Teen Solutions

In the U.S. it's not just tuition fee hikes that are driving up the price tag of earning a college degree. Across the nation, budget cuts are compelling universities and colleges to lay off professors and cancel some classes, thereby making it more difficult for teenagers to get into the courses required to earn their degree. All these lead to more time spent in college.
The whole concept may sound amenable to alumni, but to most students extra time in college only means more expenses. To address the issue, students are crashing different classes, with the hope of finding space that could move them closer to finally earning a degree. In some cases, wait-listed students have to take turns standing outside classrooms - closest to the door so they can listen to the lecture and not fall far behind in case they get lucky to get in.
Policymakers have long been urging public colleges to be more efficient in moving students through, however, experts say that any current progress is jeopardized by unprecedented budget cuts that have resulted into cropped course offerings.
Some students struggle to land spots in core entry-level classes such as math and composition since the part-time professors who usually handle those subjects are the first ones to be dropped in tough times. There are students who are locked out of cramped core courses in their majors by upperclassmen. On the other hand, upperclassmen face a tougher ordeal - the upper-level classes they need have been hacked completely because they may not be popular enough.
Furthermore, a study of batch 1999-2000 graduates found that on average, it normally takes students 4.5 years to obtain a bachelor's degree. Roughly two-thirds of conventional-age college students who managed to finish got through within five years.
Around the nation, the cost-cutting has resulted into the usual begging and pleading with instructors to make more space for additional students. However, some experts believe that money is not the only issue, some say that colleges tend to focus on illustrious but virtually unnecessary graduate programs while sacrificing the undergraduate basics. There are others who push instructors to teach essential courses in lieu of their own interests while students have to simply settle for early-morning slots. Students claim that under the current set up, they appear to have no other choice.

One of the most serious concerns affecting teenagers today is the spiraling rate in teen obesity. When people eat more calories than they burn, their bodies tend to store the extra calories as fat. Eventually, they no longer appreciate the image that they see in the mirror.
Obesity is too much accumulation of body fat such that the individual is at least 20 percent heavier than their ideal body weight. Although it is normal to gain weight during the teen years, it is important to note that rapid weight gain beyond the ideal range may eventually lead to obesity. It is in fact one of the most common eating disorders associated with adolescence. Generally speaking, a person is obese when the body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30 %.

Obesity puts a teen's health in peril. Excessive fats in the body may cause any of the following illnesses: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, stroke, cardiac ailment and arthritis.

Experts say that one of the most common causes of obesity among teens is poor nutrition choices. Sugary drinks are implicated as the most contributory factor in teen obesity. Researches show that minimizing intake of sugary drinks and replacing it with low calorie alternatives can have significant effects in reducing obesity. Another important cause is lack of physical activities coupled with increasing indoor sedentary activities. Genetic factor is also being imputed as another cause of obesity.

Given these causes, we can easily identify the probable remedies to combat the problem. Healthy lifestyle, proper choice of food and increased physical activity are among the primary solutions to the problem. One doesn't have to participate in organized sports, just come up with creative ideas like watching television while on a treadmill or even playing video games from a stationary bike. Family activities like walking, biking or hiking can play a great deal in your attempt to increase your physical activities. This proves that even within the comfort of your home and your surroundings you can engage in needed physical activities. Family involvement also plays a major role in helping a member to deal with the problem. Members of the family should help the obese teen to acquire a healthy lifestyle. Sixty one percent of parents state that they are willing to change their lifestyle if it would help their teenagers avoid obesity.

To date, obesity maintains its upward trend. The percentage of overweight children and teens likewise continues to increase dramatically. Statistics shows that l5 % of children and teens ages 6 to 19 are considered at risk of becoming overweight.

Obesity can literally ruin one's life if not given the proper and immediate remedy. This problem tends to affect physical health and well being. It can also be the cause of a shorter life span. This changes the life style of a teen from being active and productive to a problematic and socially disabled one because of negative body image and social issues associated with being an object of public ridicule. This may also cause undue stress which eventually can lead to mental illness. Truly, teenage obesity can impact a person's quality of life entirely. In light of this fact, teen obesity should be given utmost concern before it spirals out of control.

• Uncompromising commitment to assisting your family with Solutions that work
  
• Our phone lines are open to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  
• First-hand experience in what we recommend
       We have walked in your shoes
  
• Heartfelt support and reassurance offered during these trying times
  
• Our information services are free, literature and brochures sent to you are free
  
• Immediate placement upon approval (funding available)
  
• Personalized approach, intake and assessment process to ensure most appropriate placement for your teen
  
• Professional transport services to escort your teen safely to the Programs
  
• Resources for assessment and evaluation in selecting Continued Care
  
• Personal and ongoing relationship with you and the Schools to ensure your continued placement satisfaction and to ensure warranty objectives are met.
  

