Transformative Parenting Blog

The Troubling Rise of the "Troubled Teen Industry"

I am getting more and more upset by the growing number of "troubled teen" ranches and boot camps in states like Utah, Idaho, Texas, and Montana.

I work with adolescents and young adults as a mentor and  counselor and it seems more and more of them have been to these programs. Let me make clear, I do not think every single one of these programs is awful, but a lot of them are. More than that, they are dangerous.

These programs, a huge industry that is getting bigger by the minute, often believe in using any means necessary to "break down" a child physically and emotionally. They cut the teens off completely from their friends and families. Dozens of deaths have been reported.

There is a woman who has done some remarkable reporting about these programs. Her name is Maia Szalavitz and she has a very informative website called Help At Any Cost (LINK). She also has a book by the same name (AMAZON.COM).

Let me emphasize that I know there are a lot of parents out there who are feeling helpless these days. It seems there are a lot of teens that are out of control and it's hard to know what to do. However, I think parents have to do a lot more homework before putting their kids in one of these places.

Is the US one of the worst countries for kids?

I came across a troubling article the other day in the Chicago Tribune. It seems that in the recent UNICEF Child Welfare Study the United States was ranked the 2nd worst out of 21 industrialized countries for children to grow up in. The worst, according to this study, was the United Kingdom.

The study looked at six major criteria- material well being, health & safety, educational well-being, family & peer relationships, behaviors and risks, and subjective well being.

You can read the article and link to the report HERE.

What do you think?

(P.S. I thought it was interesting that at about the same time, a separate article came out about how British parents spent less time with their kids than any other parents in Europe and the effects it is having. Read that article HERE)