The Valuable Skills Learned By Troubled Teens During Behavior Modification Therapy

The teen years are difficult for everyone, but some teenagers struggle more than others. As teens move through adolescence and transition from childhood to adulthood, they can struggle to understand their place in the world. Things like self-esteem, self-regulation, and communication can be complicated for a lot of troubled teens. As they receive new responsibilities, many adolescents struggle with their roles and learning to adjust to them. Thankfully, therapy can be beneficial for all teens, no matter how much they struggle with their adolescent transition. Attending regular therapy sessions with a licensed clinician helps teens learn valuable life skills that will serve them well in adulthood. Teens who attend Liahona Academy receive individual and group therapy designed to help them lead healthy, productive lives.

What life skills do troubled teens learn during behavior modification therapy?

There are a variety of valuable life skills that teens learn through behavior modification therapy. While attending a therapeutic boarding school, troubled boys learn more about themselves and how to interact with others. Each student receives a personalized treatment plan designed to meet their individual goals. They also get to participate in group therapy sessions and therapeutic recreational activities. All of these activities are designed to help students develop and practice new life skills, including:

1. Communication skills

Communication is key in any relationship. If your teen is going to progress into adulthood with healthy relationships, they must understand how to communicate effectively. By learning and practicing new communication techniques, your teen will better understand how to express their needs and how to relate to others. Students work with their therapist to learn how to listen with understanding. For many people, listening is a learned skill. It’s easier to assume that we know what the other person means or what they expect of us without taking the time to ensure that we understand what they mean. By learning to listen with understanding, students learn how to pay attention to what’s being said and ask clarifying questions to reduce confusion. Students also learn how to state what they mean clearly. Rather than assuming that the other person in the relationship knows what they want, they learn to communicate what they want effectively. By learning to speak their needs and listen to what other people are saying, troubled teens develop communication skills to help them throughout their lives.

2. Time-management skills

Plenty of teens end up in trouble at home or school because they don’t follow through with their responsibilities. Since they aren’t little kids anymore, they shouldn’t need to be nagged to get their work done. However, many teens lack the time-management skills necessary to complete their responsibilities. By learning time-management skills, teens learn how to prioritize their responsibilities to accomplish everything they need to. When they start completing their tasks on time with minimal procrastination, teens find that they also have time to do the fun things that they enjoy. Time-management skills don’t come easily to everyone, and many teens need specific help to develop those skills.

3. Goal-setting skills

Many teens get off track at school or start getting into trouble because they lack motivation. If they don’t have any life goals in mind, they have nothing to strive for and work towards. Without the motivation to reach a particular goal, troubled teens get sidetracked and do whatever seems fun at the moment. Teens need to learn goal-setting skills so that they can determine what they want in life. Once they have something to shoot for, they are more likely to make positive choices that get them closer to their goals. During therapy sessions, students work with their therapists to identify overarching life goals and create plans to work toward those goals. The therapist guides the student through the goal-setting process to ultimately learn how to identify and set goals on their own. This process sets the student up to manage their behavior in the future since they will understand how their actions relate to their goals.

4. Relationship skills

Many teens fall in with the wrong crowd because they don’t understand the role relationships play in their lives. Similar to communication skills, teens need to know how to build healthy, fulfilling relationships. By understanding the give and take of a relationship, teens are more likely to develop positive friendships and positive romantic relationships in the future. Students learn to identify what they need in a relationship during behavior modification therapy and what makes a healthy relationship. They learn to take ownership of their actions rather than placing blame on others. They also learn the importance of choosing friends and romantic partners who are mutually beneficial. In the best relationships, both people build each other up and make each other better.

5. Emotional regulation skills

By learning to take ownership of their emotions, troubled teens can gain control over their emotional regulation. The teen years tend to be a challenging time emotionally. Changing hormones can throw them into mood swings and make them feel things they don’t want to feel. Unfortunately, there’s not much they can do about their hormones. However, there’s a lot that they can do to regulate their emotions and the way they act on them. Therapists work with the students to develop positive coping techniques that lead to emotional regulation. The students learn to identify emotions when they feel them and then learn how to manage those emotions. By understanding their emotions rather than being controlled by them, teens are more likely to make purposeful decisions rather than just going with what they feel.

Will your troubled teen benefit from behavior modification therapy?

The quick answer is: yes. Teenagers go through a massive shift in their appearance and mindset, and therapy can help them transition. There are countless life skills that teens can learn by attending therapy sessions. Teen who struggle to manage their day-to-day life can see massive benefits from therapy. By learning to set goals for themselves and make positive life choices aligned with those goals, troubled teens can get back on track at home and school. Contact us today to find out if Liahona Academy is right for your son.