A Parents Perspective…
My experience is over 21 years experience parent/foster-parenting. I have also been working with Triumph Youth Services for the last several years…. In all of this time one thing remains constant, parents want their children to be successful and happy. They ask our advice on how to help their teen in trouble. The easiest and hardest answer is; get them help as soon as possible! Find a program that can address the issues your son is facing. It is not a negative thing to have them placed in a youth program, it can be the best thing to ever happen to your family… The sooner the better. For example, we had parents that were looking to place their son in our program almost a year ago, but they put it off, thinking the problems would work themselves out or that or they being a vigilant Parent could fix it. Unfortunately there are some issues that need some extra attention and the staff at Triumph Youth ServiceAcademy is trained to provide that. Recently we placed that same young man in the program with more complicated issues than he originally had. We know the unknown is scary, and it is a big decision, but putting it off because of your own fears isn’t helping your Son or the situation. You have to face the addictions and problems head on. Of course your Son/Grandson isn’t going to be happy about admitting he has problems and needs to leave home to address them. Sometimes we have to make the hard decisions for our children because it’s in their best interest.
My own Son benefited… The first few months of being placed in a group home is a critical time. They need to be told you are doing this because you love them making it clear you are sticking to the program rules and not going to enable them in any way. We as parents can enable without even knowing it, but through family therapy we can address these issues, which we did. Unfortunately, I have watched a some parents take their son out of the program before they have graduated. It is so critical that you let the program work and take its course. It is not easy, but in the end your son will be that much stronger for having completed his program. Our program has been around for over 14 years and is a good option for your son to have a successful future. We have never regretted our decision to get this kind of help for our Son.
Triumph Youth Services provides a small, highly structured family-type environment for youth. Our cognitive therapy approach utilizes individual therapy mixed with group and family therapy to treat each youth’s issues. The therapists specialize in a variety of issues and disorders, including, but not limited to addiction, substance abuse, emotional disturbance, oppositional defiance and RAD. In addition to the therapy, the positive peer culture utilized in Triumph facilities help the student process their issues and build skills for their own personal progress. This includes consistent group counseling and peer mentoring.
We strive to provide a program that encourages positive lifelong habits including: healthy living, responsibility, accountability, reliability, respect for authority, commitment and integrity. In turn this will give our students the tools they need to be successful now and later on in life. Our goal is for each student to complete our program and be able to provide for themselves, as well as, their future families. They will become a positive, contributing member of their family and society.