Adolescence, even in the best of situations, is not an easy season to navigate. It’s hard to know if your teen is in need of help or just needs space to develop autonomy. And, if your child is in need of help, what is the right response?
Today’s teens face more pressures
Teens today are more at risk for mental health and behavioral problems than ever before. Every adult has experienced the physical, emotional, academic, and social difficulty that comes with adolescence. Today’s environment, however, has added many more serious stressors:
- The multiple disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic still affect many teens.
- The ever evolving updates of technology, including social media, gaming, and virtual reality, entice teens to spend an unhealthy amount of their time online -often on spiritually and emotionally damaging platforms.
- Easy access makes tobacco, vaping, drug, and alcohol use pervasive
- New legal and unregulated substances such as Delta 8 and Kratom pose dangerous mental and physical health risks to adults and adolescents alike.
- The recent Fentanyl epidemic is resulting in fatalities, even among first time drug users. Fatal overdoses often occur when individuals partake in a nonlethal substance, such as marijuana, that is unknowingly laced with Fentanyl.
- Children as young as grade school are being exposed to sexual influences from a range of sources. When introduced too early, or without the right context and support, these influences can result sexual trauma.
Helping you answer the tough questions
At Shepherd’s Hill Academy, we understand how modern challenges affect teens and parents, creating –or worsening—behavioral problems. If you and your teen are struggling, we can help you navigate and evaluate options. With the right information, you can decide how to best support your child during this phase of their development. Here are some common questions parents often ask:
- Is my teen’s behavior normal?
- What can we do to improve my teen’s well-being, regardless of the education choices we make?
- Is a residential therapy program a potential option?
- What can I expect a residential therapy program to do for my teen?
A tool for deciding your next steps
To help you determine if your child may benefit from combining long-term therapeutic care with a special educational setting, we offer an online Teens and School Assessment to assess your teen’s behavioral health. You will get instant feedback on your teen’s unique needs.
In supporting your teen, you have many choices to consider, including continuing at your local school, enrolling in an online program, shifting to a private school, or working with a private therapeutic school that balances achieving educational goals while addressing behavioral health.
If you have noticed changes to your teen’s behavior, including changes in their attitudes, interests, activities, language, and demeanor, you may be dealing with a situation that is more than “just a phase.” In a society where technology is rapidly changing and harmful substances are sweeping through communities, seemingly small issues can quickly spiral out of control. The earlier you respond to these red flags, the better for you, your child and the entire family system.
The online Teens and School Assessment is an easy first step in getting a clearer handle on your situation. It only takes a few minutes, yet it will save you hours of wondering about your child and what to do. Take the online Shepherd’s Hill Academy Teens and School Assessment now.
You can also contact our Admissions team directly to learn more about our program and how we can help your child and your family. Call us directly at (706) 703-4188.
