Boarding Schools for Social Issues
"Social issues" is an umbrella term for any of a variety of issues in a troubled teen's life. Poor choice of friends and peer conflicts are social issues. In such cases, parents often consider boarding school placements in order to remove their child from associations with the wrong crowd at the local high school. In other cases, the child has been a victim of bullies who ignore even school and legal authorities.
Family conflicts are also social issues. They can escalate to the point when the home is a place of constant upset and stress. A teen may resent a new stepparent or sibling, or refuse to communicate in a respectful way with family members. In such cases, the professional counselors at therapeutic boarding schools work with all family members as well as the teen enrolled at the school.
Problems with "social issues" can also apply to teenagers with Asperger Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder, autism, and other disorders with a biological basis. Teenagers with these disorders often have difficulties making and keeping friends, understanding other people, or controlling their impulses in order to be accepted by others. Cognitive therapy, behavioral modification, and other interventions can help them function better in social interactions.
Sometimes a divorce situation, also a "social issue," can be so acrimonious that it is beneficial for a child to live away from home until things are more settled.
PROS
Going to boarding school provides the chance to start over with a new group of peers in a structured well-supervised environment. This is helpful when a child is involved with inappropriate friends or in a destructive situation such as bullying.
It can be helpful to temporarily remove a child from a home where the parents are constantly fighting, especially if the arguments are about the child. Therapists can work with the entire family to teach them healthier communication skills, and to help the child understand that the conflicts are not her fault.
Therapeutic boarding schools provide an intense 24-hour intervention to help children with social issues improve the way they interact with others.
CONS
Unless the staff at the boarding school is sensitive and aware, the teen involved may feel as if his parents want to get rid of him. Make sure the school understands social adjustment issues and ask how they deal with introducing your child into the peer culture.
Family conflicts are some times better addressed with the family as a whole unit in family counseling. Make sure the school offers family workshops and that they communicate with parents on a regular basis.
