Boarding Schools for Unmotivated Students

Teens will go through unmotivated periods where they don’t want to participate in sports or school. Many may find their way back to a strong academic path, but some may not. How can you provide help to a teen who simply is not motivated to go to school, do the assignments, take tests, or admit that he may need help? If your teen is now faced with failing and being held back next year, it could be the right time to intervene and get him help. Boarding school may be presented to you as an option, as may a residential therapeutic boarding school. Could they be the right choice? Do you know the differences between them?

How Can a Boarding School Help?

Let’s take a look at some of how a boarding school, whether a regular school or a therapeutic boarding school, may offer benefits to a teen struggling with motivation related to his education.

• School can bring with it bullies and peer pressure. A new environment can get your teen away from the uncomfortable atmosphere of his previous school.
• Your teen may feel overwhelmed and ganged up on by teachers at school. A new environment will allow him to start over.
• Sometimes breaking away from the environment that led to poor decision-making can offer not just a fresh start but an opportunity to see how those decisions negatively impacted his life.

At boarding school, teens will learn to take care of themselves through valuable life lessons. From making their bed to picking up their bedroom and taking care of their laundry, these skills can also empower a teen who has lost confidence in himself.

The Therapeutic Boarding School Difference

Boarding schools can prove to benefit some teens who have been struggling. However, while they help teens get that fresh start, there are some things that they simply aren’t equipped to help your teen with. Teens displaying signs of being unmotivated, whether with school, sports, or in other areas of their lives, maybe actually deal with some issues that run a bit deeper.

•  Anxiety
•  Depression
• Stress
• PTSD
• OCD
• ADD or ADHD
• Drug or alcohol use
• Peer pressure

So, while getting your teen into a new and supportive environment may help with some of these concerns, it will not help your teen dig deep to confront and heal from these issues truly. 

What Will a Therapeutic Boarding School Provide?

A therapeutic boarding school will offer your teen the supportive, nurturing, and encouraging environment that he needs to find a healthy way forward in life. How is this accomplished in a therapeutic boarding school?

• A thorough evaluation is done on each troubled teen. This allows the staff mental health professionals to understand better what your teen may be struggling with.
• Healthy and individualized programs are offered to teens to address each need in the best manner possible.
• Therapy that includes individual, group, and family therapies can help your teen communicate better.
• Activities that encourage leadership, teamwork, and good sportsmanship are offered to help your teen learn and grow.
•  Around-the-clock supervision and help are offered for teens, no matter the issues they are fighting with.
• Aftercare treatment is often offered so that teens feel supported even when they return to their home setting. 

Regular boarding schools can certainly help address some of the concerns that your teen is struggling with. However, to give your teen the best foot forward in life, any underlying mental wellness concerns must be identified and addressed. Therapeutic boarding schools can offer this to teens at all levels of crisis.