Why does behavior modification treatment work for troubled teens? More parents are searching for help for troubled teens.
A behavior modification program is specifically set-up to stop the downward spiral of a teen’s behavior and change the course to an upward one.
Has your teen become destructive at home, do they explode when they don’t get their own way? They have refused therapy, outpatient treatment has failed, a short-term hospital stay was unsuccessful? Maybe a stay at relative’s home ended badly.
Does any of this teen behavior sound familiar:
- Entitled, disrespectful
- Breaking curfew
- Defiance, rage, violence
- Substance use, drinking, vaping
- Internet or gaming addiction
- Self-harm, suicide ideation
- Sneaking out, running away
- Posting inappropriate content online
- School refusal, smart but failing academically
If so, you’re not alone.
When a teen is removed from the stressors and triggers of home – not to mention their peer influences and devices (social media) – with a slowed down manageable pace – and placed into an environment with staff, activities (enrichment programs) and therapy designed to encourage change – (build self-worth) – the opportunity for the kind of true and deep change required to turn your teen’s life around can finally start to happen.
A positive, consistent environment replaces the toxic environment they’re leaving. They won’t have access to drugs or alcohol – or their social media or devices. The peer influences are now cut-off. If they’ve been struggling academically, often this new and unique environment is where they will begin to thrive again.
If there was family discord, the destructive cycles with siblings and/or parents are now stopped and communication is deliberately slowed down to include mediated conversations, letter exchanges, and intermittent visits.
This completely changes the dynamic and stops parents and teens from engaging in the same ineffective communication patterns used before. It’s as if a pause button is pushed and teens eventually are able to move away from their rigid perspectives and look at their relationships from a new and clear vantage point.
They begin to gain perspective on life events that may have created trauma, or on their contribution to the “mess” their lives have become. They learn about their own unique emotional and cognitive make up and their problems or limitations as a starting point for the journey forward.
What can a quality behavior modification program offer your teen?
A well-designed behavior modification program accelerates the environment to enhance the likelihood and speed of change. The foundation of such environments is the creation of a safe, relationally warm place where the teen is protected from self-destructive behavior, unburdened from the “overwhelm” of life, and immersed in relational climate that invites introspection.
Such places enable young people to look at their choices, their personal limitations, and the outcomes of the strategies they are using, and to recognize their own contributions to their problems and unhappiness. From a basic, high-level vantage point, effective treatment programs share common elements:
- A full and balanced daily life structure and schedule;
- Clinical support through individual, behavioral therapy and group therapy;
- Constant exposure to positive role models and coaching from staff;
- A positive peer culture in which teens who have progressed influence other teens in positive ways;
- Clear and constant expectations and rules;
- Experiential and recreational activities;
- Methods for defining and recognizing progress;
- Academic programming and support;
- Parent education and involvement in the treatment process.
Read: 5 Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools.
Read: Where to Send My Troubled Teen.
Contact us today for a free consultation – learn more about quality therapeutic boarding schools for troubled teens that offer behavior modification treatment.