Columbus Girls Academy is an affordable Christian boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, offering a safe haven for adolescent girls in Dothan, Alabama and around the nation; 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 quest to help their girl, parents in Dothan, Alabama 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 the negative influences in her life and away from home for awhile. That is when they make the call for the help of a therapeutic boarding school, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The typical girl who comes to CGA from Dothan, Alabama 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 is academic failure. Where there were once athletic, artistic or musical abilities, there is a loss of interest. The teenage girl who once looked to her parents for direction, love, approval and acceptance, now looks to her peers to fulfill those needs; she is willing to allow them to lead her down a dark 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 girl’s life and lead to extremely self-destructive and angry behaviors. These factors include:

• Loss of a parent or loved one
• Childhood abuse (known or hidden)
• Family split
• An absent or abusive parent
• Bullying from others/Loss of friends
• Loss of 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

Resulting from such factors, teenage girls from Dothan, Alabama who enter our our the Teen Challenge program typically exhibit 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 Dothan, Alabama have sought help from psychiatry and the use of medication. While such medications can help alleviate the symptoms of deeper issues, we have achieved significant success in weening girls off of them once and for all. All but the most severe mental issues are generally precipitated by underlying emotional issues, which must be addressed and solved with a clear mind. Psychotropic drugs are reduced over time with the care of our physician and the girl’s psychiatrist.

Some students who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Dothan, Alabama 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 Dothan, AL:

When a student 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 student begins to experience some regret for the consequences of her previous 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 ups and downs that the family has been living with at home — pledges to be different, moments of peace, that then again turn to repeat and crisis. Regret does not change individuals, repentance does.

Usually, adolescents have been spared or delayed the heartache of the entire consequences for their negative decisions; sometimes by well-intending parents. So, as a result, teens are not always entirely certain of the need for a different way of living. However, the parent is certain 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 teenagers’ lives before they become an adult habitually living in a dangerous lifestyle.

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

Christian boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge school for adolescent girls in Dothan, 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 Dothan, Alabama, but it accepts young women from Dothan, Alabama.