Troubled Teens Resources

Schools for troubled teens are certainly not limited to America. Almost every country has programs for troubled teens, some, such as those in the undeveloped middle eastern countries are brutal and no more than punitive prisons with no concern over the teen’s future. Western societies have long catered to their teenagers and troubled teen programs are designed to remove the teenager out of bad environments and provide the stability and training necessary to live productive lives.

And they, for the most part, are extremely effective in turning around the lives of those teenagers willing to do the work.

One teen’s story is typical. Canadian teen Anita was being raised by a drunken and addicted mother. She loathed her school and decided in eigth grade to express that by starting a section of it on fire. After police tracked her down, she was fortunate to be diverted into a troubled teen boarding school.

“I’ve been happy and healthy ever since,” she says..Since Anita started at Whytecliff, her grades have improved. Instead of failing, she’s earning Cs and Bs.

“It’s been a lot better. I could see me finishing my Grade 12 here,” she says.

The school is not your average institution with florescent lights, loud bells and chaos in the halls. The lighting at Whytecliff is soft and low, the modern interior is mostly done in wood and it’s pretty much quiet save for the humming of computers. The atmosphere is no accident - everything has been carefully thought out to create a comforting, non-distracting environment for at-risk teens who need a sense of security, principal Bryce Hewitt explains.

“You need stability to grow,” he says, adding that’s something these teens lack in their peer and family networks.”

(source)

Aaron eye’s were sparkling and his posture was different too. Gone was the “Pose” as Carol called it - the attitude slouch of boredom, the swaggering gait of defiance. He stood tall, alert, as if his body was circulating a new potent mix of blood and vitality.

Aaron had been at military school for almost 6 weeks and Carol could finally heave a sigh of relief. She and her husband had poured over brochures and internet sites when looking for a teen residential treatment program for their troubled teen. Boarding schools, military schools, wilderness treatment programs, at-risk teen brat camps! At one point they felt so overwhelmed with their research they jokingly mused over the hope of finding a treatment program for parents of troubled teens.

But looking at Aaron now, Carol realized that the fruit of their hard work was represented in the obvious progress that their at-risk teen now exhibited. They had, indeed, chosen the right boarding school.

If you are a parent of a troubled teen and you are buried in research trying to decide which teen boarding school or military school offers the right combination of therapies for your at-risk teen, please feel confident that you and your teen will benefit greatly from your efforts.

Here are ten points to consider when searching for the right boarding school for your troubled teen.

1) Ask about the boarding school’s success rates.
2) Talk with some parents with a teen in the program.
3) Take a tour of the troubled teen programs you are considering.
4) Don’t base your decision on either pure emotion or logic.
5) Don’t tell yourself that ignoring the problem will make it go away.
6) If it isn’t working, stop doing it!
7) Understand that you don’t always get what you pay for.
Look for a program that involves the whole family.
9) Don’t tell your child you are going to put them in a treatment program
10) Remember that just because you have a troubled teen doesn’t mean that you are a bad parent.

For more details, read further here.