Having a troubled teen is a tough experience. Finding a school which can turn around your child’s life is a wonderful blessing. There are boarding schools which offer programs designed to transform their students. Some are located out in the countryside enabling the school to offer activities you would not find in town. Here are some examples.

Living in the outdoors in a camping situation offers a variety of challenges to troubled teens. They are most unlikely to have had this type of experience before. They pitch their tent, make and light a fire and cook their meals in the great outdoors. This has many benefits. It’s a challenge, they are not sitting around with time on their hands, they have to work with their fellow students and members of staff and the beautiful countryside and fresh air is just that – full of beauty and good health.

There are many aspects to therapy in this type of school and nature is a part of that. The students are assessed and have to face the truth of their life. Important issues are faced such as the fact that they are angry and aggressive and have confronted their family and teachers. All these matters are discussed and examined. This is part of the therapy.

Then there are positive activities to help the teens find an inner peace, express love and kindness instead of hostility and hate, and develop a love for living. This is often done with the use of domestic animals such as horses. Many young teens find a new purpose in life when given the responsibility of caring for an animal or animals. This approach by the school is known as animal assisted therapy.

Behavior modification therapy is another vitally important part of the program. Here the troubled teens have their behavior explained in strength and style categories together with the impact and consequences of their behavior. Then a graded series of goals are set forth. Each student begins at the lowest grade and works up. They must achieve a series of goals regarding their behavior. As they successfully complete each stage, they move to the next. As they move through the grades, their benefits and privileges increase. This has the effect of building self-confidence, teaching appropriate behavior and granting the teen special and deserved treatment. It’s a win win situation.

Because these therapeutic schools are boarding schools, the troubled teens gets many sessions not available in day schools. There are sessions on the value of relationships particularly within the family, and sessions on nutrition and careers. The goal is to not just turn the defiant teen into a pleasant and kindly young person but to equip them with life skills to make a success of their life when they return home.

After-care service is extremely important to these boarding schools. If the teen on average has been in residence for 18 months, the schools then follow up after the students have returned home. The schools offer whatever help they can to ensure the success of the now changed and former troubled teen.

Here are additional resources you might be interested in:

What are the Best Boarding Schools

Therapeutic Boarding Schools Information

Different Types of Boarding Schools for Teens