Yesterday I wrote a post about spotting learning disabilities early on. I got the article I used from the International Adoption Articles Directory, which is a great resource that I want to make people aware of. People involved in adoption or experts in their field can post articles to provide information on all sorts of aspects of adoption.

In the articles directory there's an article called "Teens boarding schools", where the writer covers all aspects of boarding schools, specifically therapeutic programs for "troubled" youth. Weirdly enough, I have special interest in this topic since for 4 years I worked part-time at such a facility. I'm not going to say which one I worked for since I have fairly critical feelings about the program, but suffice it to say I got an education in what type of kids go to schools like that, what parents send them, and how a good one should work...

First, definitions. "Therapeutic" boarding schools are independent "college prep" (??) schools which provide housing, education, and a therapeutic and structured environment for kids who are having serious emotional, behavioral, or academic problems in their home environment. A good therapeutic boarding school will provide a real "college prep" education, a lot of supervision, structure, therapeutic, psychiatric, and medical support, and will be staffed with caring, trained individuals who have the needs of the student firmly in mind with every interaction.

This costs money. A lot of money. The school that I worked for was about $37,000/year - the price of a private college but without the amenities. I'm sure you could find an even more expensive program if you looked. And the teachers and staff were making below average pay, too. But it was owned by a for-profit company, so what did we expect?

If you are considering a therapeutic boarding school for your child you are obviously at the end of your rope. It's hard to think of sending a child away, but at the same time leaving the environment (specifically peers and often family dysfunction) that got the child into their bad place is often a good idea.

Next: what to look for in a therapeutic boarding school.