See Also:

Difficult Teen? Suggestions For Parents
Complete Parenting Guide

Behavioral or emotional conflicts typically with common diagnoses of:

• ADD/ADHD
  
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  
• Depression and other Affective Disorder
  
• Bi-Polar Disorder
  
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  
• Borderline Personality Disorder
  
• Conduct Disorder
  
• Intermittent Explosive Disorder

When these emotional, behavioral, cognitive, familial, and/or social functioning issues are exhibited by your teen, CALL US 800.429.6099

• Substance use/abuse
  
• Runaway and significant curfew violations
  
• Adoption issues
  
• No accountability lack of responsibility
  
• Self worth issues
  
• Divorce stigma issues
  
• Sexual misconduct
  
• Risky behavior leading to legal issues
  
• Non-academic success leading to withdrawal or dropout
  
• Bright but no motivation
  
• Academic Learning Differences

Fact #1:

Approximately 20,186 students and their families have passed through the doors (over the past 14 plus years) of the Schools we represent.

Fact#2:

All Schools are virtually the same except for location, tuition, culture, and flavor. Their highly structured environment fosters specific and clear definitions of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. The Schools utilize the most effective, intense, Multi-modal, experiential learning approach within the Category of specialty boarding schools and treatment centers today.

The purpose of the experientially-based seminar component is to create change more profoundly and to allow participants to take personal responsibility for their past choices. Moreover, they also provide excellent tools and skills for rebuilding family relationships and assist in preventing familial issues from reoccurring.

Fact#3:

What makes a huge difference in these Programs/Schools versus others of similar description is the 96% Parent Satisfaction Rate and 85-86% continued proven family successes through independent studies. The major difference is the ongoing collaborative partnership of Premier Educational Systems and each School.

Premier Educational contracts with each school to provide an educational component second to none and to bring their renowned seminars. Premier continues to set benchmarks for results, delivering services that have a positive, lasting and measurable impact on changing family dynamics. This is the kind of change You Want For Your Family that other Programs do not provide.

Over the years, many schools and programs have emerged within the category of residential specialty schools. There are local public programs which are part of the judicial system and are likened to penal colony, usually not desirable, are ineffective in creating lasting change and the child needs to agree to go.

Military Schools are great for teens that are mildly rambunctious needing discipline and a structured environment. The teens get a vote in whether they want to attend or not. Military schools are not in the business of emotionalizing the teens issues. Consequences and rewards will not work if the teen has no concept of cause and effect to begin with.

Teen Boot Camps (short term) are not far removed from a traditional armed forces military boot camp kids are more likely to learn positive change from emotionally growing inside out it is an inside job from the heart and soul.

Wilderness Camps provide an awesome short-term experience for a sojourn in the wilderness for reflection in an unstructured environment according to our expert advisors (our Program grads who attended prior to coming to our Programs -- results most often not lasting as well. For the money spent for 6 weeks or so, you would more than pay for half of one of our Programs for 1 year and with amazing, lasting results.

The ten specialty boarding school we represent are designed to assist pre-teens, teens and young adults in developing healthy lifestyles. Each School is an environment where academic achievement, experiential learning and emotional growth and character building are balanced.

Some are residential treatment centers which will offer a more intense, therapeutic approach. Perhaps your teen has been traumatized, has adoption issues or you may prefer therapy to augment emotional growth and personal development. Addictive behavior, codependency, anger management, attachment issues and victim-role issues are addressed in all our Schools.

And since the Programs focus on the family, parents are very much involved within the framework of their childs program. The general staff comprises licensed psychologists, therapists, registered nurses, credentialed teachers and highly trained staff of experienced counselors, family representatives and professional administrators.

The Schools are results based, not predicated upon a set time. The fundamental success of our students stems from the building of character by examining and changing self-limiting beliefs that prevent them from staying on the path to personal success.

Their academic performance improves exponentially as well. You see, the joy of learning returns once students have become self-directed with internal motivation. Most of all the students tell us they feel challenged and supported in their new life goals and feel valued and nurtured. The Schools are rolling or on-going as students come in daily.

Parents especially like the individually-paced learning with teachers as a coach to provide one-on-one teaching along with on-line academic learning management systems. ADD students (approximately 46% of the collective student body are ADD/ADHD). Non-traditional learners do extremely well using the above methods. Most of the Schools are fully accredited, college preparatory, graduating with diplomas accepted at any college or university in the US.

• Faith based curriculum now in place and can be specifically designed to meet your family's religious values frame for your child's course studies.
  
  
• Educational makeup of our students range from gifted and talented to students with learning differences, IB students, IEP/504 students, and non-traditional learners, typically most with IQs of average, above average to superior intelligence.
  
