Parents who are at their wits end with their troubled teen often consider a teen boot camp. These programs are usually short term and highly intense.
They use drill sergeant style teaching methods and may even resort to physical – or in extreme situations emotional – confrontation. This type of treatment can cause a teens to have a severe distrust of authority figures.
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
Many parents from New York feel that their troubled teenager has gone too far and that the only way to turn them around is to force them to face their problems. This is why they are often tempted by the promises of juvenile boot camps.
But the truth is that these programs are usually harmful for the teens in their care. Rather than helping them overcome their problems, they send the wrong message that respect can only be earned by power and that yelling at teens is a good way to get them to change.
This is a huge part of the problem in the troubled teen industry. And it is why Help Your Teen Now exists, to arm parents with the information that they need in order to decide whether or not boot camp will work for their child. We also have the resources to connect families with long term residential treatment centers that can offer the real changes their teens need and the family support they deserve.
Finding a Path to Renewal
Teens who regularly display defiance of authority, get into trouble with the law or struggle in school often have a deeper issue that needs to be addressed. While a boot camp might be effective at shaping certain behaviors, they do nothing to address the root cause. Unless the underlying issue is addressed, the changes will only be short-lived.
It is important that parents seek professional advice before enrolling to troubled teen boot camp. They need to look at other options, including residential treatment programs that offer compassionate group therapy. If your teen has been exhibiting serious behavioral issues, talk to their guidance counselor or psychologist and find out what kind of treatment they can provide that will actually help your child change their ways. Whether it’s wilderness therapy, a therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment, you need to find a program that is long term. This will give your teen the time they need to develop lasting positive change.
Developing Healthy Relationships
Many troubled teens exhibit behavior such as substance abuse, poor grades, and a lack of respect for authority figures. These behaviors can often be symptoms of deeper, undiagnosed mental health issues like anxiety or depression. Boot camps may offer a clean break for a troubled teen, but they do not address the underlying issues.
While a teen boot camp may seem like the best option for parents who are desperate to help their troubled child, there is often a much better solution available. Instead of trying to fix the problem with a quick-fix, it is important to find a program that offers comprehensive treatment, including individual and family therapy.
A good program will also be able to provide a safe and supportive environment, allowing the troubled teen to develop healthy relationships with adults and peers. It will not involve the use of force and humiliation, which is not helpful for teenagers who have already a difficult relationship with authority figures.
Building a Strong Foundation
When a troubled teen is out of control, parents desperately search for help. They may look at a variety of treatment settings, including boot camps for troubled teens in New York.
Typically modeled after military training, boot camps uphold discipline, structure, and responsibility. While many programs like wilderness programs and residential treatment centers hold little resemblance to a boot camp, they do offer some of the same principles.
But they don’t address the root causes of a teen’s problems, and they usually fail to produce long term results. When a teen returns to their home environment, they are likely to resume the same behaviors because they haven’t learned anything new.
If you are considering a boot camp for your teenager, make sure you check with references and contact parents whose children have gone through the program. Also, consider a therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment center which uses evidence based therapies and proven methods for addressing the root cause of your child’s oppositional behavior.