Different Programs to Help Troubled Teens

Troubled teens are just that – teenagers in trouble who face a problem or problems. Their parents face the difficult task of expressing tough love. They want to help their child get back to a normal, healthy lifestyle but to do so, they may need to place their teen in a facility and have them live away from home.

But no two teens are the same and overall there are many problems faced by kids. It could be with drugs and/or alcohol, running with the wrong crowd, being promiscuous, having a condition such as depression or ADHD or any one of several other problems.

The good news is that there exist a variety of activities and programs specifically designed to help troubled teens. Your task, dear parent, is to find the appropriate program which will help your child. This is not as hard as it may seem. There are ways and means to help you help your troubled teen.

Basically there are five residential venues which offer help to kids. The five are boot camps, wilderness camps, boarding schools, military schools and residential treatment centers. At least one of these facilities will have the ideal program to specifically tackle your teen and his or her problems. The tricky bit is which one?

How do you find the ideal program? Well you could contact a group such as Parent Help which deals specifically with families in crisis or you could talk to parents with a teen who has faced the same sort of trouble your child now faces or, you could do some searching yourself and track down the ideal program. And to help, here are some tips and explanations.

A boot camp is aimed mainly at kids who have a problem with discipline. The camps don’t go for more than a few weeks and ideally will give your teen the incentive to snap out of their angry moods and tackle their school life with a new attitude.

Wilderness camps use the setting of the great outdoors to help troubled teens. They offer outdoor activities and therapy to assist teenagers who are despondent, have falling grades and who need to develop self-confidence and a heightened self-esteem.

Military schools place a high emphasis on academic excellence and offer wonderful sporting and artistic programs. They are full time schools and deal only with teens who want to succeed and are prepared to work hard.

Boarding schools cover similar ground to a military school but without the military discipline and marches, parades, etc. They are for defiant teens who need constant attention and discipline. Schools may be church run or private institutions.

Residential treatment centers are for teens who at the high-end of risk. They are for teens who may be suicidal, deeply depressed or addicted to drugs or alcohol. They maintain a high staff student ratio on a 24/7 basis.

So the programs of help are available and the key is finding the venue and the course which will best help your troubled teen.