How to tell if a Teen Therapeutic Program is Right for Your Teen
This has always been one of the toughest questions for any parent that is dealing with a struggling teen. Some of the questions that go through your mind while researching options might be:
- Am I overreacting?
- Is the situation really as bad as I think it is?
- Have I tried everything possible?
- Is it me being a bad parent?
- Will he hate me forever?
- Should I give him one more chance?
- Is she just being a normal teen?
- Should I really be spending all this money?
- How will I pay for it?
- What if it doesn’t work?
Timing is different for everyone. Your intuition knows when it is time. If you are researching schools and programs, chances are you are already there. Your adolescent child has given you plenty of reasons that he is ready for a program.
When you are seeing negative results from everything that you, the school, the counselors, coaches have tried to do, you are ready to make the decision on a program. Your teenager lets you know by her actions that she cannot maintain good behavior or good grades. She might comply for a week or so but not consistently. Most of the time things get progressively worse as the weeks go by.
One of the things that I hear from parents is “I just can’t do this to him”, when the truth is you need to do it for him! This is a gift that you are giving your child. He will thank you for saving his life for the rest of his life. He will benefit from your decision to stop his downward spiral forever.
For most teens who are lucky enough to go into a therapeutic residential program, the results are amazing. They go off to college, go into the military, etc. They end up with amazing lives because you had the courage to take a stand for them when they couldn’t do it for themselves.
Does your teen need help? Learn more about therapeutic program placement.
