Are you looking for help for your teen who is in crisis?

Perhaps your teen is struggling with their academics, suffering from a mood disorder, or is battling a behavioral issue such as substance abuse or aggression.

When the going gets tough, it can be normal to start thinking about alternative options if you’re not able to get through to your teen yourself. You may catch yourself thinking “What are bad kids’ schools called?”and desiring to send them to one.

The truth is that these bad kids schools can help your teen reestablish good behavior that your child is more than capable of exhibiting, and help them to understand their own complex behavioral and psychological issues.

Parents who are struggling with teens who are acting out, breaking the rules, taking part in delinquent behavior, using drugs, or running away from home, may feel overwhelmed and helpless. You may start to look for schools that can handle their bad behavior, especially if your teen is at risk of being expelled from school.

Don’t worry – you’re not alone in your predicament! Many parents have a teen who is struggling and in desperate need of the right kind of help. A school that offers a focus on helping your teen to find structure, safety, stability, and healing can be the answer your family is looking for.

In truth, there is no such thing as a bad kid. We are all born into this world pure of heart. 

Reframing your thinking

If you’re head to head with a teen who is acting out and behaving in ways that take a toll on the rest of the family, it can be difficult to think of your troubled teen as anything other than a bad kid or troublemaker. These thoughts can be compounded by comments made by others, like teachers, coaches, and even law enforcement, when your teen is brought home after getting into trouble.

Giving your teen’s behavior some serious thought, you may be able to work out what could have triggered the downslide into poor decision-making and destructive behaviors.

Is your child silently suffering from depression?

Has your family recently moved to a new city or state?

Have there been major changes or upset at home?

Perhaps your teen has made new friends as a part of a peer group that has a negative influence. There are several reasons your child may find theirself struggling. It’s important to see through the looking glass as to what the deeper rooted causes of your teens behavior could be.

What are bad kids’ schools called?

There are several options for parents looking to help their teens end the cycle of destructive behavior. Some teens can benefit from time away from home, spending time in a residential treatment center or a therapeutic boarding school. Sometimes referred to as alternative schools, each option offers something different for your teen in crisis. Alternative schools can often be something else entirely, including virtual schools, and magnet or charter schools.

Teens struggling with a range of behavioral and mental health issues can better benefit from a therapeutic boarding school. Many schools can fall into this category, including military schools, with a therapeutic component.

Whether your teen will respond better to the structure and routine of a military-style school or one that embraces outdoor living like a wilderness school, it’s important to find the right therapeutic boarding school. Meeting each of their needs is an essential part of ensuring that he or she can heal and recover in the right environment.

Can therapeutic boarding schools help your troubled son or daughter?

If you have a child that has been acting out, there are good odds that you are all too familiar with how their behavior has taken a toll on them, on the family as a whole, and their education. Perhaps your teen has been caught skipping classes or not showing up for school at all. It could be that they’ve stopped doing any of their work or that they don’t study for tests. Their grades may have slipped significantly.

At a therapeutic boarding school, your son or daughter will benefit from programs designed to help with these types of issues. Many have academic recovery programs that can help teens to get their education back on track.

What are the features of a therapeutic boarding school?

• These schools integrate therapy, education and recreation to deliver a long-term solution to the emotional and behavioral problems that teens face. Therapeutic boarding schools are set up so that teens can earn academic credits and even earn a high school diploma. Extracurricular activities are similar to a traditional high school, with drama, art, music, sports, and more. 
• Participants live in a dorm or family-style home setting and are expected to contribute to the community regularly, such as doing chores and caring for the grounds.
• The emotional growth that troubled children or teens experience in a therapeutic boarding school is generally positive, and teens have the opportunity to receive regular therapy via individual and group sessions.

• In addition, most schools have a transition program set up for teens as they near the end of their stay to help them reintegrate with family and regular society once again.

Beyond helping students make up their missed credits and assisting them with focusing on graduation, these academic programs often help children/teens with learning disabilities. Teens who have dyslexia, ADD, or ADHD will be able to get the focused attention that they simply won’t receive in a traditional school setting.

Now, if you believe your child could use a stricter alternative, you might want to consider military schools, which we’ll explore next.

What are the benefits of sending your teen to a military school?

When you think of the question “What are bad kids’ schools called,?” this may be the first type of school that comes to mind. Military schools are facilities that integrate academic education with very disciplined structure and authority. These schools are specifically designed to help troubled adolescents that have behavioral problems and academic challenges by helping them learn responsibility, teamwork, and self-motivation.

What are the benefits of attending a military school?

• It can create structure and resilience in your teens life through leadership opportunities and strict daily schedules.
• Helps your teen develop exercise routines that can help them develop more discipline in other areas of their life, which is a key component of this type of school.
• Reduces drug cravings (if your teen is a drug addict).

What are the cons of attending military school?

• It can be expensive – this is dependent on the location, facilities provided, and services offered.
• Support through counseling isn’t specialized like with therapeutic boarding school.
• This option could increase risk factors for teens that are emotionally disturbed, as most military schools don’t have the necessary therapeutic resources to provide teens.

Remember – what truly encourages growth in the long run is being immersed in a situation that allows for your teen to be able to make their own decisions, problem solve, and to be able to set short term and long term goals for the future. In order for this to happen, your problematic teen needs to be enrolled in a type of program that promotes these ideals.

The question of spirituality, religion, or neither

A large number of therapeutic and recovery programs tend to include a component of faith or spirituality. This can be helpful for teens, particularly those who have been raised in a religious home. It can help them to rediscover their connection with their personal faith and focus on it as they overcome certain detrimental behaviors.

With a combination of focused therapy, education, and faith, teens can achieve the long-lasting changes they need.

Not all therapeutic boarding schools will be faith-based, of course. Some schools will not integrate faith-based programs for teens who do not have a religious background or those for whom spirituality is not something they want to consider. If this is important to your teen and your family, be sure to mention it to your admissions counselors when you are researching your options.

A focus on spirituality can undoubtedly be transformative for a teen who has been in crisis. However, your son or daughter may also find that they get just as much of a transformation through their new support system and therapy, without the faith element.

Conclusion

As parents that want the best for their children, it can be frustrating to live with a troubled teen who seems to be continually making poor decisions and behaving badly. It’s important to keep in mind that much of the troubling behavior is likely rooted in emotional and mental trauma, so remember to have grace with your teenager. Ongoing communication and collaboration with your teen is paramount to their recovery and overall success as they begin their transition into adulthood.

Lastly, if you haven’t heard of the organization Help Your Teen Now, parents are able to connect with the resources they need to find the right solution to meet every one of the needs of their teens.