“Healthy relationships make it possible for the times we
have to deliver the TOUGH conversations.”
Jeremey Jones Program Director, on Adventure Therapy
Individual therapy offers the most in-depth form of
counseling, where students explore their mental health needs with their therapist.
Group counseling provides a place where our students are able to learn about a wide variety of mental health issues in a
group setting including but not limited to healthy coping skills, anxiety triggers, anger management skills, healthy self-expression, and leadership skills. Additionally, the therapy team works with the Director of Adventure Groups to create real-life
metaphorical examples that correspond to the adventure group experiences in order to help the teens understand how
their experiences correspond to life at home.
Adventure therapy provides a therapeutic context in the midst of an indoor or outdoor activity where our students are
given opportunities to implement what they have been learning in individual and group counseling.
Family: The more challenging approach is to come alongside students, creating a space where learning can take place, and
in a way that they embrace and own for themselves. This is the art of facilitation and our approach to adventure.
THERAPEUTIC BOARDING SCHOOL FOR MY TEEN OR NOT?
This is a tough decision for any parent to make, and there is, clearly, no set rule of thumb. So, “How do I know when it is time to go?” The answer is, “When it is more difficult or painful to stay in the current situation than it would be to change, then it is time to move forward.”
When dealing with a troubled teen in your home, you have many factors to consider. How is he/she affecting the other siblings in the home? What is the effect on the family as a whole? Is there a danger to the teen or threats of running away? Are they breaking the law, or have they gotten expelled from school? Is there a willingness for them to participate in counseling with the family, and is it working? Are they showing any signs of really trying to change or, at least, expressing a need for change?
Hundreds of families have concluded that keeping their teenager at home, even for a few more months, may prove to be detrimental to them or have irreversible effects on the other siblings—a risk they were not willing to take. Proper diagnosis, possible medication, and a team approach with the whole family may be the answer for your child at this point. Your child deserves the best, and so do you. If your family needs help, pursue it and allow God to give you direction and peace in your decision.
