If your troubled teen needs help because of serious problems that you haven’t been able to address at home, he might benefit from attending a boarding school where he will receive a variety of therapies. Most parents realize that their child will participate in individual, group and family counseling. However, they might not know that their son will benefit from several other types of therapy as well.
Experiential Therapy
Experiential therapy means that the boys spend time being involved in service projects in order to help teens look outside themselves for ways that they can help others. As they gain a bigger perspective, they move past focusing on themselves to thinking about others.
Life Skills
Life skills are the basic personal skills that teens need to successfully navigate through life. These might include the following:
- Academics
- Personal hygiene
- Daily chores and
- Compliance.
These skills will come in handy for the rest of their lives, and they can take them with them when they finish the program.
Recreational Therapy
Despite extensive studies done on the benefits of recreational therapy, parents likely do not realize that this type of treatment can help a troubled teen. One perspective of overall treatment includes educating adolescents that they function as a whole, with spirit, mind and bodies intertwined and designed to work in harmony. Society often differentiates between these parts of people, and young people might struggle in this area, especially as they are just coming into an understanding of who they are as individuals. Recreational therapy provides them with a wonderful and physical outlet designed to burn off energy and reduce stress so that they can better cope with other areas of their lives. When combined with proper eating habits, recreational therapy improves a boy’s self-image, which then helps him in other areas of his life. The teens can further benefit from intentional processing of what they are experiencing and accomplishing during their outdoor experiences. Spending time engaging in his sport of choice will boost his skill level and confidence in the process.
Benefits of Recreational Therapy
According to the North Virginia Mental Health Institute, recreational therapy offers numerous benefits, such as:
- Reducing stress
- Increasing socialization
- Improving coping skills
- Increasing energy levels
- Overall better physical and mental health
- Understanding how to integrate into the community and
- Improving decision-making abilities
Some of the specific recreational activities that might help your son include:
- Swimming
- Water skiing
- Camping
- Bowling
- Weightlifting
- Basketball
- Softball
- Snow skiing
- Hiking
- Football
- Basketball and
- Other recreational activities.
With wide, open spaces, fresh air and impressive mountain ranges, Utah offers some of the most scenic backdrops in the nation for troubled teens. The beauty of nature seems to calm the boys, and a new environment offers them a fresh perspective. As they participate in recreational activities, they learn how to balance work and play as the recreation complements the other therapies and teachings of the program.
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