Group Homes for Troubled Teenagers

By Amanda F. Shaw (New York, NY)

In the adolescent year, youth may begin having behavioral issues associated with family problems, academic problems, learning disorders, depression, ADD, ADHD, substance abuse, adoption issues, or addictions. If you are experiencing trouble at home with your pre-teen or young teen and have not seen improvement with traditional forms of teen counseling, enrollment in a group home may be a viable next step.

Group homes are designed to be a haven for teenagers and pre-teens with behavioral or emotional problems and/or court-ordered youth to get counseling. A group home is where struggling youth can deal with their problems, get therapeutic help, and get back on track academically. In addition, group homes allow the residents to participate in a supportive community and get therapy while living in a less formal family-style setting.

What are Group Homes?

Some residential treatment centers for youth will operate their program through a home-based residential model, typically with 20 or fewer students. Students will live together and support one another for the duration of their time in the program. This support is essential to the process and is something we like to call peer-to-peer “life coaching.” After an intern has demonstrated an ability to be responsible and proves to the staff that they can live independently, it’s customary to experience increased privileges. This procedure builds confidence, and coupled with professional therapy; your loved one will find independence and rehabilitation.

Group home programs recognize increased confidence’s indispensable role in long-term recovery from mental illness, substance abuse, eating disorders, and other behavioral problems. In the setting of a group home, troubled teens can regain their emotional footing by developing their social skills, occupational skills, and general life skills. In addition, a group home program aims to prepare your teen for the transition to adulthood free from reliance upon anything but their own independence and newly developed healthy coping mechanisms.

Group homes for troubled teens require the residents to take an active role in managing the household, such as performing chores, cooking, cleaning, gardening, and taking care of the house as if it were their own. Being a part of a “family setting” allows a hurting young person to be a part of something special (a caring family) while dealing with their own problems. Group homes are less restrictive than residential treatment centers or therapeutic boarding schools. Group homes are considered to be early intervention programs. We recommend that parents of pre-teens or young teens consider a group home if their child is not doing well in the home and is not responding to traditional therapy.

Many of these group homes will teach independent living skills such as occupational, relationship, and social interaction. In addition, the student gains emotional health by learning confidence that will help them battle substance abuse, eating disorders, and other forms of mental illness. The students receive life coaching, therapeutic support for substance abuse, addictions, life skills training, and independent living skills training in these settings. Their goal is to help troubled teens successfully become adults, navigating and prosper as independent young people.

Types of Therapy in Group Homes

As with any treatment program for troubled youth, the most reputable and effective group homes offer individualized psychiatric and behavioral treatments specifically tailored to each child’s issues. These treatment programs are especially created to rehabilitate the unique emotional and behavioral health issues that contribute to the teen’s personal struggles with self-destructive, anti-social, or out-of-control behavior patterns. Recovery is a multifaceted process, ultimately focused on preparing residents to transition out of the group home and flourish in their normal lives. To this end, reputable groups homes offer a range of activities, including but
certainly not limited to:

• Family Therapy – these therapy sessions include family members of the teen, such as parents and sometimes even siblings or other live-in relatives.
• Individualized therapy is the most traditional therapy, also known as one-on-one therapy sessions with a psychiatric professional.
• Milieu Therapy provides a full-time mixture of therapy within activities like wilderness outings, equine work, animal care, and more.

Why Enroll a Child in a Therapeutic Group Home?

Adolescents often rebel against their parents and all forms of authority in their lives, but some take it to the extreme. They rely on their peers to be their “moral gauge” and often fall into all types of self-destructive behaviors. Without intervention, such adolescents can begin to resemble someone even their parents don’t recognize.

Allowing troubled teens to explore their emotional and behavioral issues in a controlled, non-judgemental environment with the support of mentors, group homes teach struggling adolescents how to release their negative emotions in positive ways rather than amplifying the negative feelings with negative behaviors, a vicious cycle that traps the teen and their loved ones. Recovery from risky behaviors and emotional issues takes time, but enrollment in a group home is the first step. Finally, parents may rest assured knowing their hurting child is receiving the help they need to blossom into the independent young person they have always had the potential to be.

Troubled teenagers will benefit from a supportive and nurturing group home environment, surrounded by people trained to mentor and guide them.  It doesn’t take long for struggling adolescents to begin to deal with their behavioral issues.  Parents of troubled teens can expect the following to take place in a reputable group home:

• Individual and group therapy sessions
• Licensed therapists to meet with several times a week
• Certified teachers to hold classes
• Chances to repair credit, take new classes, and work toward a high school diploma.
• Recreation therapy programs, ranging from sports and music to outdoor activities
• Life skills lessons in everything from laundry to cooking
• Transition training, for getting back out into the real world again afterward

There’s always going to be a place for struggling teenagers at a group home. Without such an active force in their lives, teens will continue dealing with life’s difficult challenges independently. As their behavior gets riskier, their health and wellness are at greater risk. Parents give their children the ultimate gift when they enroll teens in a group home for troubled teens.

About the Author:  Amanda F. Shaw is a graduate with Honors from New York University, majoring in Journalism and English and a minor in Political Science. She was Managing Editor of English and Drama Review at NYU and Copyeditor of Washington Square News.  She writes periodically for Exceed Marketing Solutions.