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Boot Camps for Troubled Teens – Take action to help discipline your child

mother and daughter

Many parents have an unfortunate misconception about teen boot camps. Some kids thrive in a highly organized environment and that’s one thing that these focused boarding schools have in common.

A family setting can be unpredictable and often doesn’t provide the regimented orderliness that’s best for these kids. Parents of ADD and ODD teens often attest that the slightest change in plans or patterns can set them off.

No one enjoys being around a troubled teen, and teens in turmoil aren’t enjoying it either. An accredited and reputable therapeutic program can provide an orderly disciplined environment that allows teens with behavior issues the opportunity to flourish, and discover the amazing potential that lies within.

Behavior modification is an easier goal in a consistent environment where consequences are always the same. Where there are no surprises or unrealistic expectations, troubled teens can learn to manage their own reactions and impulses.

Nightly group counseling sessions help troubled teens learn positive communication skills, and to empathize with one another, with the goal of empowerment and emotional stability.

A focus on decision-making helps troubled teens develop a habit of making decisions they can be proud of. Developing close familial relationships with their peers helps develop character virtues, like altruism, respect, and integrity.

One on one teaching and counseling ensure that your child will reach his or her academic potential. Teens with ADD and ADHD are often full of ideas and can have a hard time focusing their attention in constructive ways.

Learning from a highly trained professional counselor and educator who understands and appreciates the way their mind works will help your child gain confidence as their time at boot camp goes by.

Initially, some parents are afraid that their children will feel abandoned, but reinforcing a family connection is one of the primary goals of programs like Turning Winds, who state that it is their goal that teens develop “a greater appreciation for the strengths and resources that one can draw upon within their own family.”

Unlike traditional boot camps for troubled teens, a therapeutic program for teens will rely on certain characteristics and virtues to create a community living environment that is conducive to family life, too, and help teens learn ways to work better within their family, and later, within their marriages and in the workplace.

Teens heading into adulthood with behavior disorders or troubling habits can end up making decisions that negatively affect the entire family. An alternative to a  boot camp for troubled teens are programs for teens or treatment facilities with an environment designed to surround teens with professionals who are trained to help them get their lives back on track, by encouraging them to make positive life decisions and to stick with them.

Considering A Therapeutic Program for Troubled Teens

Unlike a boot camp, a therapeutic program for troubled teens like a therapeutic boarding school can be a precious gift. Its the gift of new hope in life.  Being on a roller coaster is no way to live.

  • Do not use a boot camps, they are not effective.
  • Look for therapeutic treatment facility with plenty of fresh air and wide-open spaces, consider a wilderness therapy program as part of a fully therapeutic experience.  There’s a reason people feel better when they’re camping or out of doors. Nature provides mental health benefits that can’t be duplicated in a clinical setting.
  • Be sure that the therapeutic program you select offers one on one and group counseling, do not be confused by a boot camp masking as a therapy program.
  • Look for advanced academic opportunities, since quite often, behavior issues can be aggravated by boredom.
  • Look for an individualized troubled teen program that appreciates your child as a human, and addresses nutritional, physical, academic, and emotional needs.
  • Be sure that you’re able to visit the school and speak with the other students before you decide, meet the staff and speak with graduates of the program.

Choosing a boot camp for your troubled teen might be a difficult decision to make, but it should not be a difficult decision to live with. Reputable boot camps can make a huge and wonderful difference in a family. Every teen deserves to be happy.

Do you believe your child needs help, does he or she need "a lesson" or "to get some discipline"?
Boot Camps for Troubled Teens Are Not the Answer.
We DO NOT endorse teen boot camps because they were proven ineffective and dangerous. Learn More!

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We understand this is a difficult time for you.   Sadly we do not know of any free programs.  

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