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

After trying every option in their quest to help their girl, parents in Griffin, Georgia turn to the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy. They have usually tried relocation, counseling, and medication, and getting nowhere. Some have been told by psychologists 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 girl who is enrolled from Griffin, Georgia was once moving toward a bright future; however, as a result of self-destructive choices, her future has been compromised. 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 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 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 bring out extremely self-destructive and angry behaviors. These factors include:

• Loss of a parent or loved one
• Childhood abuse (known or hidden)
• Blended family
• 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 group

As a result of such factors, girls from Griffin, Georgia who enter our our the Teen Challenge 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 Griffin, Georgia have gotten help from psychiatry and the prescription of medication. While psychotropic medications can help reduce the symptoms of deeper issues, we have achieved great success in helping girls get 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 reduced over time with the care of our physician and the girl’s psychiatrist.

Most girls who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Griffin, 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 Griffin, GA:

When a young woman 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 student begins to feel some regret for the consequences of her prior 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 parents have been living with at home — pledges to be different, moments of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Sorrow does not change behavior, repentance does.

Usually, teens have been spared or delayed the trouble of the full-blown consequences for their poor decisions; sometimes by well-intending parents. For these reasons, teens 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 adolescents’ 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 learn girls from Griffin, Georgia year-round.

Therapeutic boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge school for young girls in Griffin, Georgia and around the country 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 Griffin, Georgia, but it accepts girls from Griffin, Georgia.