Teen Treatment Programs Helping Teens Struggling with ADHD

ADHD Residential Treatment Center For Teens

How Does Solstice East Help Teens with ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a disorder that causes impulsivity, hyperactivity, lack of attention, and a variety of other symptoms. Defining and treating ADHD in teenagers is different than in younger children. Young adults tend to feel more distracted and have negative impulsive behaviors. These behaviors lead to poor academic performance, distracted driving, emotional outbursts, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Solstice East uses a variety of holistic and therapeutic methods to help teenagers dealing with ADHD. We focus on treating the individual’s entire body and mind. We start by building trust and relationships with our patients. After a proper assessment, we move forward with natural therapies. Our therapeutic methods include: individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, milieu therapy, and equine therapy.

Solstice East focuses on a total mind and body workshop for teenagers with ADHD. We also implement support-based love and understanding from families and the teen’s parents. We work together in groups to make sure the individual needs of our teenagers are met.

What are the Causes of Teenage ADHD?

Like most disorders in teenagers, the exact causes of ADHD in adolescents are unidentified. However, ADHD is influenced by multiple genes, non-inherited factors and their interplay. There is no single cause of ADHD and exposure to a risk factor does not necessarily result in disorder. Genes can alter sensitivity to environmental risks, for example, environmental toxins or psychosocial adversity. 

Teenagers today face a multitude of environmental factors, which can negatively shape their daily lives. Peer rejection, family adversity, low socioeconomic status, or head injury as non-inherited factors in the development of teenage ADHD.

Many teenagers who develop ADHD in their young adult lives as opposed to childhood ADHD do so because the stakes are more critical as a teenager grows older. No longer do the adolescent’s parents make important life decisions. Teenagers are expected to take on leadership roles, and transition into a functioning adult.

However, at times, this transition can be too much for the teenager to handle. Because a teenager is now faced with new stresses in her life, this can activate ADHD. ADHD can trigger an emotional or physical response to pressure. Teenagers who develop ADHD in their young adult years tend to also deal with anxiety, depression, and feelings of suicide or death.

Therapeutic Programming Helping Girls Struggling with ADHD

Solstice East, a residential program for teens struggling with ADHD, provides teens and their families with specialized therapeutic approaches to begin the healing process. Our experienced therapeutic staff are passionate about their work with students. 

Much of our therapeutic philosophy is based on a holistic approach – treating the entire individual (mind, body, and soul) rather than a problem area. Many challenges stem from core issues affecting the entire individual. We seek to uncover and target those challenges in order to help students heal and find an inner peace.

Another aspect of our therapeutic programming that makes us unique from other residential programs that help treat ADHD is our focus on building trusting relationships. Many of the students we help have found that their relationships with family members and peers have deteriorated over the years due to ADHD. A central part of our philosophy is people before programs. We do this by creating a positive community-focused campus and helping students rebuild their relationships with family members.

Throughout their time at Solstice East, students undergo a process of internal growth and change implemented by specific programming encouraging the development of positive values. During their therapeutic journey, students learn how to use these positive values to drive their choices and behaviors moving forward.

We also utilize experiential therapy, the process of growing through experiences, in addition to talk therapy. Many of these experiences may not seem therapeutic upon first glance, but can provide some of the most powerful healing experiences students take part in during their time with us. Some of these experiential approaches include: equine therapy, recreational activities and adventure therapy. Learn more about experiential therapy at Solstice East>>>

Treatments for Teenage ADHD

Treatment for teenagers with ADHD starts with building trust and relationships. The teenager must have a build up of positive self-esteem in order to comprehend therapy options. 

Treatment starts with parents and loved ones understanding and providing ample support to their teenager dealing with ADHD. Once the teenager has an established sense of self, Solstice East then focuses on a holistic and natural healing approach when it comes to behavior disorders.

We offer a combination of group-based therapies, as well as psychiatric help. Our main goal is to make the teenager feel accepted and able to take on life’s many challenges. Our milieu therapy option creates real-world instances for the teenager to react upon. When she is in the moment at Solstice East, she will gain the tools to go forward with further treatment at home and in the real world. We also take an academic approach and emphasize learning as a tool for therapy.

Symptoms of Teenage ADHD

Symptoms of ADHD in teenagers are less hyperactive than what is seen in children with ADHD. However, that can also make it harder to spot the signs of teenage ADHD. Symptoms of teenage ADHD include:
Lower test scores
An inability to focus on academic work
Behavior problems
Difficulty with organization
Trouble making and maintaining relationships with peers
Victim of bullying/bullying others
Impaired social and communication skills
Acting impulsively
Emotionally unstable
Risky behaviors
Substance abuse
Sexually promiscuous
Inability to focus while driving
Poor family relationships
Criminal behaviors

Getting help for your struggling teen before symptoms get worse

If you fear that your daughter is going down the wrong path in life due to the emotional and behavioral challenges they are struggling with, it may be best to get help now before their situation becomes even worse. Solstice East helps steer young women down a happier, brighter path in life. With college-preparatory academics and individualized therapeutic programming, we help change lives and help teens and families plan for a successful future. 

Solstice East helps teens through:

• Gender-specific programming: At Solstice East, we have designed our culture and programming around a girl-only approach. Everything from our equine therapy programming to the clinical specialization of our therapists is specifically geared towards addressing the complex needs of teen girls.
• Family centered approach: The most important relationship in your daughter’s life is the one she has with her family. Solstice East has an intensive family therapy focus which includes weekly family therapy sessions, quarterly family seminars, and multi-family groups. Lasting change can only occur if the entire family is on board in the therapeutic process.
• Relationship-focused programming: One of the highest contributing factors to the overall success of a student during their time at Solstice East is the relationships they develop with therapeutic staff and their peers on campus. These relationships help provide a safe, comforting environment for teens to embark on their healing journey. Learn more about relationship therapy here>>>
• Equine therapy: Students take part in equine therapy on a regular basis. Working with horses helps students build relationship and communication skills. Horses are extraordinarily social creatures who are very sensitive to an individual’s emotional state. Because of this, they help students regulate emotions. Learn more about equine therapy>>>

Resources for State Families Seeking Help

Psych Central Truly a hub of all things mental health, Psych Central is an independently-run website featuring input from mental health professionals worldwide. Containing descriptions of various mental health issues, frequently asked questions, and a forum section in which users and professionals can come together to help each other, Psych Central is an unparalleled resource.
MentalHealth.gov The mental health branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, MentalHealth.gov attempts to educate and guide communities starting at the lowest level and progressing toward politicians and policy-makers. Whether it is informing children or teaching adults, MentalHealth.gov exists to make the world a better place for people with mental illness.

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