often the institutions parents of troubled teens decide upon. Lack of structure and discipline are very often the key factors in an at-risk teens descent into drug abuse and out of control behavior.

In exploring boarding school options, parents hope to find programs that not only embrace discipline but also employ innovative and empowering programs as well as providing a continuum for their teen’s education that will place them well when they graduate. Tipton Academy for boys and Meadowlark Academy for girls are two such institution that offer a comprehensive package of programs and exemplifies what the parent of the troubled teen should seek out.

Tear down. Build up. Wax on. Wax off. Process. Because healing is a process it can’t be rushed. There are no effective ‘quick fix’ teenage treatment programs. Your drug abusing teen is broken inside. Re-building them inside, empowering your teenager with the use of their own skills and talents, teaching them the value of their life and the values of the lives of those around them takes time.

Choosing a boarding school that fails to offer programs designed to walk your teenager through all the necessary stages of recovery is the same as building on a faulty foundation. Not only do you want to create a stable foundation but the teenager needs also to be equipped with tools to maintain his new purchase on life. That is the why selecting a boarding school that implements a comprehensive treatment program is critical for your teenagers recovery.

Programs of that caliber can be found at Tipton’s Academy for Boys. One component of Tipton’s multi-pronged approach is the use of Positive Peer Culture

“The Positive Peer Culture discipline has a long and successful history. The Tipton Academy incorporates some of the basic components from this discipline. PPC is neither a loosely organized program nor one that is totally run by the adolescents. There is a keen understanding of the need to have adults oversee the process without derailing it by taking over. When a youth arrives at the Tipton Academy, he will be assigned to a group and its staff mentor. He will remain in this group throughout his stay. Each group will have responsibilities associated with it. Groups will be assigned varying details, community service projects, group aspects of the animal assistance program, sports/academic etc. teams, and group PPC sessions. In the group he will learn teamwork, sound decision making in the absence of specific guidelines, and how, through cooperation, significant accomplishments can be made. Staff are taught to understand the need for youth to learn how to work through their issues to help them prepare for similar situations they will have when returning to their families.”

The efficacy in animal therapy for teens has long been well established. Unfortunately, part and parcel of a troubled teen’s profile includes alienation , a guardedness of the heart that often stunts the efforts of the parent to reach the teen. Having come to believe that emotional attachments to friends and family are too threatening, the troubled teen grows increasingly inward, further mired in the confusion and depression that bedevils him.

If this describes you teen’s emotional state, consider locating a boarding school for your troubled teen that incorporates animal therapy in their list of programs. A child who has closed himself away from the world may look at a puppy as safe haven, a non-threatening, non-discriminating, creature whose love is unconditional. Developing a relationship with an animal placed in their care, the teen is drawn out of their protective mantle. Furthermore, the teen has been given an opportunity to succeed. As the teen nurtures and cares for the pet given over to their care, they learn responsibility and are rewarded with a sense of achievement and connection as they observe the positive effects of their nurturing.

Tipton Academy for boys is one such boarding school for troubled teens that incorporates animal assisted therapy as part of their menu of multi-faceted treatment programs.

“When constructing a building, it is an accepted fact that without a firm foundation, the structure will collapse. The foundation for your son’s change hinges on his learning environment. The Animal Assistance Program provides a learning environment where your son will receive unconditional acceptance and love. Animals ignite warmth in even the most withdrawn boy, putting him at ease and increasing his willingness to reach out and take risks without fear. Your son will learn about proper care, handling, feeding and health care of animals. He will also learn to have compassion, gentleness and respect for animals, other people and himself. Additionally he will learn to control his aggression, curb his tempers and acquire gentility. For some of the youth, it may be the first time they have experienced a healthy relationship with another living being.”
Tipton Academy