Columbus Girls Academy is a therapeutic boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, providing a safe haven for young women in Anniston, Alabama and around the nation; teens who have sought to fill a void in their hearts through anger, self-harm or negative peer influences.

After trying every option in their quest to help their daughter, parents in Anniston, Alabama are happy to find the Teen Challenge Girls Academy near Columbus, Georgia. They have usually tried counseling, medication, relocation, mental health approaches, and social service interventions, all without success. Some have been told by loved ones that it would be a good idea for their girl to get away from home for awhile and from negative influences and peers. So, they seek the help of a Christian boarding school for troubled teens, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The typical girl who comes to CGA from Anniston, Alabama at the Teen Challenge Girls Academy was that she was once bright and talented; however, as a result of self-destructive choices, her future has been compromised. Where there was once excelling grades, there are failing grades. Where there were once athletic, artistic or musical abilities, there is a loss of interest. The young woman who once sought her parents’ direction, love, approval and acceptance, now has sifted to her peers to fulfill those needs; she is willing to allow them to lead her down a destructive path in life.

While shifts usually happen in the moods of young women going through early adolescence, some precipitating factors can leave a void in a girl’s life and cause extremely self-destructive and angry behaviors. These factors include:

• Death of a parent or loved one
• Early abuse (known or hidden)
• Divorce of parents
• A difficult or especially critical parent
• Bullying from others/Loss of friends
• Change in economic status or a move to a new home or school
• Medical issues with a loved one
• Physical invasion or mental intimidation
• Gang participation
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer group

Resulting from such factors, young women from Anniston, Alabama who enroll in our the Teen Challenge program typically exhibit attitudes and actions such as:

• Low self-esteem
• Rebellion/Anger/Defiance
• Self Injurious Behaviors or Thoughts
• Deceitfulness/Cheating/Theft
• Manipulation of family and parents
• Promiscuity
• Self-Hatred

Usually, prior to choosing CGA, parents in Anniston, Alabama have sought help from psychiatry and the prescription of medication. While such medications can help alleviate the symptoms of problems, we have found high success in weening girls off of them once and for all. All but the most severe psychological issues are generally triggered by deeper emotional issues, which must be addressed and solved with a clear mind. Psychotropic drugs are eliminated over time with the care of our physician and the prescribing psychiatrist.

Most girls who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Anniston, Alabama have been previously had emotional and motivational issues such as:

• Attention Difficulties
• Difficulty with Distractions in a Classroom Setting
• Being oppositional and defiant
• Mood disturbances
• Issues from adoption
• Sadness or Over Exuberance

Progression of a usual Teen Challenge resident from Anniston, AL:

When a young woman enrolls in Columbus Girls Academy it is usual for her to exhibit blame-shifting, avoidance of responsibility, and sometimes complete denial of wrongdoing. Soon after enrollment, the girl begins to feel some regret for the consequences of her prior actions. Essentially, she is sad for being caught in her actions, but she has yet to begin a turning away from that behavior. This may be very similar to the roller coaster that parents have experienced at home — promises to change, periods of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Regret does not change behavior, repentance does.

Usually, teenagers have been spared or delayed the trouble of the entire consequences for their bad decisions; sometimes by well-intending authorities in their life. For these reasons, adolescents are not always confident of the need for a different way of living. However, the parent is convinced of the need for intervention, because their teenager is obviously headed for disaster if such actions persist. The Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy is an intervention program, hopefully intervening in troubled teenagers’ lives before they go on with life habitually living in a self-destructive lifestyle.

We can be reached at (334)855-3695 or inquire using the online inquiry form to discover more. We enroll young women from Anniston, Alabama year-round.

Christian boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge school for young girls in Anniston, Alabama and around the nation who are struggling with life-controlling issues. Visit the remainder of this website to learn more about Teen Challenge.

The Columbus Girls Academy Teen Challenge program isn’t in Anniston, Alabama, but it accepts young women from Anniston, Alabama.