Raising a teen with severe behavioral issues can be one of the most exhausting experiences for a parent. When nothing you do for your son seems to make a difference, full time facilities such as residential treatment centers or therapeutic boarding schools can be a valuable resource for you. Such programs immerse teens in surroundings designed to help them learn to manage issues such as depression, anxiety, anger, defiance, substance abuse or mental disorders. Full time facilities remove teens from the pressures and triggers of the home environment and allow them to focus on making healthy changes and gaining the tools they need to become healthy and happy.
What Do They Do?
Therapeutic schools provide full time care and coaching for troubled adolescent boys and girls. While the curriculum will vary at each facility, most offer a arrangement of individual, group and family therapies. Academic programs, recreational activities and life skills opportunities are also provided at many facilities. Teens learn to manage their condition, cope with day to day challenges and gain the tools they need for more effective communication with peers and authority figures. Each teen is assessed upon arrival by a qualified therapist in order to create a plan of care that is unique to his needs and goals.
What Will My Teen Learn?
Most programs provide a combination of the following:
- Communication Skills – Team based activities and group therapy helps each teen to practice effective communication and teamwork. They also work on personal boundaries and healthy interaction.
- Healthy Coping Skills – Most teens attending therapeutic schools have developed unhealthy responses to challenges and daily temptations. They are taught to identify their personal triggers while learning and practicing positive reactions.
- Self-Esteem – Poor behavior choices can often result from a lack of confidence. Through a variety of different therapies, such as music or recreation, troubled teen boys learn how to recognize their strengths and identify their weaknesses in order to manage them.
- Academics – Most programs provide accredited educational opportunities that allow teen boys to work at their own pace with the help of qualified tutors and instructors.
- Balance – The goal of therapeutic schools for boys is to help them learn to introduce healthy balance into their lives. Work, play and positive relationship building are all skills that need to be practiced in order to enact long term changes. Both teens and their parents are guided through the process of making the transition home and maintaining the work that was accomplished.
Liahona Academy is a residential treatment center located in southern Utah. We are a school that caters to troubled teen boys and we specialize in helping them turn their lives around and go on to lead successful lives. For information about our program, or a free consultation, please contact us at 855-587-1416.
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