It can be extremely difficult to raise an angry and defiant teen. It can be just as difficult to accept that you may need to seek outside help in order to help him turn his life around. Although the idea of removing your troubled child from the home is intimidating, teens with behavioral issues can greatly benefit from a residential treatment program. These facilities are specially designed to handle teens with issues ranging from substance abuse, aggression, depression, anxiety and defiance to low self-esteem and some mental disorders. These problems can interfere with a teenager’s ability to establish healthy relationships or function effectively at home or school. Residential treatment programs are one of the most successful long term solutions for teens throughout the country who have not responded to outpatient options.
Residential treatment programs provide full time therapeutic care for troubled teens needing behavior modification or a chance to develop healthy coping skills. Although there is great emphasis put on consistency and adhesion to the rules, residential treatment programs are not the same as military style boot camp or therapeutic boarding schools. Unlike boot camps, residential programs do not use physical punishment, intimidation or manipulation to simply treat the symptoms of an underlying problem. Therapeutic boarding schools do not place as much emphasis on therapy as they do on academics, and the large group size means that many individual issues do not get addressed. Residential treatment programs focus on the issues that cause acting out and bad behavior in the first place. This approach to healing from the inside out has the greatest history of long-term success with severely troubled teens.
Residential treatment programs encourage healthy changes through regular individual and group therapy as well as a healthy balance of academics and recreational activities. Each boy is given daily opportunities to put his learning into practice through a series of levels or phases in which he is able to self-correct and move forward at his own pace. The small group setting effectively mimics a home environment and allows teens to use appropriate boundaries and good communication skills. The main theory behind the curriculum at most residential treatment programs is that it does no good to simply treat the symptoms if the root of the problem remains.
Liahona Academy is located in southern Utah and has been helping troubled boys from throughout the country develop the skills they need for a health and success for 15 years. If you have questions about our program or would like to discuss your son’s needs in a free consultation, please contact us at 1-855-587-1416.
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