Military School For Troubled Teens

If your teenager is exhibiting harmful or concerning behavior, getting your troubled teen professional help is a must. But what kind of facility would best be able to help your child? Many parents start looking at military schools for troubled teens as a way to eliminate and resolve bad behavior, but they may not be aware of all the different options available. There are many misconceptions about what military school is, and we want to ensure parents are educated about these programs before deciding where to get their child help.

Help Your Teen Now is devoted to ensuring you know all the facts, especially since sending your child to a school for troubled teens is difficult. If you’d like to speak with an expert on our team to learn more about the program that can best help your teen, call us at 1-800-901-7347.

What Is A Military School For Troubled Youth?

Military schools are considered a privilege to attend; therefore, most teens are not accepted to the program without recommendations and a financial investment. On average, military schools for teens can cost upwards of $25,000, according to the Army & Navy Academy.

Military schools are strict, structured, and staffed with people who will take a hard line on discipline. Military schools are not designed to help teens struggling with a variety of behavioral and emotional issues, such as

• Underachieving
• Defiant 
• Poor Grades
• Talking Back
• Drug Usage
• Teen Drinking
• Sexually Active
• Out of Control Behavior

Troubled teens require an environment that addresses emotional, behavioral, and mental health issues. Military schools do not offer this type of attention and care and are not a good fit for a troubled teen. Despite what you’ve seen and heard in movies and media, military school is not what you think it is. It’s common for parents to think of military schools as strict, structured, and staffed places with people who will take a hard line on discipline. In other words, experienced advisers would never recommend military school for your troubled teen.

Many military schools won’t even accept teenagers with a history of problems, as they are meant not to force teens into discipline but to prepare them for a career in the military later on. Only special military school programs will allow a troubled teen entry to “straighten them out.” It’s important to ask many questions about a program before sending your teen there. But you can start by asking yourself if you want to send your teen to a program to be “straightened out” or to receive the emotional support they need for a lasting impact on their behavior and well-being.

How Can Parents Know If A Military School For Troubled Teens Is An Option For Their Teenager?

If you’re serious about finding the best help for your struggling teen, then it’s time to seek schools for troubled teens outside of military school. A facility with a therapeutic component is necessary for troubled teens to be able to heal, learn, recover, and progress. As an organization that has helped parents find the right therapeutic program for troubled teens for over 20 years, we recommend looking into residential treatment centers or therapeutic boarding schools for troubled teens.

Program Options Besides Military School For Troubled Youth

Fortunately, all kinds of teen help programs provide better care and help for troubled teens struggling with emotional, behavioral, and mental illnesses.

• Residential Treatment Programs: Residential treatment programs typically require a 6 to 12-month stay and focus on treatment for various issues. Whether you are looking for a facility that focuses on a particular area of treatment, such as violent behavior or learning disabilities, or you prefer an all-encompassing treatment center, there are a lot of options. Some residential programs include academics, where your teen can catch up on their credits and return home all caught up or even ahead. Others are more medically focused and do not include academics. It’s important to thoroughly research and ask questions before deciding the best fit for your teen.
• Equine Residential Treatment Centers: Some residential treatment centers include equine therapy, which is not their primary focus. We can help you do your research so you know if you are looking at a fully equine-based residential program or one where it is a bonus. These facilities are very similar to traditional residential treatment centers for troubled teens. The significant difference, however, is the inclusion of equine-assisted therapy. Through this unique approach to treatment, equine residential treatment centers address the mental and emotional difficulties that teenagers face. 
• Therapeutic boarding schools: These schools for troubled teens are the ideal alternative to teen military schools. They provide the security and safety that other programs provide, yet also have a highly successful school structure, including regular classes, specialty classes, and after-school activities. Therapy is conducted several times weekly, individually and in a group.
• Wilderness camps: These programs are generally 2 to 3 months long and are an excellent way to get teens out of their comfort zone and into a new environment. Living away from home and living outside is a way to get troubled teens to begin addressing their behavioral problems and learn new skills. Wilderness camps offer a sense of community but are not offered as long-term stays.

Military Schools

• Pros

• • Extremely strict, structured discipline
  • Designed for teens who want a military career

• Cons

• • No Counseling or support services
  • Cost ($25K and up)

Residential Boarding School & Therapeutic Boarding Schools 

• Pros

• • Strict, structured discipline (but not as extreme as military school)
  • Academics, counseling, and personal therapy
  • Designed for teens with emotional challenges, mental health disorders, addictions, and behavioral issues.

• Cons

• • $1500-$3500 monthly for most residential treatment centers, $2500-$ 10,000 monthly for therapeutic boarding school
  • Not ideal for teens who require more discipline

While typical teenage rebellion is to be expected, when kids become aggressive, defiant, abusive, and irresponsible, it is time to consider that they may need the structure and support of a proven teen help program that is not a military school.

Issues Facing Teens In Need of Military Schools For Troubled Youth

When teens struggle with physical, mental, or emotional challenges, they often demonstrate extreme behavior, make poor choices, and can even endanger their own life or the lives of others. They participate in risky behavior that can jeopardize their future with long-term consequences, especially if nothing is done to help them.

Here are just some of the risky behaviors that troubled teens may engage in:

• Alcohol abuse
• Binge drinking
• Smoking or chewing tobacco
• Drug abuse
• Violence and using weapons
• Suicide
• Risky sexual activity
• Breaking the law

When parents of troubled teens don’t know what to do to provide help, many of them contact the nearest military school hoping that could be the answer. When these schools are willing to take these teens on, they don’t advise the parents of the potential risks, or let them know that they lack the proper treatment options to help them overcome these issues. You may be putting your teen in a dangerous situation.

State laws often offer a different set of rules for a military school than a therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment center. For example, they are not obligated to deal with their students’ emotional or even mental needs. There is no requirement to have psychiatrists or therapists on staff. There is no law regarding mental health statutes. All of this makes it an ill-suited place for troubled youth needing help.

Research Options Other than Military School For Troubled Teens

All the teen help programs out there, whether it is a behavior boot camp, therapeutic boarding school, wilderness program or residential treatment center, have a similar purpose–to help troubled teens with their current problems. Depending on what your teen is struggling with, one facility may be better than another in leading them toward health and healing. Making that decision is difficult, but having a general idea of your options can help.

We Can Help You Find The Right School For Your Troubled Teen

Finding the right fit for your teenager is not an easy task. Contact us to help guide you through choosing the program that will benefit your teen the most. We have over two decades of experience dealing with residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools, and other behavioral modification programs that offer the best-specialized help for troubled teens. You can call us now for personal help at 1-800-901-7347.

Troubled Teen Mental Health Crisis Facing America

There is no question that we have seen an uptick in mental health conditions in American youth. However, we notice that insufficient resources are available to help troubled teens. Learn more about inpatient residential treatment programs and other options to help teens facing such intense challenges:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haEbUg6swfg

If you have any questions on military schools please contact us or review our FAQ Page

Other Related Resources You Will Find Useful

• What Happens At Military Schools
• Military Schools for Troubled Teen Boys
• Is an All Girls Military School the Best Choice
• Military School For Troubled Teens Are Not Exactly What’s Best
• 3 Common Thoughts Before Sending Troubled Teens To Military School