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

After exhausting every option in their search to help their daughter, families in Hammond, Indiana are happy to find the Teen Challenge Girls Academy near Columbus, Georgia. 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. So, they make the call for the help of a Christian boarding school for troubled teens, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The typical girl who comes to CGA from Hammond, Indiana was once moving toward a bright future; however, because of poor choices or an uncaring attitude, 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 teenage 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 shifts usually happen in the attitudes of young women going through early adolescence, some precipitating factors can leave a void in a girl’s life and bring out extremely self-destructive and angry behaviors. These factors include:

• Death of a parent or loved one
• Childhood abuse (known or hidden)
• Blended family
• An absent or abusive parent
• Bullying from others/Loss of friends
• Loss of economic status or a move 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 group

Resulting from such factors, young women from Hammond, Indiana who enter our our the Teen Challenge program typically demonstrate issues and behaviors including:

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

Usually, prior to choosing CGA, families in Hammond, Indiana have sought help from psychiatry and the prescription of medication. While such medications can help reduce the symptoms of problems, 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 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 prescribing psychiatrist.

Most girls who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Hammond, Indiana have been previously diagnosed with psychological disorders such as:

• Attention Difficulties
• ADD
• Being oppositional and defiant
• Mood disturbances
• Issues from adoption
• Sadness or Over Exuberance

Progression of a usual Teen Challenge student from Hammond, Indiana:

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 resident begins to feel some sorrow for the consequences of her prior actions. Essentially, she is “sorry” 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 roller coaster that the family has been living with at home — pledges to be different, periods of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Regret does not change individuals, repentance does.

Usually, teens have been spared or delayed the trouble of the entire consequences for their bad decisions; sometimes by well-intending parents. For these reasons, adolescents are not always confident of the need for change in their lives. However, the parent is certain 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 self-destructive lifestyle.

Please call at (334)855-3695 or inquire using the online inquiry form to discover more. We enroll girls from Hammond, Indiana year-round.

Therapeutic boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge program for young girls in Hammond, Indiana and around the nation 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 Hammond, Indiana, but it accepts girls from Hammond, Indiana.