Online Search for Schools for Troubled Teens

When you need for help for your troubled teenager, the internet is one of the first places parents will turn to. Searching for schools for troubled teens online can be confusing, daunting, and outright scary — especially when you are stressed out.

A simple online search for “schools for troubled teens” yields over 5 million results! How do you navigate where to send your troubled teenager?

You have come to realization that your teen needs a therapeutic boarding school, your local resources have failed however, now you’re facing the unknown world of the troubled teen industry and it can be a lot to unpack.

Our goal is to help you find the right boarding school for your troubled teen in a web of deception.

5 Steps to Untangle the Web of Fact, Fiction, and Misinformation

1. Paid per click (PPC)

Is there one or more therapeutic boarding schools or schools for troubled teens that continues to show up as paid advertising repeatedly, no matter what keyword you put in your search engine? This can be a red flag. It is a lot of money being spent on marketing. Many programs with a longevity of success typically rely on their good reputation rather than employ sponsored listings.

There are no illusions about the size of the business of the troubled teen industry. You will quickly figure out who the major players are simply by putting in keywords about your teenager need helping and searching for treatment. The cost of sponsored ads on these search engines is not for small businesses – these are major corporations that are spending a lot of money marketing their facilities.

It’s wise to go past the sponsored listings and find out more about the organic results.

2. Troubling Troubled Teen Websites

“The program I want to place my son is listed on a beware site.” – Parent of 13-year-old son

Today parents are bombarded with fearmongering websites designed to prevent them from getting help. They literally list just about every school and program as dangerous.  They are created by former students that were harmed in programs, and/or possibly parents that may have been disgruntled over a financial situation or even a contentious divorce where one parents wasn’t given access to their child.

We never diminish the experiences of victims that created these sites, but when a distressed parent is searching for help for their teenager – they become frightened to read some of the horror stories, as anyone would without being fully informed.

Parents need to learn how to evaluate these sites and platforms to put them into perspective so they can move forward with confidence in getting their teenager the help they need.

When former students or teens are on forums venting or sharing about their negative experiences, it can be upsetting for potential families to read. Here are some questions to ask yourself about the person commenting:

• What program were they in? Is the program closed now?
• Were there lawsuits brought against this program?
• When were they placed into the program and for how long?
• Why were they enrolled into a program?
• How does their parent feel about their experiences?
• Do they have a relationship with their parent/family now?

If the teen is alleging abuse or neglect, do a public records search to determine if there is a lawsuit against the program. Not all allegations end up in court so contact the local Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and ask if they have any reports against the school. They may not be able to give you names, but they will know if there are reports filed against the program.

There are many programs and schools for troubled teens in our country, they are not going to please every one of their families. That doesn’t mean they’re allowed to harm children or defraud parents.

Side note: We are not by any means victim shaming, only helping parents that need help NOW better understand how to untangle some of the websites they may stumble on.

3. Dissecting Online Reviews

Everyone has a right to write an online review.

“How do you suggest we navigate negative reviews and posts on social media?” – Dad of 14-year-old daughter

Online reviews are tricky, they are people’s opinions and experiences. As many of you realize, especially if you are business owners or professionals, it can take you 20 years to establish your good reputation and within 20 minutes it can be destroyed with one or two disgruntled client/customer reviews. Maybe they were legitimate complaints, maybe they were misunderstandings — either way you could potentially lose financially for a long time or a lifetime.

The teen help industry is not any different, but we do take it more seriously since it is about the treatment of our children. With this it is also more reason to understand that people will be more extreme and emotional when writing a review (likely a complaint) about a program.

If a parent had a negative experience, it could be a divorce situation that one parent was the custodial parent and moved forward with the placement as the other one did not have a say in the school. You will find that one disgruntled parent starts complaining about things in the program they do not have any knowledge of since the ex keeps them out of the loop. Sadly, it more has to do with poor family relations rather than program issues.

Another point of contention with parent complaints stem from financial reasons. If a parent believes they are owed money or have not been refunded properly, they will find things to complain about in hopes to be compensated. In some cases, a parent will remove their teen early (before graduation) or their teen is dismissed, and they expect a full refund. The contract they signed determines their reimbursement. When it comes to money, we know it can be extremely sensitive – so it is best to dig a bit deeper to find out exactly what the issues were.

Since we mainly see the negative online reviews, we always encourage parents to ask for parent references to hear more about how a program did help their teenager. You may think the school is only giving good references (which is true) but there are ways to ask questions to get some negative input — such as, “It seems your son had a very good experience at …., if you could change one thing about it, what would it be?” Or “Although your daughter seems to have done well, where do you think the school could improve?” Or “Was there anything that ever concerned you when your teen was at the school.”

Tip: Always remember, you can ask the owner or director of the program about online reviews. If they do not want to answer it or the answer isn’t satisfactory to you — that is your answer. You move on.

4. Internet Misconception

“I came across the following article that lists what is calls the top 20 therapeutic boarding schools, but at least 2 of the schools are very questionable? Please help me, we’re desperate.” Parent of 14-year-old

Deciphering the internet is the most difficult part of searching for schools for troubled teens. There are sites that will boast about “The Top 20 Therapeutic Boarding Schools” or “The Best Therapeutic Boarding Schools” however what they are is a clearing house of schools on paid directories. This is not in the best interest of your child, and in some cases connected to marketing arms that are paid to place you.

