Therapeutic Boarding Schools Promote Genuine Change in Struggling Teens
By Meghan Vivo
Most people play a number of roles in their daily lives – boss/employee, brother/sister, house cleaner, cook, student – but none requires more strategic decision-making, patience, and fortitude than being a parent, especially a parent of a teenager.
When teens are struggling with emotional or behavioral issues like defiance, depression, or drug abuse, deciding how and when to get help can make the job of parenting the most challenging anyone could face. Although help is available, it comes in a staggering number of forms, leaving even the most informed parents confused and overwhelmed.
If you’re looking to improve your family relationships and ensure a more productive future for your teen, a therapeutic boarding school may be the answer you’ve been searching for.
Change by Choice
When an adult is angry or depressed, most people realize the need for the individual to address what has made him feel or act this way. Yet when an adolescent is angry, depressed, or otherwise acting out, we are quick to demand a change in behavior without providing the emotional support or therapy needed to address the underlying issues.
Therapeutic boarding schools go directly to the source of the problem, asking “What is this behavior trying to express?” For example, aggression or anger may be an adolescent’s way of coping with rejection, failure, or feelings of powerlessness. In these situations, simply demanding compliance will not help the teen work through the issues or develop healthier coping skills.
Private boarding schools impose structure and limits that are tailored to the specific individual and situation and are designed to help teens learn better ways to get their needs met. Gradually and incrementally, teens learn to hold themselves accountable and act appropriately rather than “faking” compliance and returning to old behaviors a few weeks later.
Personal growth and change by choice are common themes at therapeutic boarding schools. Living in close quarters with a group of peers, teens build close, supportive friendships and accept responsibility for themselves. Change happens gradually as a result of an authentic, internal shift in the adolescent and thus, is more likely to be permanent.
Support for the Whole Family
Therapeutic boarding schools provide long-term treatment to both teens and their families. With the support of the school’s therapists, parents have the resources they need to work through issues at home at the same time their child is making progress at school.
For many families, having time and space apart allows them to neutralize the charged atmosphere at home, learn new skills, and begin to appreciate one another again. When families reunite for holidays and visits, parents and teens have an opportunity to practice their new skills, identify any issues, and continue to work through old patterns with guidance from the clinical team at school.
Academic Success and Preparation for College
In addition to the numerous therapeutic benefits, many private boarding schools offer a rigorous academic curriculum that prepares students for success in college and beyond. Even those students who have lost the confident belief that college is an option for them find that with proper academic support and guidance, they are able to choose from a number of four-year universities.
Because therapeutic boarding schools limit the number of students they’ll accept, parents can rest assured that their teen is getting individualized attention in the classroom and a curriculum that is tailored to their child’s needs and learning style. In a safe, highly supervised environment, teens replace their old pastimes like television, video games, and parties with study time and activities with positive peers and role models.
A New England Prep School with a Twist
Tucked away in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts is a private boarding school that specializes in helping intelligent, capable teens who have gotten off track. What looks like a typical New England prep school to the outside observer is actually a college-prep therapeutic boarding school that offers not only a rigorous academic curriculum but also a full range of therapeutic services for adolescents struggling with emotional and behavioral issues.
Swift River Academy is set on 630 acres of forest, meadows, beaver ponds, and mountain streams that provide teens with the space they need to breathe, unwind, and begin to challenge themselves to change. Students are encouraged to practice new ways of interacting with the world and come to their own realizations about the best ways to get their needs met.
“It takes time to achieve genuine change,” explains Jordana Metz, LCSW, M.Ed, a clinical counselor at Swift River Academy. “First, change has to be accessible, then desirable, and then it becomes internalized. As teens start to achieve small victories, earn privileges, and gain the respect of their peers, they get motivated to do what it takes to keep feeling good about themselves.”
Teens at Swift River participate in individual counseling once a week and group counseling three times a week, where they receive valuable feedback from master’s level therapists and their peers. Whereas teens may be able to manipulate a therapist in an outpatient setting, the clinical team at Swift River is in daily contact with the students and meets weekly with the teachers and residential staff to assess each student’s progress and goals.
“In a small program like ours, there are many watchful eyes 24 hours a day,” Metz notes. “Everyone knows each other’s names and holds each other accountable.”
The clinical team at Swift River utilizes a fully integrated team approach with a high level of communication between staff, outside therapists, referral sources, and family members. With guidance in every area of their lives, including academics, therapy, and community living, students receive continuous feedback and support. If a student starts to slip back into old behavior patterns, the therapists and teachers work together to immediately address the issue.
“Our tight structure and unified team approach make it virtually impossible for students to fall through the cracks in any area,” says Rhonda Papallo, Director of Admissions at Swift River. “They can’t fly under the radar, or show one face to one staff member and another face to another staff member without it being noticed and addressed right away.”
A Seamless Transition
At Swift River, transitions are an especially important time. In the first two weeks after a student’s arrival, the teen participates in the “Pathways” program, which helps him transition from home or his last treatment setting to the boarding school setting.
Because of the academy’s proximity to the Five College Area (The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Smith College, Mount Holyoke, Amherst College, and Hampshire College), there is a strong emphasis on academics and college preparation.
“The academy’s rigorous academic curriculum is on par with traditional prep schools,” notes Kathy Blackburn, MSW, a clinical counselor at Swift River. “Because of the level of individualized attention they receive from both teachers and therapists, many students who were failing in public school transform into ‘A’ and ‘B’ students.”
In the last few months of the program, students work closely with staff to plan for the transition home, into college, or onto the next stage of treatment. After a student completes the program, Swift River Academy provides family support and alumni services, including weekly contact with the teen’s primary counselor for six months.
Graduates of private therapeutic boarding schools are self-assured, empowered, and well-equipped to excel in college and their careers. Although the shift takes time and commitment, therapeutic boarding schools specialize in bringing about genuine, lasting change.