to the above two posters. WOW! you are misinformed. I'd like to know what constitutes "extremely well", how, and for how long the program keeps track of the students after graduation. If the success rate is as high as you say, why doesnt the entire world just create more programs just like it? hmmmmm......
there are some programs that do help troubled teens. and in case you havnt noticed, they are not listed anywhere on this site for a reason - because they are honest organizations that do more than just help kids.
for wildernesses, there's Outward Bound and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). they both have excellent reputations and a history spanning back three or four decades. They are wilderness schools first, catering to all ages, from teens to geriatrics. They mainly cater to normal, un-troubled individuals, but they both have programs for troubled teens. I could imagine that sailing the carribian, trekking through alaska or patagonia, riding horseback through mongolia, climbing the rockies or paddling the boundary waters would be alot more therapeutic than anything offered by the programs and wildernesses that are ever mentioned on fornits. They are therapeutic to normal people - not just troubled teens - which is why they exist in the first place. What's particularly interesting about these NOLS and OB, that to my knowledge, they have some programs where both the parents and the teen take part in an expedition, partially separated and partially together.
Then theres a whole variety of support groups. some are run by religious institutions, but most of them are non-religious regardless of affiliation. There are summer camps geared towards troubled teens. There are mentoring programs. There is private therapy. there are a million options for troubled teens that dont involve brainwashing, warehousing, and abuse. We dont take an issue with those institutions because they present no problems.
