Columbus Girls Academy is an affordable Christian boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, offering a safe haven for adolescent girls in Florence, Alabama and 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, families in Florence, Alabama are happy to find the Teen Challenge Girls Academy near Columbus, Georgia. They have usually tried relocation, counseling, and medication, and getting nowhere. Some have been told by counselors 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 seek the help of a Christian boarding school for troubled teens, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The typical prospective resident from Florence, Alabama was once moving toward a bright future; 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 young girl who once looked to her parents for 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 lead to extremely self-destructive and angry behaviors. These factors include:

• Death of a parent or loved one
• Early abuse (known or hidden)
• Blended family
• 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
• Physical invasion or mental intimidation
• Gang membership
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer influences

Resulting from such factors, girls from Florence, Alabama who enroll in our program generally exhibit attitudes and actions including:

• 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

Often, prior to selecting CGA, families in Florence, Alabama have gotten help from psychiatry and the use of medication. While psychotropic medications can help alleviate the symptoms of deeper issues, we have achieved high 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 addressed and solved with a clear mind. Psychotropic drugs are eliminated over time with the care of our physician and the prescribing psychiatrist.

Most girls who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Florence, Alabama 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 Florence, AL:

When a girl 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 feel some sorrow for the consequences of her previous behavior. Essentially, she is sad 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 the family has been living with at home — pledges to change, 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 negative decisions; sometimes by well-intending parents. So, as a result, 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 disaster 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.

Please call at (334)855-3695 or contact us using the online inquiry form to register students from Florence, Alabama year-round.

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