Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens

Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens - By: Angel Hardy


As teenagers transition from dependent children to independent adults, they struggle to find their identity and can often get into trouble along the way. Several types of boarding schools exist to help teenagers and their families through these rough years and to help mold the teen into a well rounded, mature young man or woman.

A boarding school is a learning institution where students also live. Generally, students live together in dormitories and eat together in communal dining halls. They attend classes during the day and may also participate in extracurricular activities. Staff lives on site to provide support for the teens.

Just as there are many unique types of troubled teens, several different types of boarding schools for troubled teens exist.

Military School

As its name suggests, a military school is modeled after the military system. It is a rigid program and emphasizes strong self discipline. A military boarding school provides a strong academic education and is not an abusive environment.

Christian Boarding School

A Christian boarding school is run by a church or other Christian organization. This type of school incorporates Christian values and ideas into the curriculum.

Therapeutic Boarding School

A therapeutic boarding school is designed for a teen with clinical needs. These needs may be depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, autism, substance abuse, or something as simple as poor social skills. A therapeutic boarding school provides a well-designed and structured program in which the teen works with skilled staff to address specific issues.

Wilderness Treatment Boarding Program

A wilderness treatment boarding program emphasizes nature and the outdoors. While programs vary drastically, typically participants engage in outdoor activities such as hiking and camping. They learn survival skills, teamwork, and self awareness, in addition to the more traditional academic school subjects.

Short Term Boarding Programs

A short term program is designed for mildly trouble teens in a need of a “wake up call.” Programs vary in length from as short as thirty days to as long as a semester. Because they are a shorter program, they are not for severely troubled teens or for someone needing a long term boarding program.

Nearly every teen goes through what we might describe as “phases” - perhaps a wild phase, a withdrawn phase, a dark phase, or a rebellious phase. When these “phases” become an out of control problem that must be addressed, help can be found at a boarding school.