  
• We are committed to your family's success and only make recommendations based on the needs of your child, not especially because the School may be in close proximity to you or that it may be the lowest in tuition. When you are going to make such an important decision as this on saving your child's life, let's make this work for the appropriate reasons. Ultimately, it is your call.
  
  
• While true our Programs are not short-term Programs, they do, however offer a 3-month Program which some parents use to evaluate where their teen really is. Our Programs are so strong and effective in identifying true issues (usually the cause of the behavior exhibited) that long term is best to gain desired results in the teen.
  
  
• Continuing care and placement after Program completion.Should you choose to enroll your child in a non-community private school environment once your teen returns home, Teen Soulutions will refer you to associate colleagues who will assist you in enrollment for a successful continued quality education.

Click Here For More Info On Boarding Schools

Violence is defined as any type of physical behavior that causes injury to another person. Teen violence ranges from simple threats to varying degrees of aggression such as beating, stabbing, shooting, and even murder. Teen violence is a common concern today and is gradually becoming a serious social problem.

Teen violence is a learned behavior and can be the outcome of a multitude of interrelated factors. Teens may be the victims of physical or sexual abuse, they may have been exposed to violence at home or in their community, they may have been exposed to violence in media (TV, movies, music, etc.), they may have abused drugs or alcohol.

Teen violence may also be the result of stressful socioeconomic factors such as poverty, severe deprivation, marital break up, unemployment or the loss of support from extended family. All these are risk factors that can be significantly reduced or eliminated in order to decrease or even prevent violent teen behavior. More importantly drastic measures should be taken to decrease the exposure of teenagers to violence at home, in the community and through media.

There are signs that teens exhibit which may serve as warning for potential violence.

Parents should then be vigilant with regard to these warning signs: carrying a gun or any other weapon to school, addiction to drugs or alcohol, family history of violent behavior or suicide attempts, bullying or intimidating peers, cruel behavior towards pets and animals, habit of blaming others without accepting one's own misdeed, involvement with cults or gangs, recent experience of humiliation, shame, loss or rejection, disciplinary problems at school or in the community.

If for instance, your teen exhibits any of the above mentioned warning signs then it is exigent to conduct counseling and explain the evil behind such behavior.
Parents must keep in mind that the more their children are exposed to the risk factors and the more their children exhibit the warning signs, the greater is the probability that their children would manifest violent or aggressive behavior.

If it's too late and you are already dealing with a troubled teen, it is imperative that you show them your full support. However, if after consistent counseling and advice your teen does not show any sign of improvement, it may be wise to consider the assistance of specialists.

See Also

Complete Parenting Guide
Effective Parenting Tools
Help for Troubled Teens
Tips on Parenting Teenagers

Parents toil hard to send their children to a good school. It is quite rewarding if the child is bringing home good grades. But what if the opposite happens and the once promising teen starts failing in school? There is definitely something wrong and parents should look quickly into the matter before it escalates into a much more serious problem.

Recent research and statistics show that high school drop outs are 72% more likely to be unemployed and they will earn 27% less compared to high school graduates. This data is quite alarming because it not only harms the future of the teen but it also indicative of social degradation.

Studies show that both scholastic and personal problems contribute to the stigma of failing school or dropping out.

Other underlying reasons include the following:

• unwillingness to attend school in general or the school which they are attending
• inability to comprehend teachings or cope with school work
  
• inability to socialize due to feeling of insecurity or inferiority
  
• family problems
  
• addiction to drugs or alcohol.

There are several other reasons and determinant factors behind the problem and it actually varies from one teen to another.

As parents, you can utilize a variety of interventions to stem this growing problem. Probably the first significant step is to talk to your teen to find the root cause of the problem. Once you are able to unearth the cause, then it becomes easier to plan your next step.

But if your youngster is unwilling to cooperate or you have feeling that he or she is holding back something, then you may consider asking the help of a professional such as the guidance counselor of the school for that matter. You can also concede sending your teen to another school or arrange for a special program, counseling or tutoring in order to redirect the mindset of your teen.

There are various schools and institutions that are specially designed to help troubled teens who are undergoing a tough time because of failing school or drop out. You can the rest assured that your teen is being given proper guidance and education along with an opportunity to grow as an individual of good character and value.

See Also:

Help for Troubled Teens
Complete Parenting Guide
Effective Parenting Tools
Tips on Parenting Teenagers

When you hear the word "conduct disorder" you might be thinking that all teenagers at one point in their lives suffer from conduct disorder. There maybe some truth to that but conduct disorder is a mental disorder that can be diagnosed and is more severe than your typical teenager misbehavior, troubled teen or rebellion.

An individual with conduct disorder repeatedly violate the personal or property rights of other people and they fail to meet even the basic expectations of society. In order for a diagnosis to be absolute, the behavior must persist for six months or longer.

