Camps for troubled teens; what are the choices?
The parents, who are at the end of their tether with a defiant, delinquent teenager, may consider a number of alternatives and sending their child away to a teen camp could be one of them. There are a number of different types of camp, and the choice will depend on a variety of factors, not least being the cost of these programs.
If your teenager has special needs this will narrow down the choice of camps available, although many camps have special needs trained counselors and therapists, it will depend on the severity of the special need. Parents will also need to decide whether they want their teen to attend a single sex, or a coed camp; there are benefits to both choices.
The majority of teen camps are situated away from large towns and cities, in the countryside, or even in desert and mountain locations, so there will be a considerable drive to get there. There are residential and non-residential options at these camps, clearly if the parents want to send their teen for day classes, the camp will need to be nearby. Most, non-residential, camps are treatment centers with specific programs, tailored to particular needs and will not be quite so far from towns and cities.
Some health insurance will cover types of treatment for troubled teens, and there is financial aid for parents in certain circumstances, but the parents need to thoroughly check this out before sending their teenager for treatment. It is, nevertheless a significant investment for many parents, and they need to be sure that they are convinced the center they choose for their teen will have positive results.
Teen camps fall into three main categories; boot camps, wilderness camps and military schools. There are also boarding schools that specialize in troubled teens, but the focus there is on academic support with some therapy, whereas the other camps focus more on behavior modification programs. All camps will offer the teen a program of education, sometimes a form of distance learning that will ensure the teen achieves some form of accreditation. Certain camps will deal with the older teen, 18 years and over, whilst others will offer programs for pre-teens and children.
The main rationale behind a teen camp is to remove the teenager form their bad influences and also away from the family, to enable them to start afresh in a new environment where they can re-learn bad habits and achieve self discipline and self control. The best camps also offer a program of support and training for the parents and family, as dealing with a defiant teenager requires knowledge and understanding on the part of the family. Sometimes a teen's parents unwittingly reinforce the teens' bad behavior and they need to understand that they too need to unlearn bad habits. Whichever camp parents choose for their defiant teen, they should spend time researching the options and talking to professionals about the right choice for their teenager.