There has never been a third-party study done to determine the best therapeutic boarding schools, and the one survey that was done was paid by their own organizations. Another words, it has bias results. Learn more about how to determine success rates in programs without in-house (bias) studies. These lists are concerning since some of programs listed can be questionable.

5. Placement Specialists

Who are the marketing arms that can be part of the extension of the paid directories and clearing houses of therapeutic boarding schools? It is remarkably like the people Sue Scheff (founder of P.U.R.E.™) learned about over two decades ago – placement specialists, typically they are not in the best interest of your child. It is about paid to place, rather than what is best for your teenager’s needs. They are based off a list of schools/programs that pay them fees.

What they are good at – is marketing. You may have just become bait and will soon be inundated with emails from different programs and possibly text messages if you added your number. They will be sending your name and email to programs without qualifying your child as an appropriate fit for their school.

We encourage parents to talk directly to program owners and directors, the people that will be vested in your child’s recovery as well as the ones that will determine if their school is a fit for your family’s needs. The reputation of their program comes back to the success of your child – therefore it is crucial you speak with a program owner or director.

Tip: Did you notice a therapeutic boarding school that interests you? Find a direct contact (number or email) to that school, avoid going through third-party sites and toll-free numbers. 

Parents are their child’s biggest influence, but they are also their biggest advocate. Although you may not recognize your child at this moment, you are still their parent and will move mountains to find the right treatment for them.

Read: Goals of Therapeutic Boarding Schools.

Read: 5 Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools.

Read: Costs of Therapeutic Boarding Schools.

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If you’re confused by all the online deception, contact us for a free consultation. We help parents navigate the online confusion and get them on a path to quality and safe therapeutic settings.

Therapeutic Boarding Schools Verses Residential Treatment Centers for Your Teen

Are you searching for the right program for your troubled teen and realize the terminology is new to you? Does your teen need a therapeutic boarding school or a residential treatment center?

Let’s learn about the differences — and what is best for your teenager and your family.

Are you at your wit’s end with your difficult teen?

-Is your teen defiant?
-Addicted to their devices, social media, video gaming?
-Are they destructive, angry?
-Do they refuse to attend therapy?
-Suffering with depression, anxiety and stress?
-Become withdrawn, self-harming, self-medicating?
-Using drugs or alcohol?
-Stealing, legal issues?
-Refusing to attend school, or skipping classes? Maybe facing expulsion.

You’ve now exhausted your local resources and decided it’s time for outside help. Searching for residential treatment can be very daunting. All the terminology is new — confusing — and can be extremely frightening. Since 2001 we’ve been educating parents about this world of teen help.

What is the difference between an RTC and TBS:

The short answer is: it depends on the state and how the state licenses residential programming.  There is no national standard and each of our fifty states have the responsibility to set their own licensure requirements for private-pay residential programming; many states divide up the enforcement between numerous governmental departments and some states do not even regulate private-pay residential care. The scope and specifics of state regulations vary greatly, and some states do not require independent licensure at all.

What these programs all have in common is that they are all addressing physical, emotional, behavioral, familial, social, and intellectual/academic development; it is how that is addressed which differentiates between the TBS or RTC.

We also remind parents not to limit their search by proximity to their home. What’s most important is the best program for their emotional wellness, with the reminder that this is only a small part of their entire life. Also note that parents will be visiting usually bi-monthly – it’s not like a traditional boarding school where you are there every weekend or he/she is coming home regularly. It’s important to allow the program to do their work.

If you are determined to keep them close to home, keep in mind, this can also increase their flight plan in that program since they are familiar with that area.

We always remind parents to search for the following:

• Accredited academics
• Credentialed clinical support
• Enrichment programs (such as animal assisted therapy, music, arts, sports – something your child is passionate about).

Also read:

5 Benefits of a Boarding School for a Troubled Teen

Why Therapeutic Boarding Boarding Schools Work

Finding Qualified Teen Help Treatment After Watching The Program on Netflix

If you watched the Netflix docuseries, “The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping,” it can be chilling and disturbing to believe that this type of harm, torture and abuse of kids could happen in the United States — however sadly it did.

The founder of P.U.R.E.™, Sue Scheff, was a major factor in the closure of these horrific programs by taking them to trial in 2004 and exposing their neglect and abuse to children, as well as fraud and deceit to the parents. She was the first one to bring this giant corporation to a jury trial and WIN.

Fortunately for parents today, we have learned so much since the closure of the WWASP (World Wide Association of Specialty Programs) which the Academy of Ivy Ridge was affiliated with. Ivy Ridge was one of nearly 22 programs that WWASP ran that not only enticed (conned) parents with their slick marketing and sales people, they also ran outrageous cult-like seminars that were designed to keep parents busy while “the program” was destroying their child emotionally — and possibly physically. The constant mantra was “trust the program.”

These programs were shut down or closed between 2000-2010, which is over two decades ago for some of them.

Teenage Mental Health

Over half of adolescents today struggle with mental health concerns — the rate of teenage depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide ideation is soaring, with many experts pointing to social media and technology addiction as part of the cause.

It is now a different world from when two decades ago, in 2009-2010 social media began taking off for young people and no one knew the ramifications it would have on their emotional lives.

The teenage mental health crisis is real and parents are at their wit’s end searching for help for their child that has become out-of-control or possibly isolated to their bedroom. Some have stopped going to school, smart – but now failing academically, glued to their screens, have zero social skills, the level of defiance is beyond typical teen behavior — as well as the rate of entitlement and lack of respect for authority.

