Consider Alternative Schools For Behavior Problems

While the average student of the public school system may get through without an issue, teens with behavioral issues may find little success. Rather than face more calls from teachers and principals to discuss your teen’s poor behavior, it may be time to consider alternative schools for your teenager.

Now, we don’t mean an alternative school that is attached to the public school system. Often, these schools are even more underfunded and have a concentration of troubled teens, without the needed therapeutic guidance these teenagers need. Instead, therapeutic boarding schools and residential treatment centers may be the alternative schooling option that can help your teen start to thrive again.

Therapeutic Boarding Schools Blend Academics And Therapy

Teens face a number of struggles that can derail their lives, from academic failure to substance abuse. Often, by the time that parents see the impact of their teens’ struggles, the issues are often deeply entrenched and require the help of a therapist to assist the teens to course correct. However, it is usually not as simple as attending therapy for an hour once a week.

For instance, say your teen has been struggling with depression. Their old friends may not understand and draw away as your teen tries to deal with their depression. To help overcome the hurt and find somewhere to fit in, your teen may turn to more of the fringe teens at their schools, ones who are abusing illegal substances and are engaged in delinquent behavior.

Before you know it, your teen can become entrenched in this group, having their grades tanked and engaging in substance abuse to medicate their feelings. Clearly, simply attending therapy is not enough in these circumstances.

At a therapeutic boarding school, these behaviors can and will be addressed. Therapy is built into the daily schedule with group and experiential therapy, and weekly individual therapy sessions are also implemented. Along with the emphasis on therapy, teens can repair their grades and catch up academically with their peers with the assistance of licensed teachers.

Also, while these schools are not for detoxing, teens who have completed an in-patient treatment for drug abuse are welcome to come and learn more appropriate coping methods to dealing with issues rather than self-medicating with substance abuse.

Residential Treatment Centers Allow For A Fresh Start

One of the hardest parts of making a behavioral change is that the same environment that created the poor behavior is still there. For instance, say your teen is used to skipping school and staying out all hours.

Even if your teen understands and wants to change that behavior, the reasons why your teen skipped school and stayed out are still present. Maybe your teen is failing classes and doesn’t want to be trapped with the feelings of failure. The friends who encourage your teen to ditch school and stay out all hours are also still present, and they likely will pressure your teen to keep engaging in bad behavior.

A more therapeutically intensive environment, residential treatment centers can help teens who are struggling with deep-seated behavioral issues. By going out-of-state to attend a residential treatment center, your teen can get the fresh start they need to begin to develop better behaviors and habits.

Even better, residential treatment centers also offer accredited academics, so your teen won’t be missing out academically as they attend therapy and being the healing process.

Alternative Schools Provide Effective Structure For Teens

Consistency is needed to develop new and improved behaviors and habits. While public school provides some structure for struggling teens, it often isn’t enough.

Instead, alternative schooling options like therapeutic boarding schools and residential treatment centers have highly structured daily schedules. One of the benefits of this kind of structure is that there are far fewer opportunities to find trouble.

Also, teens often thrive when given more structure, which might shock most parents of teenagers. Yet, as teens are constantly testing their boundaries, giving them firm boundaries in the form of a structured day, struggling teens can start to thrive.

Help The Whole Family Heal

Your teen isn’t the only one who benefits from attending an alternative school for behavioral issues. For one thing, family therapy sessions are included as part of residential treatment centers and therapeutic boarding schools. That way, the whole family can address issues with the attending teen with the help and guidance of a qualified therapist.

The entire family can also benefit from the space that having your teen away can provide. Often, by the time a teen attends one of these alternative schools, there are built-up issues and resentments that need space to allow for healing.

If you would like assistance to determine if Sundance Canyon Academy is the option that best suits your teen’s needs, you can contact us here at Sundance Canyon Academy.