If you’re curious about what your son may experience at OTC, behavior therapy group mentoring is a big part of it.
One of the most powerful tools that your teen will experience at Ozarks Teen Challenge is behavior therapy group mentoring. Mentoring in a group setting facilitates meaningful and thought-provoking conversations that individual mentoring will not. It allows the teens the safety net of opening up at their own pace without feeling singled out like they could in a one-on-one mentoring session.
Teens are moved by their impulses and feelings, but they are often too close to the situation to have that awareness. During behavior therapy group mentoring, the teens hear from each other. Just listening at group mentoring is therapeutic. Once teens feel comfortable enough to open up, they are met with the healing that comes from sharing their stories and struggles.
Group mentoring has a unique set of benefits that no other aspect of drug treatment or one-on-one behavioral therapy can tackle.
They Understand They Are Not Alone
Most teens that enter teen rehab feel alone. They’re struggling with different types of addictions, abuse or behavioral issues that have created a wall between them and the people they love. This isolation drives them further away from the people who want what’s best for them. Often, the people in whom they confide are not very honest with them about the potential negative effects of their troubled lifestyles. Therefore, these teens are left feeling alone with the internal struggle. Behavior therapy group mentoring allows them to sit with other teens who are going through the same struggles, drug treatment and behavioral therapy. They understand that they are not the only ones and this gives them hope.
They Gain Support and Give It Too in Behavior Therapy Group Mentoring
Knowing they are not alone leads to feeling understood. Feeling understood leads to feeling supported. A teen that feels understood and supported will, as a result, feel more hopeful and more empowered to deal with personal issues head on. Learning to give support to others in group therapy will also strengthen them and help them to gain perspective on their own struggles.
They Find Their “Voice”
Listening to others share their feelings and experiences can often give insight to a teen that has been on a downward spiral. The group setting often causes them to become much more aware of their feelings and gives them tools to express them.
They Get Feedback
Interacting with other teens that are in similar positions can act as a sounding board and give perspective that a teen might not otherwise consider. You, as the parent, may have told them something a million times; but when one of their peers who understands their struggle says it, they might be more accepting.
They Open Up to Accountability Among Peers
You, as a parent, have provided accountability to which they most likely have been resistant. At Ozarks Teen Challenge, we have open dialogue about choices, and we also provide a restricted and cautious environment to shield our teens from the possibility to do those things. While we can have accountability about thoughts and feelings and make sure they adhere to the rules, the real choices to stay on the right path are outside of our perimeters. Building bonds with other teens in behavior therapy group mentoring, giving support, and being supported all give the teens a sense of accountability with one another in addition to the accountability from the program and you as the parents.
If you are apprehensive about sending your teen to a Christian boarding school for troubled boys, we understand. It’s a big step of faith. However, consider the idea of getting your son back to who you know he still is underneath, and the benefits will far outweigh your inhibitions. Ozarks Teen Challenge is among the most effective youth programs or Christian boarding schools, and it is fully equipped to rehabilitate and restore your teen. Behavior therapy group mentoring is just one of the effective tools we use to do so.
