Columbus Girls Academy is a therapeutic boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, providing a safe haven for young women in Cedartown, Georgia and from around the country; girls who have sought to fill a void in their lives through misbehavior, self-harm or negative peer influences.

After exhausting every option in their search to help their daughter, parents in Cedartown, Georgia 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. That is when they make the call for the help of a Christian boarding school for troubled teens, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The typical girl who is enrolled from Cedartown, Georgia was once moving toward a bright future; however, because of poor choices or an uncaring attitude, 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 follow them down a dark path in life.

While shifts usually happen in the moods of girls going through early adolescence, some precipitating factors can leave a void in a girl’s life and lead to 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
• Loss of economic status or a move to a new home or school
• Chronic illness of a loved one
• Physical invasion or mental intimidation
• Gang membership
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer group

As a result of such factors, girls from Cedartown, Georgia who register for our the Teen Challenge program typically demonstrate issues and behaviors such as:

• Loss of a positive self-image
• Rebellion/Anger/Defiance
• Self Injurious Behaviors or Thoughts
• Deceitfulness/Cheating/Theft
• Manipulation of family and parents
• Promiscuity
• Self-Hatred

Usually, prior to selecting CGA, parents in Cedartown, Georgia have sought help from psychiatry and the use of medication. While psychotropic medications can help alleviate the symptoms of deeper issues, we have found significant 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 dealt with having a clear mind. Psychotropic drugs are eliminated over time with the care of our physician and the family’s psychiatrist.

Most girls who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Cedartown, Georgia have been previously diagnosed with psychological disorders including:

• 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 student from Cedartown, 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 resident begins to experience some sorrow for the consequences of her previous behavior. Essentially, she is “sorry” 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 parents have been living with at home — promises to change, periods of peace, that then again turn to repeat and crisis. Sorrow does not change individuals, repentance does.

Usually, adolescents have been spared or delayed the heartache of the full-blown consequences for their poor decisions; sometimes by well-intending adults. For these reasons, teens are not always convinced of the need for change in their lives. However, the parent is convinced of the need for intervention, because their girl is obviously headed for lifelong trouble 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 demonstrating a dysfunctional lifestyle.

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

Therapeutic boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge program for teenage girls in Cedartown, Georgia and around the nation who are troubled by 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 Cedartown, Georgia, but it accepts young women from Cedartown, Georgia.