Columbus Girls Academy is a therapeutic boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, providing a safe haven for adolescent girls in Cordele, Georgia and around the nation; teens who have sought to fill a void in their hearts through negative peer influences, self-destructive habits, or risky activities.

After trying every option in their search to help their daughter, parents in Cordele, Georgia turn to the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy. They have usually tried counseling, medication, relocation, mental health approaches, and social service interventions, all without success. Some have been told by psychologists that it would be best 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 prospective resident from Cordele, Georgia 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 disdain for what she held dear. The young girl who once sought her parents’ direction, love, approval and acceptance, now depends on her peers to fulfill those needs; she is willing to allow them to lead her down an alternate and dangerous 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 young woman’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
• An absent or abusive 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
• Physical invasion or mental intimidation
• Gang membership
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer influences

Resulting from such factors, girls from Cordele, Georgia who register for our program generally 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
• Dangerous Behavior
• Self-Hatred

Usually, prior to choosing CGA, parents in Cordele, Georgia have gotten help from psychiatry and the use of medication. While such medications can help reduce the symptoms of deeper issues, we have found high 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 girl’s psychiatrist.

Most girls who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Cordele, Georgia have been previously had emotional and motivational issues 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 Cordele, GA:

When a student enrolls in 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 “sorry” for being caught in her behavior, but she has yet to experience a turning away from that behavior. This may be very similar to the roller coaster that parents have experienced at home — promises to be different, moments of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Sorrow does not change behavior, repentance does.

Usually, teenagers have been spared or delayed the heartache of the full-blown consequences for their inappropriate decisions; sometimes by well-intending authorities in their life. So, as a result, adolescents are not always confident 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 lifelong trouble if such actions persist. The Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy is an intervention program, hopefully intervening in troubled adolescents’ lives before they become an adult habitually living in a dysfunctional lifestyle.

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

Christian boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge academy for teenage girls in Cordele, Georgia and around the country 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 Cordele, Georgia, but it accepts young women from Cordele, Georgia.