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.

Deborah Dillon is convinced her brother Bill’s pug Buddy - named aptly enough - is the reason he is doing so well. Two years ago, he bought Buddy, but a few months after the dog’s arrival, Dillon’s brother, who has AIDS, became extremely ill. Bill decided he could no longer take care of Buddy and tearfully gave him away.

“My brother did not get out of bed for two weeks. He would not answer the phone, and he wasn’t eating. He gave up,” recalls Dillon. Distraught by her son’s reaction, his mother called the new owner and asked for Buddy back. The woman consented. ‘You’d have thought he had gone to Lourdes (France) to get cured by the holy water,’ said Dillon. ‘If he had not gotten the dog back, who knows what would have happened.’ Bill got out of bed and began to gain back his strength. Today, he and Buddy walk two to three miles a day and his health has improved greatly.

“Buddy gives him something to nurture and care for when he’s usually on the receiving end,” muses Dillon. “It gives him a reason to get up in the morning and a way to meet people. It’s important for my brother to take care of himself, to take his medication, and eat properly, and he does now. Because of Buddy, I worry about my brother a lot less.”
(source)

There are hundreds of stories about the transformational affect pets have on people. Older people, disabled people, and also troubled teens.

One of the ravages of drug addiction is an abbreviated emotional range. Troubled teens hide behind a wall of cynicism and distrust. An animal, such as a dog or a horse, can break through. Combined with therapy, a teen can be led back into the full range of their emotions, healed enough to trust again.

Fortunately many accredited teen boarding schools, wilderness and brat camps have added animal therapies to their menu of programs. Tipton Academy for Boys is one such troubled teen boarding school who can recite success story after success story in the administration of their animal assistance program.

It would be funny if it were not such an apt example of the degree of frustration that can visit a parent or teacher in the face of the behavioral problems of teens with AD/HD.
Obviously this teacher’s solution is the wrong way to handle it.

“A substitute teacher who taped a student’s mouth shut and bound four others to their seats at Pleasant Grove Elementary School was banned from working in Jefferson County schools one day after the incident.”

Unfortunately,right on the heels of AD/HD can come calling a laundry list of other problems with an at-risk teenager; low-self esteem, poor grades,rage, hostility and drug abuse. When trying to raise a teenager who’s behavior embodies all of these contributors, the parent is forced to consider alternative educational options. Though most public schools have excellent programs for the AD/HD inflicted teen, they are not adequately equipped to deal with AD/HD compounded by other behavioral disorders.

A key characteristic of the AD/HD afflicted teenager is the need for structure. Military schools with teen therapy programs, brat schools and teen wilderness programs will provide the troubled teen with exactly the amount of discipline, authority and structure they need.

A school counselor or the teenager’s therapist will be able to provide the parent of the troubled teen with guidance in selecting the appropriate boarding school environment.

Here are some coping skills that will assist your AD/HD teenager until an apprpriate program can be found.

• Sit in the front of class to limit distractions.
• Turn off email, instant messaging, and your phone when doing homework or other tasks that require focused attention. This will help protect you against being distracted.
• Talk openly with your teacher about your condition and work together to be sure you’re learning in a way that works for you. For example, some schools will allow people with ADHD more time for taking tests. Some teens may benefit from smaller class sizes and tutorial help.
• Use tools that help you stay organized. Keep a homework notebook to keep track of assignments, including a list of books and readings you’ll need to bring home to do them. Write down classes, extracurricular activities, and other appointments in a daily planner so you don’t forget. Keeping a daily agenda can also help you avoid making unplanned, impulsive decisions: If you’re scheduled to start homework at 4:30, you’ll know it’s not a good idea to go with your friend to watch her 4:00 soccer practice. The organization skills you develop now will serve you well in the future, too. Even people who don’t have ADHD all find they need to develop these skills when they head off to the workplace — so you’ll be ahead of the curve!
• Get plenty of exercise. Studies are starting to show that exercise can help people who have ADHD. If you feel hyper during school, talk to a teacher about taking activity breaks so you can stay focused and concentrate better when in class. Take frequent activity breaks while studying or doing homework.
• Practice relaxation and meditation techniques to relax and focus. Try this breathing exercise for starters.
• Let friends know what’s going on. Sometimes with our friends, we blurt things out and regret it later or we do silly, impulsive things. If this happens to you, let your friends know that sometimes you just say things without thinking all the way through, apologize if you have hurt someone’s feelings, and try to be extra careful in new situations.
• Take pride in the things you do well. Having ADHD is just a different way of being, and people with ADHD have their own abilities and talents.