Finding the Right Boys Home For Your Teen Son

Finding the right solution for your teen son who may be in crisis is essential to ensure his future is steady, stable, and on the right track. Teen boys struggling with mental health or behavioral issues often need therapeutic intervention. The right boy’s home can make a world of difference for a teenager struggling at home or school.

How can you find the right solution to meet your teen’s needs? Do you know what these types of programs offer?

What is a boy’s home?

Also often referred to as a therapeutic boarding schools, these facilities offer teen’s the structure and fresh start needed to help get their lives back on track. Teens live at these facilities, with around-the-clock supervision. They live with others who are struggling with similar issues so that they can find companionship, leadership, leadership opportunities, and support amongst their peers.

Beyond that, teens are given the opportunity to catch up and keep up with their schoolwork. This is particularly beneficial if teens have struggled at school before being sent to a boy’s home.

Most importantly, teens struggling or in crisis will benefit from a range of therapeutic solutions that will be modified to meet their individual needs. No two teens are alike, so no two therapeutic solutions should be alike.

Is your teen a good candidate?

How can you tell if these programs are the right choice for your teen? Some reasons that make teens good candidates for residential treatment programs include the following.

• Having academic problems, including slipping grades, poor attendance, or getting into arguments with peers and teachers.
• Behavioral concerns, which may include oppositional defiance disorder or ADHD.
• Substance abuse, whether drugs, alcohol or both.
• Problems with anger.
• Anxiety, depression, or significant stress.
• Consistent lying or otherwise trying to deceive parents.
• Getting in trouble with the law.

If your teen son has been displaying any of these concerns, you may find that the therapeutic programs in a boy’s home can help him.

Therapeutic solutions offered at boy’s homes

Without a doubt, therapy is one of the most important elements of any boy’s home or therapeutic boarding school. Allowing a teen the chance to dig in and tackle some of those underlying issues contributing to their behavioral or mental health issues can open them up to a fresh direction for their lives.

With this in mind, these therapeutic programs often focus on creating a safe and supportive environment so teens can feel comfortable and secure as they drop their emotional walls and allow themselves to be vulnerable.

Once a teen can tackle and face some of these internal conflicts, they’ll find themselves in a better position to build up the coping skills that will help them succeed in life.

Most parents of troubled teens find that they are ready to consider other options after already turning to outpatient therapy options to help their teen. Outpatient therapy can be beneficial for most patients, but there are some situations where parents find that they’re looking for a different solution.

Just what makes the therapy at a boarding school different from outpatient treatment?

Outpatient therapy is generally beneficial. However, the therapeutic solutions used at boarding schools are those that have been proven successful with teens who are in crisis.
Some of these therapies may include the following.

• Group therapy sessions with peers
• Family therapy
• Individual therapy
• Equine therapy
• Sports therapy

The immersive experience at a facility that focuses on healthy living and a structured environment will allow teens to make better progress than they would generally be able to in once-weekly therapy and settings that are less structured.

It’s also important to remember that sometimes teens cannot heal properly when they are living at home and still spending time with their friends and possible negative influences.

Selecting the right one for your teen

Once you’ve decided to send your teen to a facility that can offer him the help he needs, how do you choose the right one? There are many options to consider, and they aren’t all designed with the same programs and therapeutic directions in mind. We’ve got a few tips to help you select the right therapeutic school for your teen.

• Decide whether you’re interested in a facility in your town or state or whether you’re willing to consider one out of state. Distance shouldn’t necessarily be a factor in your decision, but it might be something to keep in mind as you approach the research portion of this decision.
• Learn as much as possible about each facility you’re looking into. Find out their therapeutic solutions and how successful each of them is in treating troubled teens. Be sure also to find out what credentials each facility holds. They should be in an excellent position to offer your teen the educational support he needs while offering qualified therapists on-hand to ensure he gets the mental health support he needs.
• Write down a list of questions you may have to get the answers you need to make an informed decision. Questions should include the types of living arrangements, the things your teen will be responsible for in the home he’s living in, what kind of educational support he’ll get, and perhaps the types of extracurricular activities he’ll have the chance to participate in.

The more you discover the options available to you and your teen, the more confident you’ll feel as you make this often-challenging decision.

At HelpYourTeenNow, we pride ourselves on being able to pair families with the resources that they need. If your teen is in crisis or could otherwise benefit from mental health and wellness resources, reach out and learn more about how we can help.