Like it was 20 years ago, there is not a parent out there that wants to send a child to a therapeutic boarding school, however when you have exhausted all your local resources and your teen is spiraling into a very dark place, as a responsible parent — it’s time to search for help.

Qualified Therapeutic Boarding Schools

The troubled teen industry is a big business, no one will argue that. This is why parents need to be educated in teen help terminology. An online search for therapeutic boarding schools yields nearly 5 million results! A quick online search for schools for troubled teens and it’s well over 14 million choices!

There will always be bad apples in every industry, but when searching for a qualified therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment center for your troubled teen, it must be done carefully and cautiously.

Do your due diligence and homework, researching, staying clear of these slick marketing arms, fancy websites and sales people (placement specialists) that tell you everything you want to hear, yet not what your child really needs — is crucial. This is a major emotional and financial decision for the entire family, you must take your time to learn more about it — choosing the right therapeutic setting can help get your teenager on the right path back to a healthy and happy life.

Teen Transport

Hearing about young people being kidnapped is downright scary — especially in a world of human trafficking. Thankfully assisted teen admissions (transport) have professionals that safely and compassionately help parents take one of the first difficult steps into their teen’s recovery.

It’s imperative to hire a licensed and insured professional to transport your teen from your home to their therapeutic boarding school — a team that has excellent references, and will stay in touch with you from start to finish.

Again, this is not an easy decision and (like two decades ago) there is not a parent today that would imagine doing this, however as you start your research you will find there are qualified professionals today — that not only have excellent references, but are still friendly with the teens they transported. YES – they are still in communication with the families and the teenagers. They form a bond with their clients — this is not kidnapping.

The Program

The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping told the story that is all too similar to the founder of Parents’ Universal Resource Experts (P.U.R.E.™) — and is the reason why this website was created, to help educate parents to find safe and qualified resources for their good teens making bad choices — and not to fall prey to these vultures. As a matter of fact, in episode 3 of this docuseries on Netflix, they used video depostion snippets of the founder (Robert Lichfield) and director (Ken Kay) that were obtained from the litigation between WWASP and P.U.R.E.™/Sue Scheff — which P.U.R.E.™/Scheff won.

Sue Scheff’s (founder of P.U.R.E.™) daughter was at Carolina Springs Academy, which was a sister program to Ivy Ridge — “the program” featured in the docuseries. Scheff is too familiar with the abuse, neglect and harm that her daughter endured — as well as the insane cult-like seminars she had attended. Thankfully it’s decades ago and the fact that this website has helped thousands of families find safe alternatives (including her own family) makes the horrific journey worth it.

It was her lawsuit in 2004-2006 that was the slow demise of the WWASP corporation.

If you are considering therapeutic boarding school for your teenager, there are safe options in this country, don’t allow fearmongering from 10-20 years ago prevent you from getting your family help. Do your homework — you are your child’s advocate.

Also read:

How to Analzye Bad Press for Teen Help Programs

Why Therapeutic Boarding Schools Work When Therapy Fails

What is the Success Rate of Therapeutic Schools?

How to Analyze Bad Press for Teen Help Programs

How to analyze therapeutic boarding schools’ bad press and the horror stories of the troubled teen industry (TTI) while searching the internet has become challenging for parents considering for schools for their troubled teen.

The fact is, your teen needs help — but unfortunately, between some online reviews, fearmongering sites (people that believe they are helping), and even slick sales people — you can easily fall prey into this big business of teen help. That is why we are here to “educate” you about how to navigate this industry to find the right therapeutic setting for your teenager.

One simple online search for “therapeutic boarding schools” yields over 5 million results! It is overwhelming and daunting for parents to sift through the information and determine cyber fact from cyber fiction — and what is in the middle.

It’s one of the hardest decision you will make, choosing a safe therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment center for your troubled teen.

Not only is it a major financial decision, it is a huge emotional one for your teenager and your family. How do you know what is right for your teen’s needs?

The teen help industry has changed over the years, but what hasn’t changed is parents needing help for their struggling teens and young adults. With the rise in social media and internet addiction, we have seen more and more youth becoming withdrawn, failing in school and some turning to self-harm or using drugs.

Overall teenage mental health has been on the decline for young people and parents are at their wit’s end. Since 2020 teen depression anxiety has doubled — experts have blamed excess screen-time as part of the cause.

Exhausting Local Resources for Teen Help

Before you decide on residential treatment, parents should exhaust all avenues of local resources.

Here are some options to consider:

• Local therapy. Sometimes you need to switch therapists (counselors) a few times to find one your teen can relate to. However, you may get to a point where you realize your child is not going to be receptive (or is being manipulative) and it’s not working. In some cases the teen is refusing to attend.
• Outpatient treatment. This can be beneficial to some teens since it offers more clinical hours weekly. It also gives them group therapy which can be helpful. The one negative is they are still in their home environment and surrounded by their friends (if they are negative influences) as well as with their devices.
• Short-term hospital stays. In some situations, a short-term adolescent psychiatric hospital can give you an evaluation that helps you with a diagnosis for your teen’s behavior and medication to address it. However, it’s the long-term that can be the struggle. Will they continue the medication at home, and will they continue with therapy?
• Teen coach/mentor. Coaching and mentoring are relatively a new trend being used by families to encourage your teen to make better choices. This would be a person that can help your teen navigate peer pressure, social media, friendships, and other issues that sometimes they have a hard time expressing with a traditional therapist.
• Live with a relative. As a last resort, some parents allow their struggling teen to move-in with a relative to see if this changes behavior.

