The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

  Are you at your wit’s end with your defiant teenager? Find yourself online   searching for places to send troubled teens   and realize you have so many questions?   First you are bombarded with  websites, marketing and new terminology  that can be  confusing and overwhelming  especially when you are stressed out and exhausted by your teen’s behavior. After decades of helping families that are searching for the  right behavioral boarding school  for their struggling teen or young adult, we complied the top  5 most asked questions  and  answers  by parents. 5 Questions Parents Ask About Placing Their Teen in Troubled Youth Programs: 1. “Should our teen help us choose the therapeutic boarding program?” Absolutely, positively  not . Up until this point of their life, they have not been making the best choices, what would convince you that they would make the  right  one now? Again, with decades of ex...

  According to a new report by Common Sense Media,   Teens and Mental Health: How Girls Really Feel About Social Media , nearly half (45%) of girls who use TikTok say they feel “ addicted ” to the platform or use it more than intended at least weekly.   Among girls with moderate to  severe depressive symptoms , roughly seven in 10 who use Instagram (75%) and TikTok (69%) say they come across  problematic suicide-related  content at least monthly on these platforms.   The report surveyed more than 1,300 adolescent girls across the country to better understand how the most popular social media platforms and design features  impact  their lives today.   Among the report’s key findings, adolescent girls spend over two hours daily on TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat, and more than 90 minutes on Instagram and messaging apps. When asked about platform design features, the majority of girls believe that features like location sharing, public accoun...

Although the pandemic might be mostly behind us, there are some lingering issues that have left parents with more concerns. Remote learning did not benefit every student, and we witnessed a surge in the need for  adolescent mental health services . Online learning was necessary and still holds value for many students. With the  increased screen time , we also need to equip our students with both emotional and media literacy skills to handle cyberbullying. Prevalence of Online Harassment of Teens In  2018, PEW Research  shared that the majority of teens have been the target of online harassment and believe it is a big problem. According to the  Cyberbullying Research Center , student victimization has been increasing steadily over the past 5 years. Another study in  2019 in  SAJIM  said that students were negatively affected both emotionally and academically by cyberbullying—to the extent that some thought of  suicide .  About 41 percent ...

Teenage mental health is a growing concern, since 2020 studies have revealed that adolescent depression and anxiety has doubled. This is also causing the rise of suicide ideation and   self-harm   as well as youth self-medicating.  Since 2001 we have helped  educate  parents regarding  mental health options   for troubled teens in addition to  therapeutic boarding schools . This is not a decision that is made lightly. Has your teenager’s behavior been  escalating  for  more than a year ? Are they becoming more withdrawn? Depressed or isolated? More common is the following: -Defiance (ADHD, ODD) -Anger, rage -Cell-phone addiction (self-destructs when the phone is removed) -School refusal (skipping classes) -Lacks motivation -Changing peer groups -Substance use (self-medicating) -Self-harm (relieves anxiety) -Change in eating habits -Poor hygiene   Your teenager may be suffering with mental health issues that need to be addressed...

  It is one of the biggest decisions a parent can make, does your troubled teen need a therapeutic boarding school? Searching for schools for troubled teens is no small task. Did you know one internet search for “ schools for troubled teens ” yields nearly  9 million  results? How do you decide what is best for your struggling teenager? It is typically the first time you are considering these types of  behavioral boarding schools  after  exhausting your local resources , and not aware of what is available. The terminology can be confusing, such as should you choose a  therapeutic boarding school or a residential treatment center ? Does your teen need a  same gender program  or would coed more beneficial for them? Maybe you are considering a ranch program or a program with a  spiritual component . Do you have a young adult — curious about what  life-skills programs  can offer them and how they can enhance their future? Since 200...