School for Troubled Girls
If you have a daughter who is exhibiting serious, prolonged self-destructive or inappropriate behaviors, you might be considering a school for troubled girls. There are a great many to choose from, in every state and province.
The benefit of such a school is that “instead of wreaking havoc on themselves and their families the teens will spend their days in group counseling, individual and family therapy, and learning how to interact with peers and adults in a meaningful and healthy way.” (thefamilycompass.org) Emotional growth is fostered through greater social- and self-awareness. Girls learn “more about themselves and what drives their destructive behaviors. The youth are asked to specifically look at what’s going on in their lives and what kind of decisions they’ve been making.” (thefamilycompass.org)
One such school for troubled girls is the Academy at Sisters, a therapeutic boarding school for girls in Bend, Oregon. The Academy at Sisters offers a treatment program based on a “cognitive behavior model,” which “has been recognized by The National Institute of Health as the most effective approach to dealing with … at-risk girls.” (academyatsisters.org)
This approach involves examining thinking patterns, regulating emotional outbursts, and controlling behavior patterns. “Thinking, emotions and behavior are all related; negative thinking patterns often lead us to negative emotions, which lead us to negative behavior. So in order to change behavior, we need to focus on our thinking patterns.” (academyatsisters.org)
Exploring these connections can help teenaged girls avoid problems. “For example, let’s think about how a fight in the locker room may have been prevented. Mary is in gym class and she sees two of her friends off to the side whispering and giggling. Rather than approach them and ask them what they are talking about, she thinks …they must be talking about me … and they have no right to talk about me that way.” (academyatsisters.org) Mary’s negative thinking leads her to a negative emotional outcome, which leads to a confrontation and then a fight. By examining their thinking, emotional and behavioral responses, girls learn to avoid trouble.
If you would like more information about what to look for in a school for troubled girls, please visit one of the links below, which were referenced in the article: