Options for Parents of Troubled Teens
What type of help is there for your teen?
There are many sources of help that are available to parents or guardians with problem-teenagers. Troubled Teens Solutions focus is to assist you as a parent or guardian, make the best choice in getting the help your child needs and giving you hope again.
Therapeutic Boarding School
A Therapeutic differs from the traditional Boarding School. A therapeutic boarding school, though it may still have the same academic curriculum as a traditional boarding school, has the capability to handle students with emotional and behavioral issues (Boarding School Review, 2007).
Some Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools
The student’s self-reliance and independence are bolstered. Students can be academically challenged through extensive course offerings, high achievement standards, and favorable faculty/student ratio. (U.S. Justice Dept, Chapter 8 – Boarding Schools: Making the Choice, ᴩ3)
Some Drawbacks of Therapeutic Boarding Schools:
The student may have difficulty adjusting to another set of new circumstances and surroundings. Students sometimes take on inappropriate advisory roles with their peers. (U.S. Justice Dept, Chapter 8 – Boarding Schools: Making the Choice, ᴩ4)
Boot Camps
Juvenile Boot Camp is probably the most rigorous of methods that is offered to help a troubled teen. According to the National Mental Health Association (N.M.H.A.), “These programs typically emphasize discipline and physical conditioning and were developed as a rigorous alternative to longer terms of confinement in juvenile correctional facilities” (National Mental Health Association p1).
Some Benefits of Boot Camps
Advocates for boot camps deem that the stringent structure the camps provides creates a safe environment for both staff and youth; there is less chance of fights and teens being victimized by their peers. Advocates also argue that the integration of the military model forms a sense of solidarity (Armstrong, Gover, MacKenzie, and Mitchell, 2001)
Some of the Drawbacks of Boot Camps
The stringent environment of a Boot camp and emphasis on group before individual can cause staff to overlook the individual and specific needs of each youth within the camp. (Armstrong, Gover, MacKenzie, and Mitchell, 2001)
Youth Residential Treatment Center
These are facilities that provide treatment 24 hours a day and can usually serve more than 12 young people at a time. Children with serious emotional disturbances receive constant supervision and care. Treatment may include individual, group, and family therapy, behavior therapy, special education, recreation therapy, and medical services. Residential treatment is usually more long-term than inpatient hospitalization. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, p 12)
Some Benefits of Youth Residential Treatment Center (RTC)
RTCs can improve social, academic, vocational and life- skills (Dunn, Gable & Lyman, 2008)
RTC provides an atmosphere of re-focus, an environment that allows a youth to be free of distractions of past or present negative influences (Dunn, Gable & Lyman, 2008)
Some drawbacks of Youth Residential Treatment Center (RTC)
Studies show that some youth Residential Treatment Centers need more well-rounded services and can become too specialized.(Magellan Health Services Children’s Services Task Force, 2008)
If an RTC lacks strong family-involvement, recidivism of a student is greater, than one whose family is involved before, during and after his or her stay in a RTC. (Magellan Health Services Children’s Services Task Force, 2008)