Conduct disorder is also known as disruptive behavior disorder owing to its negative impact on the teenager and his family. This particular disorder appears at about the age of nine to age seventeen and is relatively more common among boys than girls.

Symptoms of the disorder include the following:

• early incidence of substance abuse
  
• precocious sexual activity
  
• truancy or other violations of the law
  
• aggressive behavior resulting to injuries to other people and/or even animals
• destructive behavior that damages or destroys property.

It is important to keep in mind that these symptoms are worse and more severe than what you would expect from a normal misbehaving teenager. Likewise, there needs to be several of these symptoms to persist for long periods of time.

The key for parents is early diagnosis of the disorder because it is quite difficult to modify the behavior once the person has been accustomed to it. Therefore, the earlier the conduct disorder is diagnosed and treated, the better the chance for recovery and cure.

There are certain guidelines when you detect any signs of conduct disorder in your child.

• First, pay attention to the signs and search for the underlying causes and try to remedy the situation.
  
• Next, it may be wise to ask for assistance from a psychologist or a psychiatrist who specializes in teen disorders. It would also be helpful to keep yourself informed about the disorder by getting accurate information from libraries, hotlines and even the internet.
  
• Lastly, try to look for family network organizations particularly those whose members have the same problem as you have.

Anorexia nervosa, usually simply called anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by an extreme fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body image. Consequently, the person becomes obsessed with being thin to the point of weighing the food before eating it or compulsively counts the calories of everything.

People with anorexia often resort to using diet pills, laxatives or water pills just to lose weight. Others may exercise too much and not eat at all. Anorexics think that they are fat when in reality they are thin, in fact, they become so thin and underweight that they look sick.

The cause of this eating disorder is unknown but some studies show that people who are stressed out or those seeking to be "in control" are more likely to develop the disorder. Likewise, the typical age of onset is between the ages of 13 and 17.

This is the stage of adolescence wherein teens typically experience physical and emotional changes, academic pressure, and a greater degree of peer pressure. When you combine these pressures with the bodily changes that occur during puberty, you may likely end up with an eating disorder such as anorexia. Some recent evidence show that anorexia may also run in families.

People with anorexia tend to inflict harmful things to their bodies because of their obsession about their weight and their body image. Once left untreated anorexia can result into serious medical problems.

• There may be a drop in blood pressure and breathing rate
  
• stomach ulcer often develops
  
• there is greater risk for osteoporosis and anemia
  
• there may be fainting spells or a general inability to concentrate
  
• girls may suffer from amenorrhea or loss of periods.

These are serious health problems which can spiral out of control and lead to adverse complications and even death.

Fortunately, anorexia can be treated and patients can gradually learn to eat normally again. Anorexia is a disorder with both mental and physical manifestations. So the treatment is multidimensional in approach and involves a medical doctor, mental health professionals and dieticians.

Counseling is a crucial part of the therapy program and it usually involves the participation of the patient's family. In fact, family support is often the key to help the patient to eat healthy again.

See Also:

Help for Troubled Teens
Complete Parenting Guide
Effective Parenting Tools
Tips on Parenting Teenagers

Bulimia is a type of eating disorder characterized by eating a lot of food at once (called bingeing), and then tries to compensate in extreme ways such as forced vomiting and use of laxatives to remove the food from the body (called purging). Some resort to fasting, diet pills or hours of aerobic exercise to keep from gaining weight. People with bulimia often try to hide their bingeing and purging.

To be accurately diagnosed with bulimia, the patient must binge and purge regularly, at least twice a week for several months. It is generally more common in women than in men and the usual age of onset is before the age of 30. Bulimia typically starts out as trying to lose weight or hoping to get in shape. Eventually, the urge to eat less and to purge spirals out of control.

Recent research and studies have shown that social habits and expectations predispose teenagers and young adults to eating disorders such as bulimia. The emphasis on a "perfect image" and thinness are targeted daily through peer pressure and how society markets its distorted perception of health and wellness products and services.

Bulimia is even viewed as a "socially accepted" weight control technique among women in the upper classes due to social obligations and frequent appearance in social functions. It does not go without taking its toll on the body though. Bulimics often suffer from cardiac and renal problems, electrolyte and fluid imbalance, dental caries and other physical dysfunctions as well.

Remember that eating disorders are quite common among teenagers. Treatment options vary from one person to another, however there are many options to help patients recover and overcome the disorder. Counseling and family therapy are two of the most common approaches to treat bulimia.

The most important thing to consider when treating bulimia is to recognize and address the problem as early as possible so as to plan the best possible medical intervention for the patient. Early detection is the key for a better prognosis.

See Also:

Effective Parenting Tools
Help for Troubled Teens
Complete Parenting Guide
Tips on Parenting Teenagers