There are plenty of reasons that parents of troubled teens enroll their children in therapeutic and alternative boarding schools. The structured atmosphere of the school is beneficial in helping teens start a new chapter in their lives. The blending of therapy, academics and more really gives the kids the incentive to make changes and address the root of their behavioral, emotional or mental health issues. The long-term success that so many teens experience after therapeutic boarding school is evidence that these kinds of programs, when done right, really make a difference.

Here are just a few of the factors that lead to the success of therapeutic and alternative boarding schools in Texas:

• Therapeutic: Licensed and experienced counselors work with the teens in group sessions and individual sessions so that they can address their issues head-on and develop coping skills and strategies to overcome them.
• Academic: Boarding schools employ licensed teachers who have small classrooms and lots of experience in special education. Students have the chance to make up credits, get to grade level and even earn a high school diploma.
• Social: Teens at boarding schools usually live in dorms or group homes where they share responsibilities for chores, cooking and so forth. They are also placed in situation where they must develop healthy relationships with peers and mentors, making it easier for them to get a long socially.
• Personal development: Most alternative and therapeutic boarding schools have leadership training and character development classes and workshops, and also give teens a chance to grow and change elsewhere on campus.
• Recreational therapy: Teens want to have fun, and boarding schools have a number of activities for them to boost self-esteem, set and achieve goals and develop talents. Extracurricular activities like drama, music, sports and art are common, and recreation activities like canoeing, horse back riding, hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and more vary based on location.
• Life skills: Most troubled teens aren’t prepared for adulthood, but a lot of the time in a therapeutic boarding school is spent developing life skills. From budgeting to career planning and everything in between, teens grow more skilled in transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.

Help Your Teen Now wants to alleviate some of your stress and worry by working with you in a free evaluation to ensure that your teen is a right match for programs like these.

Issues Teens May Face Without Help from Texas Boarding Schools

When troubled teen behavior moves beyond typical adolescent rebellion, it can lead to a number of issues that can get your child in trouble at school or with the law, and even harm himself or others. Texas parents who see their teen’s behavior getting worse and worse, and are not seeing any improvements even after initial help, should seriously consider boarding schools in Texas. These risky behaviors need to be stopped before the worst case scenarios take place.

Here are just a few of the risky behaviors that Texas teens engage in:

• Suicide: Texas ranks 31st in the nation for teen suicides.
• Alcohol abuse: Approximately 16.4% of Texas teens drink alcohol.
• Binge drinking: 9.5% of Texas teens binge drink.
• Drug use: Illicit drug use in Texas teens is at 5.2%.
• Teen arrests: Annually there are approximately 1,182 arrests for property crime, 181 arrests for violent crime, 566 arrests for drug abuse and 61 arrests for weapons violations.
• High school graduation: Texas has an 86% graduation rate.

Parents who intervene in the downward spiral of a troubled teen’s life are offering them the best chance of reversing the downward trends they face. when teens are enrolled in a facility or school that is safe, supervised and focusing on therapy and school, there is a much lower risk that teens will engage in these risky behaviors.

Use Help Your Teen Now Resources to Find Top Boarding Schools in Texas

There are few things more frightening than seeing your son or daughter self-destructing. If you are at the point where you know you need to do something but don’t know where to turn, consider Help Your Teen Now. We’ve been where you are, and we have experience with our own troubled teens. We’ve also gathered information from countless other parents and teens about individual programs across the country, not just Texas.