Many parents ask how teen rehab, recovery and treatment are different. These terms can be confusing, especially since they are often used interchangeably in the media and online.
Rest assured, however, each has unique significance if you’re dealing with a troubled teen or a child struggling with addiction.
Defining Rehab (Rehabilitation)
In the mental health world, rehabilitation may refer specifically to matters of addiction or to another type of psychiatric challenge.
For those who abuse or have become addicted to alcohol, drugs or disruptive habits (gambling, the Internet, sex), rehab refers to the process of breaking the abuse cycle and stopping the behavior.
For a teen with a mental or behavioral disorder, rehabilitation refers to the restoration of normal function, health and well-being. This typically involves a change of environment and therapeutic intervention designed to help the individual truly overcome her challenges.
Next Step: The Recovery Process
Most people believe that rehab is the difficult part of overcoming mental and emotional health problems. In reality, recovery is — in every way — a longer and more challenging process.
Psychologically, the term recovery refers to the personal journey of changing one’s attitudes, shedding old or outdated beliefs and finding meaning in life. It’s the return of hope and personal discovery that allows an adolescent or teen to move on to a happy, healthy and successful life.
Without recovery, the problem never truly goes away.
The Challenge of Achieving True Recovery
Unfortunately, today’s mental health system doesn’t focus enough on the recovery process. Without it, however, your child is highly likely to relapse and return to her troubled patterns of behavior.
The environment in which your child undergoes treatment can mean the difference between true recovery and ongoing struggle. Residential treatment is one of the most effective ways to ensure a successful outcome.
When a young woman has the opportunity to step away from her day-to-day life, she also takes a break from the routines, the people or the circumstances that helped create her problem. The residential treatment environment allows her to focus exclusively on her own well-being, free of distractions.
Help Is Available
At Havenwood Academy, we provide the residential treatment opportunities that foster true recovery for girls and young women. At Havenwood, your daughter will develop healthy, meaningful relationships with our compassionate, professional staff and with the other young women who have come to us for assistance.
Our experiential therapy programs are designed individually to address each teen’s needs. Infused with an atmosphere of trust, love and accountability, we provide the environment your child needs to find her way back to health.
Contact us today to learn more about teen rehab and the road to true recovery.

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.