It should go without saying that being the parent of a troubled teen can be incredibly difficult. A teen who is facing several concerns, whether mental health or behavioral, can also prove to be a challenge to your ability to work and focus on stability for other family members.

What avenues have you tried to get your teen help?

It could be time for you to consider getting your teen a different kind of help. A therapeutic boarding school can offer the structure, stability, and focus on healing that a teen in crisis needs.

As a parent, it can be hard to make the decision. After all, your first instinct with a troubled teen is to keep them as close to you as possible, to protect them. But it may get to a point where it becomes more painful or challenging to remain in your current situation. At this point, it’s time for you and your family to find a way forward.

We’re breaking the decision-making process down so that you can feel comfortable about your choice to get your teen the best help possible.

Factors to consider when sending a teen to therapeutic boarding school

When you’re struggling with a teen in trouble and wondering what the next step is for your family, there are several factors to consider.

Ask yourself a few questions:

• How is the behavior impacting his siblings and other members of the family?
• Has the family dynamic changed since the trouble started?
• Is he at risk of harm or injury?
• Are you walking on eggshells to avoid setting him off?
• Has he run away, or is he at risk of running away?
• Is he having behavioral problems at school?
• Has he been suspended from school?
• Perhaps he’s had encounters with the law?

Most important of all, does your troubled teen seem like he’s willing to work on change?

Is he making an effort or telling you that he knows the importance of changing?

If your teen has been struggling with depression, anxiety, self-harming and other self-injury behaviors, does he seem honest in his desire to get treatment and recover?

If you find that you’re comfortable with the answers you’re coming up with, perhaps continuing to work through your teen’s problems at home is the right option. Counseling and other types of therapy can prove beneficial. If you’ve already tried this route and things are still difficult, you need to take another approach.

If you’re not comfortable with the honest answers you’re coming up with, then you should consider ending those negative thoughts that are keeping you from getting your teen the help that a therapeutic boarding school can offer.

Benefits of a therapeutic boarding school for teens

You may think that you are giving up on your teen by getting him help from an outside resource. In truth, there are several benefits that you may see when your son spends time in a therapeutic boarding school.

A few benefits of sending your troubled teen to therapeutic boarding school include:

• Structure is a large part of the day-to-day for the teen in a therapeutic boarding school. This structure will be quite similar to what he likely faced at home but in a more controlled environment.
• Stability is another factor that can benefit your troubled teen. Some parents find that the stability at home can be questionable when parents are split up and no longer living together.
• Safety away from bullies and other sources of harm is very important. Whether your teen has struggled with abuse from peers or has struggled with peer pressure, removing him from the situation can prove incredibly helpful.
• Focusing on healing, without external distractions, can help your teen to find his way back to good mental health.
• A renewed focus on his education. Your troubled teen could find himself struggling with a range of concerns that leave him falling behind at school. Time in a therapeutic boarding school will allow him to catch up and possibly even leap ahead with his classes and education in general. Feeling that boost of confidence could also encourage him to look at his options for college.

Is your teen struggling with addiction, depression, self-harming or self-destructive behaviors, or perhaps aggressive behavior?

Time in a therapeutic boarding school will give your teen time to address each concern with individualized programs to meet their needs. With the focused attention on their individual needs, teens can see successful, long-lasting changes.

An added benefit is that time spent in a therapeutic boarding school can help improve your teen’s relationship with you and their siblings.

Talking to your teen about going to therapeutic boarding school

There are good odds that your teen will not be receptive to the idea of leaving home and going to a therapeutic boarding school. The truth is that it’s not always in his best interests to allow him to have much of a say in the matter.

There are, of course, steps that your family can take before you get to the point of considering therapeutic boarding school. Other options include:

• Individual therapy
• Family therapy
• Medications
• Behavior modification therapy
• Increased structure and rules at home
• Increased consequences for poor behavior

If these things aren’t helping your teen see progress, there is nothing wrong with seeking help from another resource. Children and teens often behave differently when they are around other adults.

The therapeutic boarding school you choose will be staffed with mental wellness professionals, educators, and others who will help him focus himself in the right direction. At Help Your Teen Now, we can connect families with the resources needed to find your way back to normalcy and stability.