Do Teen Boot Camps Work?
The short answer is ‘yes’ in many but not all cases. And this means that parents with a troubled teen need to think carefully before sending their son or daughter off to a boot camp. The first point to consider is the nature of the problem or problems being faced by your teen. There is a world of difference between a teen who has slackened off in their studies and is spending too much time watching TV and on their computer and a teen who is in trouble with the law or seriously depressed and has a drug habit. Lumping all troubled teens in the same basket is wrong and potentially dangerous. The next point to consider is the goal and the programs offered. Some are tough places where the staff has military rank, where tough love is the order of the day and the teens are driven hard meaning they tend to collapse in their bunk at the end of the day from tiredness. That’s fine if you want to give your teen a friendly wake-up call, to help them snap out of their lethargy and get back to their