When local resources fail, it may be time to consider residential treatment or therapeutic boarding schools.

It’s time for you to read, Why Residential Treatment Works When Home Therapy Fails.

How to analyze bad press for therapeutic boarding schools

Parents are scared, apprehensive and concerned — this is part of doing your diligence in researching.

“How do you suggest we navigate negative reviews and posts on social media?” – Anonymous parent

Your teen needs help, you have exhausted your local resources and now you’re trying to find the right (best) residential placement for your son or daughter. Every time you think you found the perfect program you also find negative reviews. 

We are not here to dismiss negative reviews as much as we are here to help parents sift through the internet to determine cyber-fact from cyber-fiction (or misinformation). The teen help industry is a big business, there ‘is no doubt, they want your business — so you need to be a smart consumer. It is time to learn to analyze places to send trouble teens reviews to sort through what can be consider as distorted truths and possibly outright lies to discourage parents from getting their child help.

It’s time to read, Helpful Tips for Researching Schools and Programs.

Online reviews are tricky, they are people’s opinions and experiences. As many of you realize, especially if you are business owners or professionals, it can take you 20 years to establish your good reputation and within 20 minutes it can be destroyed with one or two disgruntled client/customer reviews. Maybe they were legitimate complaints, maybe they were misunderstandings — either way you could potentially lose financially for a long time or a lifetime.

The teen help industry is not any different, but we do take it more seriously since it is about the treatment of our children. With this it is also more reason to understand that people will be more extreme and emotional when writing a review (likely a complaint) about a program.

If a parent had a bad experience, it could be a divorce situation that one parent was the custodial parent and moved forward with the placement as the other one did not have a say in the school. You will find that one disgruntled parent starts complaining about things in the program they do not have any knowledge of since the ex keeps them out of the loop. Sadly, it more has to do with poor family relations rather than program issues.

Another point of contention with parent complaints stem from financial reasons. If a parent believes they are owed money or have not been refunded properly, they will find things to complain about in hopes to be compensated. In some cases, a parent will remove their teen early (before graduation) or their teen is dismissed, and they expect a full refund. The contract they signed determines their reimbursement. When it comes to money, we know it can be extremely sensitive – so it is best to dig a bit deeper to find out exactly what the issues were.

When teens are on forums venting or sharing about their negative program experiences, it can be upsetting for potential families to read. I encourage you to consider following:

• When were they placed into a program?
• What program? Is the program still open or closed now?
• Why were they enrolled into a program?
• Do they have a relationship with their parent/family now?
• How does their parent feel today – if you can find out?

This is not to dismiss anyone’s experiences, as much as it is to help parents sort through online reviews. There are usually extenuating circumstances behind each post. Sometimes it is not possible to acquire this information, so ASK the program owner or director directly about this former student’s statement. If you are not satisfied with the answer, move on to another program choice for your son/daughter.

If the teen is alleging abuse or neglect, do a public records search to determine if there is a lawsuit against the program. Not all allegations end up in court so contact the local Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and ask if they have any reports against the school. They may not be able to give you names, but they will know if there are reports filed against the program.

There are many programs and schools for troubled teens in our country, they are not going to please every one of their families. That does not mean they’re allowed to harm children or defraud parents.  

Since we mainly see the negative online reviews, we always encourage parents to ask for parent references to hear more about how a program did help their teenager. You may think the school is only giving good references (which is true) but there are ways to ask questions to get some negative input — such as, “It seems your son had a very good experience at ….., if you could change one thing about it, what would it be?” Or, “Although your daughter seems to have done well, where do you think the school could improve?” Or, “Was there anything that ever concerned you when your teen was at the school.”

Tip: Always remember, you can ask the owner of the program about any of the online reviews. If they do not want to answer it — that is your answer.

Troubling Teen Help Websites

“The program I want to place my son is listed on a beware site.” – Anonymous parent

This gives parents pause and most of all, can prevent them from getting their teenager the help they need. Although these websites may believe they are doing a service to families that need help with their troubled teens, the truth is the fearmongering causes them to hesitate.

Most parents, after reaching their wit’s end, realize these sites may mean well, but they can not help their son/daughter. At this point they now are experiencing more troubles with their teen whether it is with the law or emotional wellness. They need outside help — they need help with their troubled teenager.

These sites that are mostly created by people or advocates that were once harmed in programs or know someone that were neglected in a program and although they have good intentions, when it comes to living with a troubled teenager that is in serious need of help — they are at a loss.  If you ask them (these sites) for safe trouble teen programs, they will tell you they are are none. That is troubling. Especially for the parent that has a teen in desperate in of help – and believe it or not, some teens want help.

One of their advocates will consistently remind parents to continue to seek local therapy. How many of you can raise your hand to say that worked? How many of you can say your teen will even attend therapy? The list of local options above are there since many of you reading this have likely tried most of them before making this huge decision of residential placement. The last thing you want is now someone trying to tell you to try therapy — AGAIN. We have!

There are many quality teen help programs in this country. The key is research. Parents can do this – we have a list of tips of how to research and questions to ask schools and programs so you will be on a better path.

You will find sites that say you need to hire an $6000-$8000 educational consultant to find quality teen help. No, you don’t.

You will find sites that say you need a program that is NATSAP affiliated. No, you do not. NATSAP is a self-made organization that is membership based. It’s up to the program to decide if they want to pay their fees. It is part of the political circle that gives the teen help industry a questionable name.

