When troubled teens are acting aggressively or flagrantly disobeying rules, parents often turn to a military-style boot camp for help. These programs use shock tactics like yelling and physical labor to stamp out rebellious behaviors.
However, these programs are not effective for adolescents with serious mental health problems. They do not address the root causes of behavioral issues and can actually make things worse.
Stillwater
Stillwater Academy is an accredited, long term residential treatment program. They work with struggling students to help them overcome their difficulties in school and in life. They offer individualized learning support and have small class sizes to ensure that students receive the attention they need. Students often see a 1.5 grade point increase in their cumulative GPA while attending the school.
Parents often think that their defiant teen needs to be “toughened up.” They believe that increased discipline will make the child fall in line and behave. Unfortunately, this approach has been shown to be counterproductive. Teens who are exposed to this type of punishment may learn to change only for the sake of getting out of trouble.
Instead, you should consider a therapeutic alternative like wilderness therapy. These programs will provide your teen with the tools they need to make positive changes in their lives. They also address any underlying issues that might be contributing to their behaviors.
Liahona Academy
Many parents of teenagers from Idaho Falls, ID are confused about the best treatment options for their troubled teens. Often, they seek out programs that offer a “boot camp.” Unfortunately, these camps typically don’t deliver on their promises of providing therapeutic change. In fact, studies have shown that yelling at teens and military-style conditioning tactics can actually make the problems worse.
Survivors of Liahona Academy have reported that the program uses demeaning methods of discipline. For example, teens are forced to wake up at 6 a.m. each morning to partake in an hour of exercise. This could include indoor calisthenics or running on a 1/8 mile track. They are also required to take 21 pages of handwritten notes about their behavior.
Another issue with the program is its treatment of students with underlying mental health issues. Several therapists at the facility have allegedly abused their patients. The most serious allegation involves a staff member who threw a student to the ground, causing him to require 11 staples in his head.
Juvenile Detention Centers
Juvenile detention centers are a form of boot camp for teens in Idaho Falls that have troubled behaviors. They offer a safe place for your teen to heal from their risky choices and behavior in Idaho Falls, while also providing them with an opportunity to receive therapeutic treatment that will make lasting changes in their life.
These programs have come under fire from mental health professionals for using shock incarceration and military style training techniques. They are also often unable to address the real underlying psychological issues that have caused these troubled teens to act out.
Despite the claims made by these programs, they are not effective in helping troubled teen boys and girls to change their behavior. The majority of them will relapse into their defiant ways after they leave the program. This is especially true if they are not given a chance to recover and find healing through counseling and therapy. Thankfully, there are alternatives to this type of treatment.
Military Boot Camps
Many parents of troubled teenagers in Idaho Falls opt for military-style boot camps to shock their teen into changing their behavior. However, this is a dangerous and unproven method of intervention. In fact, most studies have found that boot camps are no more effective than prisons in helping troubled teens reclaim their lives.
The typical philosophy behind boot camps is that screaming and disciplining emotionally challenged adolescent boys will make them fall in line. But, the reality is that this only creates short-term changes in teens, and they often relapse into their old behaviors soon after.
The best residential treatment programs for teen boys focus on therapy and transformation rather than discipline. They also offer parents emotional respite from the exhausting stress of parenting a struggling child. Contact a Therapy Insider counselor today to learn more about the best options for you and your family. The right program will help your son to become a more responsible, productive person.