A troubled teen in crisis requires qualified, professional attention, to prevent her from harming herself or others, and to ensure her best chance for recovery.
The challenge for parents is determining the type of help their teenager needs. In a crisis situation, parents may feel overwhelmed and believe that hospitalization is the best course of action. Unfortunately, that may not be the best way to help your child.
How to Determine the Level of Crisis
You will help your child most effectively if you can identify important risk factors and get her the help she needs. Many parents delay intervention, hoping the situation will correct itself, or that their teen will “grow out of it.” Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.
Troubled teens often have behavioral or emotional challenges. They may exhibit at-risk behavior such as alcohol or drug use or abuse, unexplained school absences or minor run-ins with law enforcement.
Some less obvious signs of trouble include withdrawal or disengagement from friends, family and leisure activities. Sleeplessness, mood swings and changes in appetite are also potential indications of a problem.
A troubled teenager can elevate to crisis level quickly, especially without intervention. If you believe you’re losing control of your child, or if the situation results in constant upheaval in your home, your teen may be approaching the crisis stage.
When Hospitalization Is the Right Choice
If your teen threatens to harm herself or other people, she clearly requires immediate inpatient care. You should also consider hospitalization if your child exhibits uncontrollable anger or rage, or if she experiences hallucinations or manic behavior.
If you can safely transport your child to the hospital, staff members can ensure her safety. If you don’t believe you can safely drive her there, contact your local hospital and describe the situation. In some areas, medical facilities can dispatch a crisis team to assist you.
Contact the police as a last resort, only if you truly fear for your child’s safety or that of your family.
Alternatives to Psychiatric Hospitalization
Although inpatient psychiatric treatment will stabilize your child and prevent her from harming anyone, it will do little to truly help her overcome her problems. In fact, once your child is stabilized (at least for the moment), she will be released into your care and the pattern may repeat itself.
If you believe your child requires a high level of immediate care but doesn’t pose a threat to herself or others, consider residential care rather than hospitalization.
Residential treatment programs are designed to address the underlying problems that led to your child’s crisis. The intense focus of this type of intervention means your child can focus exclusively on healing, free from the distractions of daily life.
Havenwood Academy offers residential treatment programs for girls and teens ages 12 to 17, in a peaceful and loving environment. Our experienced team understands how to cut through the protective walls teens build, and reach young women on a compassionate and emotional level.
Contact us today to learn more about our experiential therapy programs and how we can help you and your troubled teen.
Think Havenwood Might Be For You?
We encourage any visitors considering placing their daughter in treatment to fill out our online assessment as soon as possible. This two minute form will give our admissions team all the information needed to determine if your daughter is a good fit for our program.
Eric Allred was born and raised in Rigby, Idaho. He grew up on a family farm where he learned the value of work. He graduated from Rigby High School and attended Rick’s College, now known as BYU-Idaho. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Utah State University, received a master’s degree in organizational behavior and human relations from the University of Phoenix and a second master’s degree in marital and family therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. Eric has been involved in Rotary and was president of a local Rotary Club. He enjoys being with his family and doing outdoor activities such as fly fishing.
Chase was very fortunate to start in this industry as a struggling 17 year old kid looking for a mentor and something to be passionate about. Wilderness therapy was Chase’s first stop in this industry and was truly a transcendental experience for him. Chase has an enormous love for this line of work and the power that it has in creating change in everyone involved. Chase’s biggest belief is the power a mentor, strong, healthy relationships, and accountability can have on anyone, especially youth. Taking a very relational approach to his work, Chase has always been very relatable to the students he works with. Being able to understand and relate to a vast variety of the same struggles as a lot of the students he works with has been able to help him continue to grow, learn, and teach. Chase believes that with great rapport and trust, he can use his experience to continue to coach and train new staff, and has the ability to find those staff with the passion for this industry, and help them grow. His love and passion can be felt the moment you talk with Chase about this industry and he passes that on to others he works with. In his spare time you will find Chase cheering for the Eagles, Yankees, and Mavericks, hanging out with his brother, learning more about Eastern Psychology, and continuing to grow and learn.