Is Therapy Camp or Boarding School a Good Option?

I have a troubled teen. He was caught vandalizing. He had gone through an juvenile justice program. I now found a great amount of pot in his room. I would like to know if a therapeutic camp or boarding school is the right answer. I feel he has some soul searching to do.

I am certainly glad that you found the Boys Town website and wrote for possible referral information. It sounds that it may be time for further intervention for your son. Vandalism and drug use mean serious consequences for a person of any age but for a young teen with a bright future it could be life changing/devastating to lose all decision making and freedom.

You mention that your son has participated in a juvenile justice program. Was this program a diversion program meant to help youth avoid more serious consequences if program is completed? Was there a juvenile judge or court worker assigned to review your son's case? If not, is there a local contact person that might be able to assist you to make decisions regarding intervention such as a juvenile probation officer or caseworker?

Breaking the law is certainly of concern but the extent of your son's drug use is also concerning and needs to be evaluated. Would you be willing to work with a substance abuse counselor to complete an evaluation of his use/abuse? Some programs would address both the noncompliance issues and the drug use issues. Some programs will only focus on one problem area and not the other. Knowing the extent of his use and possible addiction would help you to give you the information you need to make the best decision for treatment.

Because of the seriousness of your son's behavior, you should act quickly to find the help he is needing. While there might be some type of camp or boarding school that would offer the type of help you are needing , we would also encourage you to explore residential treatment programs that offer a behavioral modification component.

Would you be willing to contact the Hotline to talk with a counselor regarding the resources in your local area? We maintain a database the could possibly help to pinpoint services right there in your city/state. Please phone the Hotline at 1-800-448-3000 at your convenience. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you.

In addition, please know that we are available to talk you through conflicts and to provide you with the support and encouragement you might need to get you through this tough decision making time. We look forward to talk with you and in fact, would be willing to talk with your son as well if he would be willing to discuss his future.

Thanks again for writing to Boys Town.

Sincerely,
Linda, Crisis Counselor

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