If you have a troubled teenager and want to find some professional help, you may be advised by school counselors, family doctors, or others to locate a residential teen help program for your child. This is not easy, and it can be very overwhelming to decide what kinds of programs are out there and which would be right for your child. We are a free parent advocate group dedicated to helping parents of troubled teens find the best facilities out there.
Before you can decide on the right facility, it’s a good idea to learn more about the types of troubled teen programs that exist across North America.
Behavioral Boot Camps
These short-term programs often have a military or warrior aspect to them. They have a structured schedule and approach similar to a military boot camp in lingo and rankings; these programs often feature an intense fitness component, drill sergeants, and therapy and activities.
Ideal for short-term change, a behavioral boot camp can be a good jump start for troubled teens who have a hard time committing to change, especially boys. Behavior boot camps generally don’t have an academic component and should not be seen as a long-term solution. Parents should NOT send children with deeper psychological, emotional, abuse, or trauma issues to boot camps.
Wilderness Camps
Wilderness camps are short-term therapeutic camps that run for several weeks to several months. Generally set in more primitive conditions, teens are removed from their current negative environment of home and school and live outdoors. Experienced leaders, guides, and counselors teach teens about self-reliance, how to set up camp, cook, do chores and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Hiking, rock climbing, boating, fishing, and more are usually a part of everyday life in a wilderness camp. These programs are excellent in getting troubled teens to start working on their issues and decide to strive for long-term change. Wilderness camps generally don’t have an academic component and are often quite expensive, costing up to $1,000 per day.
Residential Treatment Centers
These are live-in facilities where teens can receive clinical and medical aid for issues that require it, like ADD, eating disorders, or substance abuse. Residential treatment centers can be short-term or long-term. The long-term facilities have an educational component where trained teachers work with teens to stay caught up in school.
Many residential treatment centers have structured activities and recreation components to help each teen’s behavior modification goals. Therapy is a big part of the child’s day here, with group and individual therapy sessions to address the teen’s issues.
Therapeutic Boarding Schools
Like residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools are long-term teen help facilities run almost like a school, with regular classes, licensed teachers, and more. Typically, education is a secondary component designed to help teenagers keep up with their education while getting counseling and intense therapy, with individual and group therapy several times per week.