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

After trying every option in their search to help their daughter, families in Decatur, Georgia turn to the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy. They have usually tried counseling, medication, relocation, mental health approaches, and social service interventions, and getting nowhere. Some have been told by counselors that it would be best for their girl to get away from the negative influences in her life and away from home for awhile. So, they seek the help of a Christian boarding school for troubled teens, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The usual prospective resident from Decatur, Georgia at the Teen Challenge Girls Academy was that she was once bright and talented; however, as a result of self-destructive choices, her life may end up far different from what everyone hoped for. Where there was once excelling grades, there is academic failure. Where there were once athletic, artistic or musical abilities, there is disdain for what she held dear. The young woman who once sought her parents’ direction, love, approval and acceptance, now depends on her peers to fulfill those needs; she is willing to follow them down a negative path in life.

While changes usually happen in the moods of teenage 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
• Childhood abuse (known or hidden)
• Family split
• 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
• Medical issues with a loved one
• Physical invasion or mental intimidation
• Gang participation
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer influences

Resulting from such factors, teenage girls from Decatur, Georgia who register for our program typically exhibit attitudes and actions including:

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

Often, prior to selecting CGA, families in Decatur, Georgia have gotten help from psychiatry and the use of medication. While psychotropic medications can help alleviate 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 triggered by underlying emotional issues, which must be dealt with having a clear mind. Psychotropic drugs are eliminated over time with the supervision of our physician and the prescribing psychiatrist.

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

• 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 student from Decatur, Georgia:

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 experience some sorrow for the consequences of her previous actions. Essentially, she is “sorry” for being caught in her actions, but she has yet to experience a turning away from that behavior. This may be very similar to the ups and downs that the family has experienced at home — promises to be different, periods of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Regret does not change behavior, repentance does.

Often, teenagers have been spared or delayed the trouble of the entire consequences for their inappropriate decisions; sometimes by well-intending adults. For these reasons, teenagers are not always entirely certain of the need for a different way of living. 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 helping make a change in troubled teenagers’ lives before they go on with life habitually demonstrating a dysfunctional lifestyle.

We can be reached at (334)855-3695 or contact us using the online inquiry form to learn girls from Decatur, Georgia year-round.

Christian boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge academy for adolescent girls in Decatur, Georgia and from around the country who are struggling with life-controlling issues. Call us now to learn more about Teen Challenge.

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