The old saying is that it takes a village to raise a child. That same thought process can relate to helping teenagers excel in all aspects of life at Elevations RTC. When a new student enrolls at a residential treatment center, they get much more than a unique classroom experience. The focus goes directly on giving them the assistance they need to make the right decisions and provide support throughout their stay to keep them on the right track.
What are the keys to giving teenagers a chance to succeed at the highest level? From the curriculum to how life works around campus outside the classroom, it is an experience that can help teenagers grow mentally, physically, and socially.
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Class is in Session
It all starts with having a quality learning experience at Elevations RTC. For any residential treatment center helping teenagers succeed, there needs to be a setup that educates them effectively.
Many residential treatment centers face the challenge of balancing a traditional class setting with something a little different to get across to troubled teens. Elevations RTC Alternatives School took the time and did some trial and error early on to find a recipe that works best.
Learning at Elevations RTC stays pretty standard compared to traditional school settings. This is done to ensure students can make a pretty easy transition back home when the time is right. If the classroom setting switches up too much, it can be a huge shock to go back home and try to fit in once again.
With that said, teenagers do have more individual attention from the entire teaching staff. No student gets left behind at Elevations RTC School, as there are ways to keep everyone on the same page. At a traditional school, if a teenager starts to fall behind, it can sometimes be impossible for them to get the help they need. There are many different ways to keep everyone engaged, which could be the only thing needed for a teenager to turn the corner.
Another factor that helps with the transition back home boils down to Elevations RTC being fully accredited as an academic institution. Carrying accreditation with the Utah Department of Education, the California Department of Education, and the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, parents do not have to worry about them falling behind and perhaps repeating a grade when returning home. The staff strives to get every student ahead as much as possible so that they can feel that much more comfortable returning home. If a student understands assignments early on in the transition back home, it can vastly improve the rest of the transition.
Well Trained Staff for any Situation
Every staff member at Elevations RTC is explicitly trained to work with teenagers dealing with a myriad of problems. This type of training is specific, as experience is usually needed to be effective. Teachers are looking out for any warning signs that might show that a student is struggling, and they can even identify issues that might require a medical specialist.
Speaking of specialists, Elevations RTC offers medical care 24 hours a day. This includes seeking treatment after a severe injury, all the way to getting appointments with a counselor to help with mental health. A residential treatment center without a high-quality medical staff is coming up short for every student. It can be very frustrating for parents to feel like their child is so close to having a breakthrough, only not to trust the medical staff surrounding them.
Providing Extracurricular Activities
Proper support makes a massive difference in the classroom, but growing as a teenager involves much more than that. Some teenagers fall into trouble outside of the classroom, but in a controlled environment like the campus of Elevations RTC, many of those distractions are eliminated. As an alternative, teenagers get to interact with their peers and the staff in charge of all the different extracurricular activities available.
A large campus like Elevations RTC can make a difference in the variety provided. Other residential treatment centers offer extracurricular activities, but it ends up being a few choices that hardly cover the wide array of interests a teenager might have. Elevations RTC is constantly adding new extracurricular activities, hoping to have nearly complete coverage for any type of passion a student picks up.
Some teenagers automatically gravitate towards certain extracurricular activities. For others, the staff takes note of what they are interested in and provides activities that could interest them. One of the greatest changes a teenager can experience is leaving Elevations RTC with a new hobby or passion. There have been instances where students became passionate about coding and computer development, while others have enjoyed getting outdoors and going on hikes. Everyone has something they love. Occasionally, all it takes is that first introduction.
Full Family Support
The challenge of going to a campus and living life there for months at a time is challenging for teenagers. It is tough on the family as well, as they are left at home with an empty nest. Since students are coming in from all over the United States, it can feel very disconnected for some families at other residential treatment centers. Elevations RTC understand this issue and make sure that no one feels too disconnected to the point that it hurts them negatively.
Parents have the opportunity to get consistent updates from the staff at Elevations RTC. Most of these updates are done over email, over the phone, or in a video chat. There is also an opportunity to set up campus visits during the year, which comes in handy, particularly for those who live relatively close.
It is encouraged to stay connected to a certain degree, but not to the point that it becomes too much. Part of the entire experience is gaining that level of independence, and the best way to do that is to not count on family back home as a crutch. Students who are connecting with family back home every day could be missing out on other growth opportunities on campus.
Why Support From all Angles Matters?
Teenage years are extremely important. If the only solution is to send a teenager to a residential treatment center, why wouldn’t a family pick an option with the most support? Students have the room to grow individually while also having an outstanding staff and a built-in peer support system to make life that much easier. All in all, it is a life-changing experience for many that sets them up for success later on in life.