Finding the Right Therapeutic Boarding School: Hope for Your Troubled Teen

Signs Your Teen Might Benefit from a Therapeutic Boarding School

• Academic Struggles: Persistent failing grades, truancy, refusal to engage with schoolwork despite diagnosed learning disabilities or mental health conditions.
• Emotional Volatility: Frequent outbursts, extreme mood swings, difficulty regulating emotions (beyond typical teenage behavior).
• Defiance and Conflict: Ongoing arguments, rule-breaking, aggression towards authority figures or others.
• Self-Destructive Behaviors: Indications of substance abuse, self-harm, talk of suicide.
• Isolation: Withdrawal from friends, family, and activities they once enjoyed.
• Continued Struggle with Mental Health Conditions: Major depression or general anxiety disorder, learning disabilities, conduct disorders, ADD, ADHD, ODD, or general angst that interferes with their academic progress.

When Traditional Support (Therapy and Medication) is Not Enough

How can you, as a parent, recognize the moment it’s time to consider a therapeutic boarding school (TBS) for your troubled teen? Consulting with educational and mental health professionals such as school counselors, teachers, and adolescent psychologists is a crucial first step.

These experts can offer invaluable insights into whether a TBS could be a beneficial next step for your child.

If you’ve already sought assistance through therapy, guidance from school counselors, or medication, yet find your teen’s struggles persist or even escalate, it might be time to explore the potential of a more structured and nurturing environment like a therapeutic boarding school.

For many parents, the tough decision to enroll their teen in a TBS is often reached after serious incidents such as arrests, school expulsions, violent behaviors, threats of harm, or when their teen becomes overwhelmingly difficult to manage.

By the time this decision is considered, many parents have already pursued a diagnosis for their teen from a psychiatrist or psychologist, identifying one or more underlying disorders.

Despite these efforts, the situation might be complicated by ineffective medication or the teen’s refusal to take prescribed medication that could offer relief.

When it comes time to remove the teen from their home environment, parents might need to consider talking to an intervention specialist who is trained to deal with uncooperative teens.

The Path to a Therapeutic Boarding School

The admissions process into a TBS involves the teen’s consulting physicians, mental health specialists, and parents discussing the teen’s psychological and emotional problems. The teen’s past behavioral demonstrations and diagnosis are also used to develop a treatment program unique to their needs. Therapeutic boarding schools admit teens admission is year-around. 

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Therapeutic Boarding School for Your Troubled Teen

• • Don’t assume schools on a ‘best therapeutic schools’ list are automatically suitable for your teen. Thoroughly research each school you’re interested in before contacting it.

• • Ask the TBS about their accreditation and licensing status. Reputable accrediting agencies include The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) and others.

• • Be aware that an emotional growth school is not a therapeutic school. The two terms are often used interchangeably in online articles about troubled teens.
    • An emotional growth school does not offer academic studies or intense therapy and counseling for teens with serious emotional and mental health issues. Instead, it focuses on improving a teen’s self-esteem, self-acceptance, and self-awareness by offering holistic workshops and group activities with peers.

• • Ask the TBS about their accreditation and licensing status before inquiring about anything else. The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs is one such accrediting agency that can be trusted.

• • Ask about the academic programs offered by the TBS. Programs should be constructed to assist students in achieving their current grade level (if they are behind) and prepare them for college courses, if applicable.

• • Does the therapeutic boarding school provide ample time for teens to enjoy leisure activities with peers? Find out what kind of activities the school offers and if these activities are conducive to improving a teen’s life skills and communication abilities.

If you are a parent of a teen who is out of control and you don’t know what else to do to help your teen, please contact troubledteens.com today to learn more about the benefits of a therapeutic boarding school. 

We provide comprehensive assistance to parents who have exhausted all options and need guidance for the next step.”