Photo by Ümit Bulut on Unsplash

When is right time to send your child to a therapeutic program or boarding school? The simple answer is now. If you are reading this blog post, it might very well be time to make a significant change in your family’s life.

The right time to enroll your child in a therapeutic program or boarding school is different for each child, but when you’ve exhausted all of your local resources and tried everything and realize that nothing seems to be working, it’s time to make a change.

Individuation is part of human development. It is the process by which a young person starts to become who they are meant to be as an adult. But when that process becomes mired in negative, harmful, or destructive behaviors, it’s time to change your approach. When you’ve tried outpatient therapists and psychiatrists, when school is not working, when medications don’t seem to be working, when your family dynamics aren’t working, when there is chaos in the home, it’s time to make a change. When a child’s immediate safety is threatened by their behavior, it’s time to make a change.

But “sending them away” might feel like you have failed as a parent. It goes against your natural instincts to keep your loved ones close. When you add up all of those sleepless nights of worry and feelings of helplessness about your child; all those feelings of stress and overwhelm, you start to realize that you need help.

Enrolling your child in a program can be the bravest act of love you can commit. By removing your child from an environment and circumstances that might exacerbate their unhappiness, you are giving them the opportunity to gain a new perspective and a greater chance for healing.

According to Psychology Today, boarding school [or a therapeutic program] can replace negative influences with positive ones. “I’m always awed by the positive impact role models can make in a troubled kid’s life…Teenagers crave adults that they can look up to. Counselors and older peers at [therapeutic] boarding school often fill this need and offer kids a chance to make better choices.”

If you are wondering about the right time to send your child to a program, give me a call. We’ll figure it out together.