This Teen Challenge Girls Academy is a non-profit Christian boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, providing an affordable safe haven for adolescent girls in Austell, Georgia and from around the country; teens who have sought to fill a void in their hearts through anger, self-harm or negative peer influences.

After exhausting every option in their search to help their girl, families in Austell, Georgia are happy to find the Teen Challenge Girls Academy near Columbus, Georgia. They have usually tried relocation, counseling, and medication, all without success. Some have been told by psychologists that it would be best for their girl to get away from the negative influences in her life and away from home for awhile. That is when they seek the help of a Christian boarding school for troubled teens, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The typical prospective resident from Austell, Georgia at the Teen Challenge Girls Academy was that she was once bright and talented; however, because of poor choices or an uncaring attitude, her life may end up far different from what everyone hoped for. Where there was once excelling grades, there are failing grades. Where there were once athletic, artistic or musical abilities, there is disdain for what she held dear. The teenage girl 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 changes usually happen in the moods of girls going through early adolescence, some precipitating factors can leave a void in a young woman’s life and bring out extremely self-destructive and angry behaviors. These factors include:

• Loss of a parent or loved one
• Early abuse (known or hidden)
• Blended family
• A difficult or especially critical parent
• Bullying from others/Loss of friends
• Change in economic status or a change to a new home or school
• Chronic illness of a loved one
• Rape or intimidation
• Gang membership
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer group

As a result of such factors, girls from Austell, Georgia who enter our our boarding school generally demonstrate issues and behaviors including:

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

Many times, prior to choosing CGA, families in Austell, Georgia have gotten help from psychiatry and the use of medication. While psychotropic medications can help reduce the symptoms of problems, we have achieved significant success in helping girls get off of them once and for all. All but the most severe mental issues are generally precipitated by deeper emotional issues, which must be addressed and solved with a clear mind. Psychotropic drugs are eliminated over time with the supervision of our physician and the family’s psychiatrist.

Some students who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Austell, Georgia have been previously diagnosed with behavioral disorders such as:

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

Progression of a typical Teen Challenge resident from Austell, Georgia:

When a young woman comes to Columbus Girls Academy it is typical for her to exhibit blame-shifting, avoidance of responsibility, and sometimes complete denial of wrongdoing. Soon after enrollment, the girl begins to experience some regret for the consequences of her previous behavior. Essentially, she is sad for being caught in her behavior, but she has yet to begin a turning away from that behavior. This may be very similar to the roller coaster that the family has been living with at home — promises to change, periods of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Sorrow does not change behavior, repentance does.

Many times, teenagers have been spared or delayed the trouble of the full-blown consequences for their negative decisions; sometimes by well-intending authorities in their life. So, as a result, teenagers are not always convinced of the need for change in their lives. However, the parent is convinced of the need for intervention, because their daughter is obviously headed for disaster if such actions persist. The Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy is an intervention program, hopefully intervening in troubled adolescents’ lives before they go on with life habitually demonstrating a dangerous lifestyle.

We can be reached at (334)855-3695 or inquire using the online inquiry form to register students from Austell, Georgia year-round.

Christian boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge school for teenage girls in Austell, Georgia and from around the country who are troubled by life-controlling issues. Call us now to learn more about Teen Challenge.

The Columbus Girls Academy Teen Challenge program isn’t in Austell, Georgia, but it accepts girls from Austell, Georgia.