Temper tantrums and other outbursts can be manageable in young children. However, the problem is, when struggling teens engage in out-of-control behavior, it is far more difficult for parents to help their teens. Yet, should their teens’ behavior spiral further out-of-control, the consequences can be severe and have long-lasting impacts.
Naturally, most parents will try to rectify their teenagers’ troubling behavior, but it can be difficult to know what to do. Everything from grounding their teens to having them medicated is often tried by parents, though in the end, the most effective solution is therapeutic intervention designed for troubled teens.
Medication And Discipline Are Not Enough
Discipline is a natural part of parenting. However, when dealing with a troubled teen, providing discipline can be both difficult and more of a band-aid rather than a solution. For one thing, you will have to get your teen to follow your discipline—i.e., you ground your teen, but they sneak out anyway—for it to do anything. And even if you are able to enforce your discipline, your teen is more likely to take away the lesson that they need to get away from you to get any power.
As for medication, it can also play an important role in helping your teen but is not a solution on its own. Medication can help your teen regain some balance, but without therapeutic intervention, the root cause of your teenager’s issues will not be addressed.
For instance, say your son struggles with anger management and attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Medication can help your son focus but doesn’t help your son learn to manage his anger or help him learn helpful focusing strategies. Long term, your teen needs therapeutic intervention to help him face his struggles and develop appropriate coping strategies.
Therapeutic Intervention Addressed Troubled Behavior
Rather than resorting to short-term solutions that will be ineffective in the long run, it is essential that your teen receives therapeutic help. Often, therapy is associated with talk therapy. While talk therapy can help individuals work through a variety of issues, some therapists specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
This type of therapy focuses on helping patients change their behavior. Using the above example teen, a CBT therapist would help the teen develop more appropriate responses to things that trigger angry outbursts.
However, once a teen’s behavior has reached out-of-control levels, going to family therapy—and even individual therapy—once a week is often not enough. Instead, a residential treatment center for troubled teens may be the answer that anxious and worn-out parents are looking for to help their teenagers.
Residential Treatment Centers Provide Families With Therapeutic Intervention
Teenagers who have struggled extensively—from failing in school, being expelled for poor behavior, terrorizing siblings, express deviant behavior, and more—can require more immersive therapeutic help. This help can be found at residential treatment centers like Sundance Canyon Academy.
While attending Sundance, teens are carefully monitored and go to regular therapy appointments. Therapy is also baked into the daily schedule, from daily group therapy to family therapy sessions on the weekends. Teens also attend accredited academic classes. That way, when your teen is ready to rejoin their peers, they won’t be behind academically.
If you are interested in our therapeutic program and would like to learn more about how it can help your son, feel free to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you find the best solution to help your teenage son become the young man you know he can become.