Can You Achieve Successful Behavior Modification At A Youth Boot Camp?

Parents struggling with a troubled teen may consider boot camp as an option. Putting your child in a structured environment—one that offers challenges and discipline—can seem like a quick way to whip them into shape.

More and more, however, researchers are finding boot camps are merely a band-aid, failing to cultivate real and lasting changes in troubled teens. Experts say this form of intervention may even encourage recidivism, or repeated unlawful behavior.

If you want your son to get his life back on track, you’d do better to look at a residential treatment center for troubled teens. At Sundance Canyon Academy , we provide a safe and thorough program where boys in crisis can overcome their problems with the help of our qualified support staff.

You may still feel the pull of boot camp. These shorter retreats may be cheaper, and your hardline confidants may say your troubled teenage boy needs to be “scared straight.” There are, however, a number of reasons to eschew boot camp.  

Boot Camps Are A Short-Term Solution

Boot camps tend to be much shorter in duration than a teen’s stay at a residential treatment center.

While the length of diversion programs vary, many last 20 to 40 days. By the time you consider sending your son away, he has probably been struggling for some time. It’s unlikely a few weeks is enough time to truly rehabilitate a troubled adolescent.

Your troubled teen boy will spend more time at a residential treatment center. This gives him enough space to underst