Are there Christian Boarding Schools for my teenager?

For parents who have faith, a troubled teenager can be a challenge to their confidence, and their teen may add to the hurt being inflicted by rejecting their parent's faith. Having reached the point where you realize that you, alone, cannot manage your defiant teenager, the options open to you can include Christian boarding schools.

These boarding schools follow essentially a program founded on the belief that the troubled teen is missing God and Jesus in their lives and the aim is to reintroduce them to their faith, in the context of an academic leadership program. Most of the Christian boarding schools follow a holistic approach, arguing that the whole child needs to be developed and tackled, as the whole child has lost their way and is making poor choices. It would be advisable to spend time speaking to those that run these boarding schools as people's views on what constitutes Christianity, vary, and they may not be suitable for certain families.

Most Christian boarding schools are single sex, and also include some outreach work, as a form of putting back into the community what has been gained within the school. The programs on offer for your disruptive teen vary enormously, and simply being a Christian boarding school is not a clear enough categorization of the type of school you are consideration. If your faith is important and you want to choose a Christian Boarding school, follow the steps below before making your decision.

• Make sure your teenager has received an assessment from a qualified counselor, medical practitioner or psychiatrist before entering them for any behavior modification program


• Speak to the people running the school to ensure that you agree on the principles underlying the Christian nature of the school


• Discuss the therapeutic programs available


• Ask for details of the behavior modification programs and the qualification level of those delivering them


• Discuss the structure of the day your teenager can expect to experience


• Remember, it is not you attending the school, ask yourself, for example, whether your child can gain from 4 hours of spiritual development and one hour of education? Make sure the balance between spiritual, physical, educational and behavioral instruction is appropriate for your teen.


• Clarify the exact terms of the contract you will sign.


• Ask if they provide a program of parent counseling

Being the parent of a defiant and troubled teen will test your faith, and if you decide that a residential program of some sort is the solution, be sure before proceeding that you have checked the institutions on offer very carefully. You may have to find a center that is well out of state, for you, however, for your teen, being a long way away from you may be what they need.