You’ve come to the difficult decision and concluded that you need help with your teenager. They’re constantly irritable, they don’t care about school or their grades, and you can’t remember the last time they’ve made a good choice. Once you’ve decided that you need outside help with your child, the next step is to find a program that you trust will be the right fit for you and your family. Here are a few ways you can check a program’s credentials so that you can rest assured knowing that you are putting your teen in good hands.

Experience

You’re not going to trust just anyone with your child, nor should you. It’s important to find a well-established program that has all the tools necessary to set your child up for success and help them become the person you’ve always known they could be. Such a program should have the following…

• Qualified Faculty– only trained professionals should be working with your teen. This means the teachers should be credentialed and have experience working with youth and all staff should be given a background check prior to employment.
• Accreditation– You want to choose a program with a licensed facility that has accredited academics so that your child can keep up with their schooling.
• Safety– Your child will be staying here and you want assurance that during their stay they will be well cared for.
• Therapy– If therapy is offered at this facility you want to ensure that it is given by licensed professionals.

What is their Motivation?

Many therapeutic boarding schools can cost up to 2.5 thousand dollars a month. These schools all want your child’s tuition but only a few will be the right fit for you and your family. Before making such a huge financial commitment, first ask yourself, “what is this program’s motivation for helping my teen?” It is worthwhile to use a third party with no financial interest in your child’s tuition to help you conclude which boarding school would be best for your teen.

Testimonials

One way to learn more about a program is by reading testimonials from parents and past students. If you can only find one or two nice comments, this can be an indicator to seek help from somewhere else. In contrast, if they have a number of testimonials from parents who can’t say enough good things about their program, you can feel good knowing they’ve helped hundreds of other teens and they’ll be able to help yours as well.

You don’t want to have any reservations about having your child under someone else’s care and supervision. By doing these three tips to check a program’s credentials, you can be more comfortable knowing your child will be in good hands.