In Conclusion

Be an educated parent. Knowledge is power. This is your troubled teen that is crying out for help with their negative behavior. We all have good teens that might be making bad choices, it’s up to us to now make the right decision. Maybe it is local therapy, maybe it is a teen coach — or maybe it’s residential treatment. Whatever it is — as a parent you are your child’s advocate. 

Also read:

Success Rate of Teen Boarding Schools

 5 Benefits of Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens

Goals of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Benefits of Art Therapy for Troubled Teens

How do you find therapeutic boarding schools with art therapy for my troubled teen?

Will art therapy help my troubled teen? Art therapists are specially trained in both psychological and artistic principles. This training directs them in choosing the materials and focus appropriate to a teens’ specific needs.

Many residential treatment centers now use art therapy to help teenagers work through their problems and it is been used to reach even the most difficult teens. Art therapy offers a nonthreatening way for teens to express their feelings.

Studies suggest that art therapy can be very valuable in treating issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and even some phobias. It is a great way to express your emotions without words, process complex feelings and find relief.

Art therapy sessions will typically ask the teen to create art around a certain idea.

For example:

• Paint what their feelings or sadness are like
• Sculpt their family from clay
• Photo collage of their feelings from magazine clippings
• Draw a portrait of how they think others see them

Advantages of Art Therapy Works with Troubled Teens

Many parents have experienced their teen shutting down with traditional talk-therapy. While some adolescents won’t engage, others don’t express themselves well verbally. In some cases, a teen’s problems are too painful or complicated to put into words. This is where other forms of therapy – such as animal-assisted therapy and art therapy can be beneficial.

As a type of expressive therapy, art therapy works very well with some teens because it is:

• Non-threatening with less of a direct focus on the teen.
• A safe outlet for expressing what they are feeling inside.
• A process over which the teen feels a sense of control.
• The session is both interesting and creative.
• A way to discover underlying thoughts and feelings.
• Easier to develop a strong relationship with the therapist.

Clinical art therapy can be effective for adolescents who usually see it as a nonthreatening form of treatment. The art that the adolescent produces can help the therapist gain some idea of the youth’s concerns and life circumstances, especially those situations that are too risky to reveal or too personally embarrassing to relate. This awareness better equips the therapist in efforts to protect and support the adolescent during this turbulent time of life.

Read: Goals of Therapeutic Boarding Schools.

Read: Where Can I  Send My Troubled Teen.

Read: 5 Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools.

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If you are at your wit’s end with a good teen making bad decisions, there are excellent programs that can help through art therapy.  Parents’ Universal Resource Experts has helped, and continues to help, thousands of families dealing with troubled teens. Contact us for a free consultation.

My Troubled Teen Refuses Therapy

For the past several years we have been reading about the concerns of the teenage mental health crisis.

Many parents today struggle to convince their adolescent, especially a teenager to attend counseling. In some situations when they finally attend a counseling session, they refuse to engage, shut-down or manipulate the conversation.

The frustrations have become overwhelming, especially when you have a child dealing with emotional needs.

Starting with a school counselor is a great place to begin, however it doesn’t replace a therapist if your teenager is having serious concerns or issues that continue.

Teen depression, anxiety, defiance, as well as suicide ideation is climbing in healthcare leaving parents begging for help – especially when therapy (counseling) doesn’t seem to be an option. Some young people are turning to smoking marijuana or vaping THC as a form of self-medicating, to cope with anxiety, stress or even depression. 

How to Help My Teen When They Won’t Attend Counseling

Parents should attend counseling on their own with a family therapist, one that specializes with adolescents. Having a trained specialist give you insights (tips) on working with your child can be one of the most effective ways to help your teenager through difficult times. In some cases, if your teen knows you’re going – it might spark them to want to attend to share “their side” of the story.

Stifling the Stigma of Getting Help

Peer pressure is everything to a teenager today – many adolescents still consider attending treatment as a stigma and this can be a common reason why teens are reluctant to seek help.

Other reasons teens might refuse therapy is:

• They don’t think they need it; they believe they are fine the way they are.
• They believe the therapist or counselor will make them take medicine.
• They don’t believe therapy or medicine will work.
• They may have tried it when they were younger, and didn’t like it.
• They are feeling hopeless, and simply don’t want to try.

How a Certified Life Coach Can Help Your Teen When Counseling Isn’t an Option

As parents grow more desperate to get help for their troubled teenagers, Certified Teen Life Coaches have been able to fill a void as an option for some families. The mental health crisis is not diminishing anytime soon, it’s time to learn about all resources available to us to get adolescents the treatment they need. 

Certified Teen Life Coaches are an excellent alternative if your child is refusing therapy, especially if they have an issue with the embarrassment of it (stigma), however having a Teen Life Coach, can be considered cool. 

Your teenager’s life coach can be someone that is more relatable in their world, helping them navigate screentime, peer pressure, bullying (cyberbullying), school refusal (lack of motivation), anxiety, depression and more – helping them restore their emotional health and relationships including with their parents.

Marissa Terron, founder of Families in Need of Direction – Therapeutic Life Coaching, (F.I.N.D.-TLC) and a Certified Teen Life Coach, works with many adolescents (tweens and teens) and shares that although most have refused to attend counseling sessions, some simply preferred the style of a life coach for emotional support.

