Boot camps and troubled teens

A juvenile boot camp is an option if your teen has become ignorant of authority, has school problems, or is lacking discipline in their life. Boot camps have been used to restructure the lives of many troubled teens over the years.  Some people look at a boot camp as an extreme measure, but the benefits they offer a troubled teen with the program of strict discipline, military-like structure, and forcing a trouble teen to take control over his or her actions can help get your troubled teen back on the right path and give hope to a future life. 

Boot camps can help troubled teens with a lot of different afflictions.  If your child suffers from anger management issues, substance abuse, ADD, or is constantly running away, boot camps can help reduce or eliminate the impact these problems have on the life of a young adult who is struggling with achieving a positive self worth. 

If you choose to send your teen to a camp, expect that they will be in a very strict, highly structured and disciplined setting.  A boot camp can be tough for a parent to place their troubled teen as some feel they are too rough and strict for their children.  But you have to remember that whatever type of treatment that was used before didn't work and it is time for something new.  Another reason parents shy away boot camps is the cost associated with it.  Prices for one month at a juvenile boot camp start at $2,000 and go up from there. But the cost can well be worth it if you have a teen who is defiant and out of control.

Most juvenile boot camps do not deal with kids who are on medication. If you plan to send your child to a camp, it is best, and sometimes mandatory that you wean them off of their medication before they go. In many situations, the camp will attempt to help a child deal with life medication-free.

While sending your teen off to one of the many juvenile boot camps may seem like a last ditch effort to save your child, keep in mind that sometimes it's not the best option. If your teen has exhibited any signs of suicidal tendencies, consider having them treated in a psychiatric hospital or a residential treatment center. You may also want to consider a therapeutic boarding school if your teen is severely depressed. If he or she is self-mutilating or has been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, juvenile boot camps are not the answer.