Wilderness Therapy Programs for Troubled Teens in Saint Charles, MO
Within the last few decades, America (including Saint Charles, MO) has seen the demographic of adolescents deemed, troubled, or out of control, reach epidemic numbers. While experts aren’t sure as to why our nation’s teens increasingly turn to negative behavioral patterns, modern-day issues such as easier access to drugs and the advent of the internet, social media and other screen-based distractions (to name a few) are most likely significant contributing factors.
But with the number of troubled teens rising each year, cities like Saint Charles, MO so too is the number of residential treatment centers that advertise their services to parents seeking respite and therapeutic healing for their child.
And, while many of these treatment programs are well-intentioned and run by those who truly believe in their program’s treatment model and core curriculum, parents from Saint Charles, MO and elsewhere are all too often duped into sending their teenage daughter to an expensive program that at best, is ineffective in treating their child’s behavioral and emotional issues, and, at worst, exacerbates said issues even further.
Among these detrimental programs are treatment facilities that pose as wilderness therapy programs for troubled teens when in reality, they are more akin to glorified outdoor boot camps.
With the wilderness industry's increasing popularity and recent mainstream exposure, parents sometimes unwittingly send their children to programs that omit the clinical aspects of wilderness therapy.
Though technically a wilderness program, these treatment facilities omit the very foundations that make wilderness therapy effective, and instead, utilize behavioral modification and punishments to enact change within their campers.
For example, instead of providing experiential group therapy, mindfulness-based therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy, like the most reputable, adventure-based programs, these facilities merely seek to exploit the natural environment as a means to 'break' their campers, before 'building' them back up again.
These tactics are not only deceitful and misrepresent genuine wilderness therapy camps, they often aggravate the very issues campers were sent there to correct, to begin with.
Considering the average wilderness program is $500 dollars per day with a $3,000 dollar enrollment fee (not including what it would cost to transport said teen through a transport company two or more times) choosing this route of treatment is quite expensive.
Legitimate and Cost-effective Wilderness Therapy Programs for teens from the Saint Charles, MO area
For moms and dads from Saint Charles, MO unwilling to pay double (or potentially triple) for a wilderness program for their teenage daughter, there are cost-effective and dynamic treatment options to consider - like that of Elk Mountain Academy.
Elk Mountain Academy is a Christ-centered wilderness therapy program and residential treatment center for troubled teenage girls.
Elk Mountain Academy offers affordable, expert treatment for life-controlling issues and disorders in girls from the Saint Charles, MO area, including:
- attachment disorders
- attention deficit
- eating disorders
- anxiety, depression
- self-destructive or antisocial behavior behavior
- adoption-related issues
We lead troubled girls from Saint Charles, MO to seek truth and to trust in the Holy Spirit, our Holy Comforter who was given to all believers in Christ. At EMA we coach and train our students to seek, trust, and rely on the Holy Spirit, who is their comforter.
For more information regarding our treatment program, please call us today at (208) 266-1122.
Saint Charles, MO Resources for Parents and Troubled Teens
Families from Saint Charles, MO have made Elk Mountain Academy their first choice for child change and guidance. Parents, looking for help for their child, can expect a team of compassionate, expert practitioners and leaders here at EMA. EMA operates from the understanding that "change" must come from the inside-out, not from the outside-in. We are devoted to the life skills development and experiential education for all adolescents, who may be struggling with depressive disorder, technology addiction (social media, cell phone), or divorce reaction problems, but also the entire family; with the guidance they need for lasting change.
Because working with highly resistant teen girls is challenging, most programs rely on level systems, punishments, and other behavioral techniques to manage the adolescent’s behavior. However, EMA recognizes that the personal circumstances of one at-risk child doesn’t always apply to all of our clients. Because of this, EMA’s expert practitioners are devoted to the management of each teenage girls requirements; and they do this with professionalism and sympathy. At Elk Mountain Academy, we involve the entire family (especially the parents) in the teenage girl’s therapy, change, and help. EMA has served numerous at-risk adolescents over the years. Our track record has proven to cause life changing results for our clients and their families.
Our purpose is to see your troubled child make a successful transition into adulthood, while living independently as a dignified young adult. Don’t hesitate to contact EMA’s intake counselors for more information regarding enrollment, tuition, and insurance options. For testimonials from current and past EMA families, reach out to our team; call one of our expert intake counselors at (208) 266-1122, and discover how we can provide a variety of relevant residential treatment strategies (equine, life training, behavioral therapy) for your at-risk child today!
Further Guidance in Saint Charles, MO
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THERAPEUTIC SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS (NATSAP): The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs serves as an advocate and resource for any innovative resource that devotes themselves to societyâ??s need for adequate care and education for troubled teenage girls and their families in Saint Charles, MO. This website serves as a valuable resource for parents and counselors looking for information regarding the various programs available in Saint Charles, MO, and the types of families that benefit from a treatment facility.