“Most young people today are struggling with relational issues, social media pressure and addiction that often lead to isolation & depression. In many situations it’s causing intelligent students to fail in school, or refuse to attend classes. The stress and anxiety have become overwhelming to adolescents today and most lack the coping skills to handle their feelings of anger, rage, or sadness.”

“We provide a safe and non-judgmental environment that provides support and guidance to develop effective communication strategies, boundary-setting techniques and conflict resolution skills.” shares Marissa Terron.

Teen Life Coaching also requires the parent(s) to be involved privately or as a whole to learn new strategies that will help them continue supporting their teen as they work through their issues, set and achieve goals and move toward a brighter and productive future.

The goal of a Teen Life Coach is to help your child overcome internal or external challenges that are prohibiting the teen from success and achievement. They can also help rebuild a fractured family and gradually bring happiness back to the home again.

A Teen Life Coach isn’t always a replacement for counseling or a therapist, however this can be an option if your teenager is refusing to attend therapeutic sessions. It can be less intimidating and offer your child the emotional support they may need.

It is every parent’s dream that their teen has a clear path to success and their future. Life does throw us curve balls, so when you have tried many resources to help your troubled teen that weren’t working, a Certified Teen Life Coach might be your answer before you leap into therapeutic boarding schools. 

Also Read:

Safe Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Success Rates of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Tuition for Therapeutic Boarding School

You need help with your troubled teenager, you have jumped online to search for places to send troubled teens and realize most of them do not list their tuition. How much do therapeutic boarding schools cost and can you afford them?

This can be frustrating to parents, especially when they are at your wits end and desperately seeking help. Many are dealing with an out-of-control teenager that is creating havoc in their home.

Once you realize you need a therapeutic boarding school and start your search, one of the top 3 steps in the process is money and financing.

Starting your search within your budget is priority — as you stumble on programs that seem like the perfect match for your child, you realize most do not list tuition or fees.

Getting help for adolescent mental health for behavioral issues can be costly, however there are options to offset some of the fees such as medical insurance.

Many parents initially have the sticker-shock and feel hopeless. It can seem overwhelming when you are in crisis with your troubled teenager.

The average cost of therapeutic boarding schools will start at about $8000 a month and up. The duration your child is there, depends on your teen, but the average stay is 6-9-12 months. As we share with parents — it didn’t take 4-6 weeks for your teen’s behavior to get to where it is at, it won’t take a short-term program to turn it around. You will need at least 6 months to change behavior for long-lasting results.

If you find programs/schools that cost a lot less in tuition (under $5000), you may want to double check the credentials of the staff – such as the therapists and teachers.

Some parents believe that a short-term wilderness program will fix their teen since they aren’t that bad — keep in mind, unless this behavior just started, a short-term program will likely give you short-term results. Most wilderness programs don’t list their costs which typically start at $450 a day up to $650 daily and usually doesn’t include the equipment you have to purchase.

Average stay for wilderness therapy is about 6-9 weeks. Most will then suggest you move on to a therapeutic boarding school.  The question is, why don’t you simply start at the therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment center?

Why are therapeutic boarding schools so expensive?

Residential treatment in general for adolescents can be costly for a variety of reasons.

Inside a therapeutic boarding school/residential treatment program:

–Quality care (safe and positive environment), credentialed staff
–Education, accredited academics
–Enrichment programs, extra-curriculum designed to encourage change (such as animal, art, music, gardening, therapies and more).
–Parent involvement, workshops and family therapy

Boarding schools for troubled teens provide 24/7/365 care for your child that includes around-the-clock medical and mental health support as well as their education.

Most teens enter these programs as smart kids but were falling behind in school (underachieving); now that they are in a consistent school environment, they can focus and get back on track academically — some will surpass where they need to be in residential treatment.

Schools for troubled teens also provide healthy food and eating habits as well as a positive environment for emotional growth, better sleep and overall physical wellness provided by a supportive staff.

Therapeutic boarding schools continue to incorporate talk and group therapy, as well as other behavior therapies — and most importantly is family therapy and providing workshops and transitional home plans.

Why are wilderness programs so expensive?

We don’t have that answer. They have a therapist visit them in nature, you purchase the equipment. Most do not include academics. Your teen will likely gain self-worth, learn to build a fire — but unless you are moving into a long-term program, it will likely yield short-term behavioral results.

Paying for Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Although not every family can afford behavioral boarding schools such as therapeutic boarding schools, there are financial options such as educational loans. If a family has a college fund for their troubled teen or young adult, it might be time to consider using it. Once their teen is back on track emotionally, there are many great community colleges as well as college scholarships available.

Many PPO insurance plans include out-of-network coverage which helps pay for a portion of the clinical component of the program. Most schools will provide a courtesy verification of benefits (VOB) to give you a determination of coverage. Some programs will file the insurance for you and deduct it from your invoices while others will give you the billing statements for your child’s clinical hours for you to be reimbursed.

If you have HMO, Medicaid, or Tricare, they typically require you to stay in-network to have coverage. Parents would contact the number on their medical card to ask for adolescent residential treatment centers that are in their providers’ network. It’s always wise to ask for at least three options. Some providers will require you to have a therapist’s referral. You may have to see ask for a therapist in the network first.

For families searching for scholarships, they are extremely limited if at all. Always ask the program you are interested in if they have any available. Free programs or programs with sliding scales (in accordance with your income) can usually be found through your local United Way services or the National Guard Youth Challenge programs.

There are mental health services for all levels of income, it can be tedious and time consuming since money is a factor but getting your child the help they need is priority.

Read: Where to Send My Troubled Teen?

