Troubled youth across the country are now grappling with more issues than any previous generation. These range from ADD, ADHD, and depression to anxiety, eating disorders and drug or substance abuse. As a result, many teens today suffer from emotional, behavioral and mental health challenges.
Left unchecked, these problems can lead teens down a dark path of delinquent and self-destructive behavior, causing havoc in their academic, social and family lives. Fortunately, there are a growing number of residential treatment centers in the country where such troubled youth can get help.
What Are Residential Treatment Centers for Teens?
Residential treatment centers are teen help facilities that provide a full-time healing environment where young people can receive professional therapy needed to kick bad habits. With 24-hour supervision and care, these centers help teens turn their lives around.
Residential treatment programs for troubled teens offer a long-term solution to help struggling teenagers heal and work through concerning behavioral, emotional and mental conditions. They offer the safe and structured atmosphere that fosters progression and growth through a combination of individual and group therapy, academic studies, and recreational activities.
Why Choose Residential Treatment Centers For Troubled Teens?
There are several reasons why parents should consider residential treatment centers for troubled youth.
- They are a viable alternative to traditional schools and day therapy sessions, especially when those options have been exhausted.
- They provide a safe and structured environment for teens away from fatigued parents, harmful friends and other negative influences so the healing process can begin.
- The treatment centers have therapists, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists who are specially trained to deal with whatever issues troubled youth face and are equipped to provide the best care.
- Troubled youth get to interact with others undergoing the same challenges so they don’t feel like outsiders. This gives a chance for positive peer pressure to work as they share experiences and encourage each other.
- Most residential treatment centers have few clients so parents can be sure their teens will receive individualized care and treatment.
Parent Testimonial
“WOW! My son is now coming back to who he was. Yes I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, it is still out of my reach, but I can see it and I know that he can too.” – A Happy Parent
Furthermore, the time spent at the treatment center, away from friends and family, gives the teen time to confront their issues as well as concentrate on their treatment and recovery without any distractions. This way, healing can progress at a faster rate.
What Does The Therapeutic Program At A Residential Treatment Center Involve?
Parents of troubled youth quickly come to realize that traditional schools simply don’t have the kind of resources that specialized treatment centers do. This is because the latter combine academic pursuits with several different types of therapy to put teens back on track.
As part of their program, most residential treatment centers offer:
- Therapy – A combination of individual (one-on-one), group and family therapy sessions are often scheduled several times a week depending on the teen’s treatment needs. Family therapy sessions involve participation from parents or siblings and go a long way towards helping families repair and strengthen broken relationships.
- Academics – Several residential treatment centers also offer academic classes as part of their program. This ensures that teens who are admitted there don’t fall behind in their studies and they can continue preparing for college or vocational training.
- Experiential Therapy – Sometimes the traditional “talk therapy” isn’t enough to trigger emotional processing and expression in teens. This is where different forms of experiential therapy such as equine therapy, music, expressive art or drama come in. These forms of therapy encourage self-expression or awareness and can be useful in resolving psychological difficulties thus paving way for healing to take place.
- Recreation – Several treatment centers also incorporate recreational outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, mountain biking and camping into their program, allowing teens to get some exercise and keep fit while learning crucial life skills.
Conditions Addressed In Residential Treatment Centers for Youth
It may be difficult deciding if your teen’s behavior requires professional treatment at a residential facility. Residential treatment centers for troubled teens can address and treat a variety of behavioral and mental disorders including the following:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Suicidal thoughts
- Self-harm
- Aggression
- Violence
- Sexual deviance
- Substance abuse
- Poor academic performance
- Antisocial behavior
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Other chronic, concerning behaviors
- Explaining the differences between various treatment centers and the programs they offer so parents can choose one that meets their teen’s needs.
- Helping parents understand the costs they might incur and assisting them to navigate insurance options to fund their teen’s treatment.
- Providing extensive resources so that parents can learn more about the issues their teens are struggling with in order to become more empathetic and helpful.
- Putting parents in touch with support groups made up of others dealing with the same issues as so they can share, vent and get advice from people who understand what they are going through.
- Explaining the rules and regulations that govern the teen help industry so parents are in a better position to make an informed decision on where to send their teens.
- Common Questions Parents Have About Residential Treatment Centers
- Boot Camps vs. Military Schools vs. Therapeutic Boarding Schools vs. Residential Treatment Centers
- What Parents Can Do While Their Teen Is Receiving Treatment in a Residential Treatment Program
- Not Ready for Residential Treatment – What Are My Options?
- How to Get Parenting Absolutely Wrong: Tips from a Residential Treatment Center Therapist
If your teen is struggling with one or more of these conditions, and previous therapy and treatment hasn’t been successful, it may be time to look into a residential treatment center for troubled youth. If this is the case, we can help you find the right treatment program for your teenager.
Does The Treatment Center Location Matter?
While there are residential treatment centers all over the country staffed with caring therapists and counselors, where a facility is located can make a difference in treatment quality. Most states have enacted laws that regulate the teen help industry and some are stricter than others.
When parents are researching different teen therapy facilities for their troubled youth, they should pay attention to which states have strict laws and regulations and which ones are more lax. It could mean a big difference in how that facility operates as well as the standards set for care.
Do Troubled Youth Learn To Appreciate The Professional Treatment Centers?
As with any change, most teens are resistant to moving out of their home and into a residential treatment center. However, these teen programs are designed to get teens back to a place where they have more self-esteem, discover new talents and heal from their pain. With a range of extracurricular activities, social activities and lots of peers, most teens find that the teen help facilities are like a home away from home.
Finding The Best Residential Treatment Centers For Troubled Teens Through Help Your Teen Now
As a parent advocacy group with more than 8 years’ experience in the teen help industry, Help Your Teen Now is the best source of information for parents looking for treatment centers for their struggling teens. We understand how hard it is to make the decision to send teens away from home and how confusing it is to select the right facility. We, therefore, endeavor to help parents make the best decision by:
All our services are free and we are able to offer unbiased information since we are not affiliated with any treatment center. Parents who are desperately looking for residential treatment centers for troubled youth will ultimately be pleased with the quantity and quality of programs available and will gain peace of mind knowing that such a program is just what their teen needs to transition successfully from adolescence to adulthood.
Please let Help Your Teen Now provide you with assistance in locating the best troubled teen schools and let us share our amazing resources with you. Find out more by calling 1-800-901-7347.
If you have any questions please contact us or review our FAQ Page.
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