One of the most substantial benefits of a public school system is that it generally doesn’t bring with it any direct costs for the parent. That said, public school systems are not designed to meet individual students’ needs. Gifted students can often see their potential stifled because of the school’s inability to address and meet their academic needs. Students facing other challenges have almost no hope of seeing mental wellness concerns addressed in a healthy way to help them thrive. 

While researching therapeutic boarding schools, you may notice that most do not post details about their tuition on their website. There is a good reason for this. We are all prone to price shopping, whether buying a new gadget for the kitchen or buying a car. The problem is that the lowest price does not always bring the best deal for the consumer. The same concept holds true for boarding schools. The lowest tuition cost does not always mean that this is the right boarding school option to meet the individual needs of your struggling teen.

Suppose you consider the reasons for sending your teen to a boarding school. In that case, you will better understand the priority that needs to be placed on the facility’s ability to meet the mental health and physical wellness needs of a teen who may be in crisis. Too many teens undergo extensive treatment at a facility that doesn’t sufficiently address and meet their needs, only to fall back into old unhealthy patterns once they return home.

Residential Boarding Schools Versus Therapeutic Boarding Schools

It is essential to keep in mind that there are distinct differences between residential and therapeutic boarding schools. The primary difference is that therapeutic boarding schools do not provide students with the therapeutic programs and treatments that they need to recover, heal, and thrive. Your teen will be well cared for in other ways, with a warm and safe place to live and learn. However, his mental health needs will not be addressed in the same way he would experience in a therapeutic boarding school with on-staff trained professionals who live beside your teen.

Therapeutic boarding schools will also understand the inherent risks that can accompany mental illness concerns in teens. With that understanding will come a higher level of safety for a teen in crisis. The staff will also be better educated and trained to handle any emergency that may arise with a teen in crisis. Their experience and knowledge could often be the difference between life and death.

As a result of the added benefits and options offered by therapeutic boarding schools, they tend to range higher in cost than the average residential boarding school.

Troubled Teen Struggles

What are the concerns that your teen is struggling with? Therapeutic boarding schools can help address the majority of mental health concerns that teens today are faced with. This intensive and supportive level of care is essential for helping a teen rest, recover, and refocus on a healthy future. 

Some of the concerns that may be addressed at a therapeutic boarding school include the following.

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Anger
• ADHD or ADD
• Drug or alcohol use
• School stress
•  Peer pressure
• Bullying and the fallout from the bullying

By providing your teen with the right level of care that will allow the on-staff professionals to address and meet his needs, your teen will have a better chance of getting his life back on track. Therapeutic boarding schools provide teens with a structured, nurturing, and positive home-life environment that will allow teens to work on what is most important to ensure they are equipped to handle life back home.

With that in mind, it’s important to point out that some troubled needs will need more supervision and may also benefit from a locked facility. Some examples of teens with this need could include the following.

• Teens who are runaway risk
• Those have spoken about harming themselves or have threatened suicide
• Teens who have caused physical or mental health harm resulting from extensive drug or alcohol abuse
• Anxiety disorders
• Eating disorders, including anorexia or bulimia
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Most traditional boarding schools are simply not equipped to provide the right level of care for teens struggling with these concerns. 

Residential Boarding School Cost

Not every family will have the financial resources to pay for a residential boarding school. While this is a common concern for parents, the good news is that there are financial services that can assist. Many insurance plans offer coverage for mental health services for teens who are in crisis.

But just what are the costs so high? There are some things to consider.

• Therapeutic boarding schools provide around-the-clock care for your teen.
• This includes a comfortable and supportive environment.
• Nutritious meals and snacks are provided for hungry growing teens.
• Around-the-clock medical and mental health care is provided.
• Teens are given the opportunity to catch up on academics, to focus on educational goals. With small classes that better allow them to get the attention they need.
• Counseling and other therapeutic treatments that meet the teen’s individual needs.

A better way to look at therapeutic boarding schools is that they are an investment in your teen’s mental health, physical wellness, and future. 

Working with Help Your Teen Now

At Help Your Teen Now, we can connect your family with the resources that you need to get your teen into the right therapeutic boarding school. The right therapeutic boarding school will offer treatment plans that will address and meet your teen’s needs as an individual. Group therapy and activities will undoubtedly be a part of his treatment, but they will all be personalized to address his needs.

The compassionate folks at Help Your Teen Now will work with you to find the solution that will work best to meet everyone’s needs.