The Benefits of a Therapeutic Boarding School

[kirstin]

The Benefits of a Therapeutic Boarding School

Having a teen with a problem makes the choice of school for the young person to be even more important than normal. The troubled teen must have the best possible opportunity to (a) still do well academically and (b) to be able to work through their troubles and come out the end a healthy and happy young adult.

One of the best types of school for a troubled teen is one where the kids board but are often based in the great outdoors. It's a camp and a school combined often located in the wilderness.

Because of the location, the teens get to tackle and enjoy many experiences they would never find in a conventional city-based school. Of course there are academic studies and therapy sessions aimed specifically at the needs of each individual student. But the school takes advantage of the therapy freely available from nature. The magnificent scenery and peaceful surrounds are combined with challenges not faced elsewhere in their normal school life. The students have to trek away from their base and sleep out in the wilderness during their hiking adventure. They have to carry a pack, fetch firewood and light a fire cooking the food they brought and/or caught. It places new trials before the kids and as they rise to the challenge their self-esteem and self-confidence rise to new levels.

Then there are other tasks such as caring for animals and horses in particular. Teens that have troubles and may have been based in a tough urban environment are suddenly in a totally different place. They get to take responsibility for something they love. It's a life-changing experience and the success rate from teens who take on this type of program is very high. And the real benefit is that the troubled teens not only work through their issue at the school but they return home and continue with this improved attitude. In other words, the benefits are long-lasting.

And there is also a more structured therapy as well. Kids who are troubled often want to have their say and at these wilderness schools they get the chance to do just that. In one-on-one sessions and in small groups, the teens are allowed to talk about their troubles, why they feel the way they do and how they would like to overcome their troubles. The trained teachers and therapists deal specifically with troubled teens and the role of the natural wilderness and the expertise of the staff combine to give these trouble teens a whole new outlook on life. Their negative attitude is changed to one of enthusiasm and a positive wish to succeed.

One of the secrets to success is the series of grades or levels through which each student must pass. At first they are set on a basic grade and can move up the table according to their work ethic and willingness to participate. It gives the student great confidence to see their progress. It's a clever way of boosting self-esteem and is one of the major goals of the therapeutic school.

[SharonMcCarthy]

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[Pile of Dead Kids]

It's a good sign that nobody's chomping at the blatant trolling anymore.

[kirstin]

It's a good sign that nobody's chomping at the blatant trolling anymore.

Give it time they will Pile of Dead Kids.