So you’ve made that difficult decision to place your teen in a residential treatment. Be strong. You’re making the right decision.
But now, you face the difficult task of talking with your teen about the change. We know how hard that conversation can be. Any we want to help however we can. Here are four tips that may help when talking to your teen about a residential treatment center.
- Express concern- Lets face it; teens don’t like to be told what to do; especially a troubled teen who may already feel they have little control over their life. Instead of coming right out and telling your teen you plan to send them to a residential treatment facility, approach the topic from a concerned disposition. Clinical psychologist John Duffy, says to “Avoid approaching your child with accusations, lectures and angry or disappointed reactions.” Tell your teen how much you care for them and how it is your duty as their parent to help them in the best way possible.
- Familiarize yourself with the process. Before talking with your teen about sending them to a residential treatment facility, educate yourself on the process. Find out what your teen can expect and what their day-today routine might entail. Regardless of how your teen reacts to the news of treatment, it is important to recognize their natural fears and anxieties toward that which is virtually unknown. Equip yourself with answers to their questions and become the expert in the details of the center. Whether you feel it is important for your youth to know everything at once, or to learn about treatment over time, help your teen realize that you’ve done your homework to find a workable, beneficial solution.
- Provide your teen with background information. No matter what residential treatment center you choose, provide your teen with background information. Pictures of the campus/center, details about treatment or tidbits about what campus life might entail. You may even want to visit the facility itself. All these things will help your teen begin to feel more comfortable with the idea of treatment. Whatever you can do as a parent to lessen the natural anxiety we all experience when starting something new can help make your teen’s transition into treatment less difficult.
- Review the reasons your teen is attending a residential treatment center. Before sending your youth to treatment, remind them of the reasons you’ve decided to send them there. Speak calmly, yet confidently, about what you’ve observed in their behavior that has lead to this decision. Outline ways in which you feel your teen has room for improvement. Lastly, highlight your confidence in their ability to overcome whatever challenge lie ahead to become better.
At Heritage School we know the conversation is never easy. But we know that when parents are armed with good information they, and their youth, are much more likely to deal with difficulties successfully.