There comes a point when parents have exhausted all efforts for their troubled teens and will eventually consider a teen boot camp or wilderness program. If you’re a parent considering such options, in-depth research to find the right program for your child is essential.
Boot camps are designed for struggling teens and can be beneficial to help correct unwanted behaviors – but each program is different, and it’s up to parents to perform their own due diligence before selecting a program – therapeutic boot camps are generally privately run and vary in scope, results and price.
There are a number of things you consider before selecting a program…
Know your child’s problem
Coordinate with a specialist to identify whether or not your child has behavior disorder. Some children are suffering from a chemical imbalance that can already be remedied by medication and removing the child from the home might just be unnecessary. Although several types of medications might need to be tried before the right combination is found. In the event that every possible medication or parental intervention has been exhausted, then it’s probably high time to consider a trusted boot camp for your children.
Collect Objective Information
With this knowledge, parents should now ready themselves with extensive research about a specific program. Any information like how long they have been in the boot camp business, and if they have had any validated cases of abuse or any problems that the school may have had in the past. You are obligated to investigate more than just checking the website of a certain program.
As parents may also need to coordinate with the state licensing board or the local police department to find out whether the camp or the program is legally complied or if it has undergone complaints in the past. You can also ask other parents with the same problems as you or other references from your doctor and your child’s school instructors about possible programs that you may want to consider.
Narrow your List of Choices
As you have gained adequate information from the boot camp programs you may have considered, it’s time to narrow your choices down to a few. If the specific destination allows you to visit, then by all means, you should. It is important to acquaint oneself with the staff and the facilities that would become instruments for your child’s change in behavior.
Discuss any specific worries you may have with your child to the administrators if ever you do decide to send your child to be sent there. Talk to them about what the structure of your child’s day might be, the activities they do, how they should be interacting with other children and their counselors including the ratio between children to their counselors.
It is recommended that you personally visit the camp in order to have a rundown on what your child will go through as they go there. You may want to ask information and reference on their past clients for you to get in touch with and possibly discuss related issues regarding the camp that their child had been to.
Parents should also expect to have an update at least weekly on their child’s progress in the boot camp. Ultimately, the information you gain through this will eventually make you decide among your choice of boot camps.
Be Open to your Child
Finally, it is very essential to ask input from your own child about where they prefer to go among the choices you may still be debating on. There’s no point in forcing your kids to go somewhere they wouldn’t like because it will just affect their behavior more as soon as they go inside the camp. Be open to them about your plans and explain why you needed to send them to a boot camp. It is still important to make your children know that you love them and you only want the best for them. Make them feel that you are always there to support them before, during and even after you send them to a boot camp.
It’s an enduring task to find the appropriate boot camp for your child, but once you have identified key elements necessary for your child’s needs, then it is possible to find the right place for your problem child.
