There are many troubled teen programs to consider when parents are looking for help for their struggling son or daughter. Often, the decision for many parents come down between a therapeutic boarding school or a boot camp.

So, if you are caught between these choices, how do you know which is right for your troubled teenager? Well, Help Your Teen Now is here to walk you through why a therapeutic boarding school may be the right way to go for your teen rather than a boot camp.

Consider What You Want For Your Teen

Before we jump into which of these programs is right for your child, it’s important to define what it is you are looking for when it comes to a troubled teen program.

In most cases, parents start considering troubled teen programs like boot camp and therapeutic boarding schools when all their local resources are exhausted. Often, this means parents are frustrated and afraid for their children, as it looks like nothing can help. This state of mind isn’t conducive to making a clear choice. If these feelings of turmoil and worry sound familiar, try to set them aside and consider these things:

• Do you want your teen to be “scared straight” or do you want them to experience lasting change?
• Can your troubled teen overcome their issues without intensive therapeutic intervention?
• Will spending weeks to months out of school really benefit your teen or will a therapeutic school ultimately be best for your teen?
• Do you want a teen who will be good when held to discipline but has no innate tools to create lifelong structure or one who is fully equipped to make good life choices?

Think about your answers to these questions as we tell you about the benefits of boot camps and therapeutic boarding schools for troubled teens.

Weigh The Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding School vs Boot Camp

There are benefits to both types of these troubled teen programs. To see which would work best for your son or daughter, you will need to weigh the benefits against each other.

Benefits of therapeutic boarding schools for troubled teens

• Individualized care plans developed for each enrolled student.
• Best therapeutic boarding schools have accredited educational programs where teens can fix grades and graduate with a high school diploma.
• Immersive, daily therapy is built into the student’s life.
• School program stays start at six months to a couple of years, to help troubled teens make lasting changes.
• Professionals on staff from teachers to therapists are licensed and experienced in working with troubled teens.
• Troubled teens also learn a variety of essential skills from teamwork to time management.

Benefits of boot camps for troubled teens

• Easy drop in as each teen is expected to follow the set structure of the boot camp.
• High focus of physical exertion to expend energy and achieve discipline.
• Generally short-term program, lasting anywhere from four weeks to several months.
• Very affordable as boot camps are often shorter programs.

As you can see, if you are looking to provide your teenager with the life skills and tools they need to be happy, well-adjusted young adults, a therapeutic boarding school is the best option. Boot camps often only instill short-term discipline, and they lack the therapeutic aspect that helps teens make those internal changes for true self-improvement.

In fact, teens who are sent to boot camps are often sent to therapeutic boarding schools afterward, as parents realize the short program didn’t have the lasting effect they were hoping for their teen to undergo. This is often especially for troubled teen boys, as boys with mental and emotional issues often respond best to the therapeutic structure of a boarding school for troubled teen boys.

Choose Therapeutic Boarding School For Lasting Change

You can skip the unnecessary hassle and expense of sending your teen to boot camp and choose a therapeutic boarding school from the get-go. That way, your troubled teen can begin to truly change and flourish sooner.

If you aren’t sure where to start on your therapeutic boarding school search, you can contact us here at Help Your Teen Now. As a group of parent advocates, we are ready to help you for free find the right place for your son or daughter to change, heal, and learn.