| If you have a teenager who is struggling with | | | | One reason for the success of the boarding school is |
| uncontrolled anger and defiance, depression, or drug | | | | that separating the teen from the home environment |
| abuse, or who is consistently breaking the rules, even | | | | can give everybody a chance to cool down. As both |
| getting into trouble with the authorities, you may want | | | | the parents and the teen and the rest of the family |
| to look into therapeutic boarding schools. | | | | gain insights and learn and practice new skills and |
| The therapeutic boarding school is just one variant of | | | | behaviors, parents and teen can begin to appreciate |
| several types of boarding schools designed to help the | | | | and enjoy each other again. |
| child who is acting out and messing up his life, and | | | | Turning your child over to a boarding school will likely |
| yours, as a result of anger problems. He, or she, may | | | | be the biggest decision you'll ever need to make with |
| even have been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant | | | | regard to your child, and it's certainly not an easy one. |
| Disorder, or, worse yet, Conduct Disorder. | | | | After all the angry words and the terrible arguments |
| If you're thinking about boarding schools, you probably | | | | and the rule-breaking and the defiance, it may seem |
| already know quite a bit about "teen anger" and | | | | like the right thing, but would that mean that you are |
| Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The family is struggling | | | | abandoning him at this crucial time? Actually, a fresh |
| with upset and tension. You can't control your teen. | | | | start and a cooling off in a new and different |
| You've read and talked and counseled, but it seems | | | | environment might just be the best action you could |
| like nothing works. | | | | possibly take. What you've been doing hasn't |
| You don't know what to do, but you do know you | | | | worked-maybe it's time for something new. |
| both need help. A boarding school that offers | | | | Once you've determined that the therapeutic boarding |
| long-term treatment for troubled teens and their | | | | school is the right approach, there are many choices |
| families could be the answer, or at least part of the | | | | and many questions that need to be asked. You may |
| answer. | | | | wish to check out The National Association of |
| Mental health professionals recognize that when an | | | | Therapeutic Schools and Programs. It's a non-profit |
| adult is angry or depressed, it's necessary to discover | | | | association whose members must be licensed by |
| and deal with whatever is underlying the anger or | | | | whichever state they're in, and who must subscribe to |
| depression. Often, however, when a teenager is | | | | the Association's "Principles of Good Practice". They |
| defiant and angry, we simply demand that he change | | | | must be supervised by qualified staff, psychiatrists and |
| his behavior, without dealing with the underlying issues. | | | | other clinicians. The Association's website contains a |
| The boarding school tries to determine and deal with | | | | list of nearly 80 questions you should ask in order to |
| those underlying problems that are causing the | | | | evaluate a school, along with much additional |
| negative behaviors. As an example, if feelings of | | | | information. |
| rejection or failure are causing the teenager's anger | | | | You've probably already done this, but if you haven't, |
| and acting out, dealing with those underlying feelings is | | | | it's important to have a competent professional do a |
| going to be much more effective in curbing the anger | | | | complete evaluation. You need to know if there is |
| and negative behavior than will focusing on the anger | | | | anything else going on, such as ADHD, depression, |
| itself. | | | | drugs, or some other situational or environmental |
| Since each individual is different, and each situation is | | | | problem that the child hasn't been willing to talk about. |
| different, the school will try to set limits and establish | | | | You need to find out what else is behind the defiance, |
| structure appropriate to the individual. With time and | | | | acting out and anger. The answers to these questions |
| help, the child will slowly learn to stop blaming others, to | | | | will help determine the right type of program or school |
| take responsibility for his own actions, and to act | | | | for your child. Also, there are professionals who have |
| appropriately. | | | | experience in, or even specialize in, placing adolescents |
| In this way, the necessary changes are internalized | | | | in this type of program. |
| and are much more likely to be permanent. | | | | Many parents have stated that placing their teen into a |
| As part of this learning and growing process, the child | | | | boarding school was the most difficult thing they ever |
| will probably participate in individual therapy once a | | | | had to do, but that doing so was absolutely the best |
| week, at least. He will also participate in group therapy, | | | | decision they ever made. If that's a decision you're |
| perhaps daily. | | | | facing, we hope it works out that way for you, too. |