Read: 5 Tips for Searching Online for Schools for Troubled Teens.

Read: 5 Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools.

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Contact us for a free consultation, we help you find the right therapeutic boarding school for your troubled teen and family. 

Success of Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Why do people go to therapeutic boarding schools (TBS)? Are these residential treatment programs effective? Schools for troubled teens are designed to help students that are struggling through their adolescent years. Many are afflicted with emotional, social and/or behavioral issues which can also cause poor academic performance.  What is the actual success of therapeutic boarding schools?

Have you reached a point where you are considering a therapeutic boarding school for your teenager, however confused if it will be the right decision?

Has your house become a battleground? You fear your teen will explode at anytime?  Are they spending more time online, isolated in their room — failing in school, vaping or doing drugs? Maybe they are suffering with depression, anxiety — that has led to self-harm or possibly suicide ideation.

Your teen has refused to see a therapist, outpatient treatment failed, the school setting is not working and maybe you even tried having them live with a relative. A short-term hospital stay was unsuccessful?

Choosing the right therapeutic boarding school for your teen’s needs can be tedious work, however you are your child’s best advocate. 

If you are like most parents, you jumped online to be bombarded with many websites that only made this task more confusing — there are literally hundreds of places to send troubled teens — according to the internet, but how do you know what is right for your teen and family? Most importantly, how do you know if these schools are successful or effective?

Read: Where Can I Send My Troubled Teenager.

What is the Success Rate of Therapeutic Boarding Schools?

Reality is, we have yet to see any third party research that isn’t funded by a school, program or organization that isn’t part of this industry. Another words, a study that wouldn’t have reason to be bias.

For example, although the wilderness therapy industry (OBH – Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare) has tried for several decades to fill research gaps to bolster its case of effectiveness and reduce the need for legislative intervention, science still does not support wilderness therapy. Therapeutic wilderness programs have no outcome data to support the effectiveness of these programs, and particularly the long-term effects of these interventions.

In 2019 OBH did it’s own research to say that wilderness therapy was effective and less expensive than traditional treatment such as short-term hospital stay or out-patient services. Although in this research the results claim it to be effective — it doesn’t mean it’s the solution, and as the research revealed, the average cost of the wilderness treatment is $27,426 (which is likely higher now) — not including the cost of equipment.

Interestingly this study was partially funded by National Association for Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP), which collects fees for membership from wilderness programs, as well as other teen help schools that want their logo on their websites and also partially funded by Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Council (OBHC).

3 Ways to Success in a Therapeutic Boarding School

There can be success in therapeutic boarding schools and there absolutely has been happy endings. This starts with a parent being diligent in doing their research and understanding they do have choices. Keep in mind, what may have failed for one family, could have been successful for another family.

The one absolute fact is that home life is not working, you have exhausted your local resources and typically when a parent decides it’s time for residential treatment, it’s when they realize they are out of options – as well as their teen is literally crying for help by their negative behavior and it’s important to keep them safe. In many cases, it’s not only the safety of the teen that is in crisis, but also the safety of the family.

1. Longevity. Although you might be starting this journey, therapeutic boarding schools have been around for a long time. Not only do you want a school that has a good reputation, when you find one that has had years (decades) of experience — and bonus points for low staff turn-over, this could be a good contender.

Have you selected a program that’s been around awhile, however started reading all these frightening websites or reviews?  It’s time to learn about deciphering the misinformation online.

2. Parents. You are not alone! If there is a therapeutic boarding school, residential treatment center or any type of program you are considering for your child and they won’t give you parent references — this is a red flag. 

Parents and parent references are the heart and soul of programs. You (mom and dad) need just as much support as your teen does. This experience is overwhelming. Only those that have walked in your shoes can actually understand and support you.

Prior selecting or enrolling in a program, ask the admissions director for parents to speak with — here are some questions to ask to help give you an idea of what a therapeutic school entails:

-Why did they have to send their teen to a program?
-Are they happy with the program?
-What was their trigger moment that made their decision?
-How long did their child attend the program?
-Why did they choose that particular program?
-What was their deciding factor on this program?
-Did they visit the program before placing their teen?
-How is their teen doing today? Do they consider it successful?
-How was the communication with the program?
-Did they provide transitional support after their teen graduated?
-Would they recommend the program to a friend or family?

A key question parents should ask is, if they could change one thing about the program to improve it, what would that be? It gives you room to find out a bit of negative. Usually not enough to change your mind, but helps you to go in — eyes wide open.

3. People. Who is the owner, director, staff — people working with your teen? It’s the people that make the therapeutic boarding school a success. It’s typically why when parents ask about programs that are owned by corporations — we pause, or shy away. When you are considering a program that is corporately owned, it can be more of a struggle to have things changed to meet your child’s needs. Whereas when working with privately owned programs — it only has to be approved through the owner/director. You’re usually a text message or email away.

All quality programs (privately owned or corporately owned) should be licensed and accredited – so you aren’t sacrificing by choosing a privately owned program.

It’s important to review their credentials, accreditations –– and ask about background checks of their staff. Again, about staff turn-over.

BEST SUCCESS of a Therapeutic Boarding School

Finally, determining the success of a therapeutic boarding school has so many factors, but most importantly is THE FAMILY.  If you’re not planning to jump on board and be part of the program, then don’t waste your time or money.

Therapeutic boarding schools and programs are not only about the teenager – it’s about bringing the entire family back on a healthy path again. The family is broken right now. We’re not here to point fingers, we’re here to heal — get on a road to recovery.

