Parenting a teen with extreme behavioral issues can take up all of your resources and energy. It can seem impossible that your child is no longer willing or able to respond to your efforts to discipline him and help keep him on a positive path. When nothing you try seems to make a difference, it may be time to consider help that is more therapeutically intensive. Reform schools like residential treatment centers and therapeutic boarding schools are designed to help troubled teens overcome their issues in an environment that is both supportive and therapeutic. Because such programs accommodate teens away from their home environment, they are free of the usual temptations and distractions that impede healthy development. Knowing what kind of treatment reform schools can provide is an ideal way to make sure that your son is in a facility that is right for him.
What Happens At A Full Time Therapeutic Program?
After each student arrives, they are evaluated by a qualified therapist to determine their emotional, mental and medical needs. Not only does this effectively create a baseline for treatment, but this assessment also allows the staff to develop a plan of care that is individualized for each boy’s needs. While each facility will be somewhat unique, most of them provide some combination of therapeutic, academic and life skills services. Your son’s treatment plan will include coordinated group activities that help him learn to balance work and play as well as chores and duties that allow him to practice responsibility. The primary goal of residential treatment centers is to help struggling teens identify the core of their issues and heal from the inside out for more effective results.
How Does A Therapeutic Program Benefit My Family?
As you decide what kind of care is going to be best for your son, consider that one of the benefits is the respite you will receive. Parenting a troubled teen can take a toll and many parents need the time to recuperate and rest while their son is in a safe and supportive environment. Rather than shouldering the burden alone, you will receive help as you determine, with the help of experienced professionals, what is going to help your son best turn his life around. Both teens and parents have the valuable opportunity to get some distance while they develop better communication.
Residential treatment programs are designed for parents that are out of options when it comes to helping their troubled child. While sending your son away can seem intimidating, some teens cannot become receptive to positive changes without a more regulated environment than they are able to experience at home. If you have reached this point with your son, take the time you need to ensure that the facilities you are considering will be a good fit for him and offer you the peace of mind that you need.
Sundance Canyon Academy, a residential treatment center in northern Utah, is dedicated to helping troubled teen boys with a variety of behavioral issues. We offer a unique relationship based therapy program that allows teens to become the agents of their own change, unlike behavior modification therapy programs. For questions or a consultation, please contact us at (866) 640-1899.