There will be books to read, family therapy (virtual) and workshops to attend. Never doubt, this can be successful – it’s not easy, but it’s worth it!

Also read: What is the Goal of Residential Treatment.

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If you’re considering a therapeutic boarding school for your difficult teenager, contact us for a free consultation.

Cybersafety, Privacy Online and Teens: The Conversation

Parents know the things to do keep their kids safe around home, like keeping an eye on them outside, teaching them stranger danger and to travel in groups. But what about in the virtual world? It’s shown to be just as dangerous, and if certain information gets in the wrong hands, your child, your family, and your identity could all be at risk.

The Web offers a plethora of fun and educational things for kids to do, plus all the social networking that is huge for tweens and teens. But along with that comes plenty of places for danger. Just as parents need to talk to their kids about safety in the everyday real world, they also must discuss safety precautions related to the Internet, and make sure their kids get it.

What can parents do? How do they start the conversation? It is important to cover the dangers – all of them – in age-appropriate language to help kids understand the dangers of giving away information online.

Talk, Talk, Talk

The most important thing parents can do is talk to their kids, tweens, and teens. Make sure they know the dangers that are prevalent online, whether sexual predators, those that want to steal identities and financial information, and any other type of cybercriminal. Make sure to keep lines of communication open so kids feel comfortable talking about anything relating to the Internet that bothers them.

Set Clear Internet Rules

Depending on the kids’ ages, parents may have different rules. Young children should never even give out their name. Once kids get older and more into social media, reinforce the importance of careful posting and sharing – what goes on the Internet is there forever! Nothing personal should be posted or shared, like address, phone number, or credit card information.

Identity Theft

When it comes to personal information, it’s easier than most think to get other’s information. If a site looks fishy, it probably is. Parents need to make sure their kids understand to never give out personal information like credit card numbers, bank accounts, or social security numbers without parental permission, even if they are buying something.

If a child sees something like “accepts credit cards” or “enter information here,” he needs to let a parent know and stop what he’s doing. Once credit card information or other personal numbers are in the hands of others, it’s tough to reverse the damage. The best rule is never give it out.

How to Start This Conversation

Start talking about Internet safety when kids are young. Keep the computer in family areas so activity can be monitored. As kids get older, reinforce these topics. Let them know age-appropriate instances of what can happen if things like cyberbullying or credit card theft happen. Parents need to let children know that they are always available, even if mistakes are made, so they can solve things together.

The bottom line is: Don’t give out information! Whether it’s social, personal, or financial, kids need to keep this to themselves. Parents should stay tuned in to not only what goes in the world of online security, but also what their kids are doing online. Awareness is key. And, parents, keep reinforcing how important it is to your kids!

Teens and Making Safe Online Purchases

Summer is approaching and teens will be spending more time online – and possibly be making purchases such as iTunes, Netflix or other items that they have parent permission to buy.  It is imperative they know how to make safe cyber-purchases.

Like TV, the Internet targets kids with advertising, giving them plenty of opportunities to shop online, even if they’re not intending to. As parents, you need to make sure your kids are making good choices when it comes to online purchases, and the best way to do this is to talk and set some parameters.

Communicate

Before your kids start making online purchases, talk with them. Let them know what information is okay to give out and what’s not. Just like so many facets of the Internet, it’s essential for your kids to know the difference. Discuss what personal information is okay to provide; this will differ depending on their age. Younger kids should never give out any information, and it’s okay for older kids to give pertinent billing information only if they are buying something with your permission. They should never give out personal financial information or social security numbers.

Let your kids know to come to you so you can help them make the purchases. Plus, depending on their age, they should probably be asking permission before buying anything.

Another thing to communicate to your child is that if he or she is playing online and things come up like “add to shopping cart” or “accepts credit cards,” it’s time to alert you.

Use Gift Cards

Instead of giving out credit card numbers to set up accounts, use gift cards. A lot of kids love buying apps–let them use iTunes gift cards. That way, they can monitor their spending, and you won’t end up seeing surprise totals on your credit card bills. It will also encourage responsible spending.

Only Shop Reputable Sites and Do it Together

You wouldn’t send your eight-year-old into the mall alone with your credit cards; you shouldn’t let your kids have free reign online. Talk about this and how it’s important to sit down and shop together. Maybe they can browse around a little without you on safe, approved sites, but when it comes time for buying, do it together.

The younger kids are, the more online supervision they’ll need. A teen can have more freedom (but still be safe) than a younger child.

Let Them Know Many “Game” Sites Want Money and Membership

A lot of kid-friendly “free” sites are actually sites where you can buy memberships to get more options. If your child likes certain sites for playing, look into them and see if they offer memberships and what it entails. If you’re okay with this, go through the membership together to sign up with your child (you often have to approve this anyway).

If you’re not okay with this, explain why. Maybe you don’t want another monthly fee or you don’t think it’s necessary. Often you can still play, you just don’t get ALL the benefits, but that’s a good life lesson.

Even some apparently free apps will offer things you can buy to make it more fun or a better experience. Discuss with your child if they really think it’s necessary, and go from there.

The Internet offers a lot of fun sites for kids to play and stores to shop in. But it also harbors dangers, whether financial ones or others, and kids need to know what safety precautions to take. Let them know your parameters and values, and they can start making good, safe shopping choices from the beginning.

Contributor:  Heather Legg is a writer who blogs about Internet safety, parenting tips, and healthy lifestyles.