Columbus Girls Academy is a therapeutic boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, providing a safe haven for young women in Kennesaw, Georgia 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 trying every option in their quest to help their girl, families in Kennesaw, Georgia turn to the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy. They have usually tried psychologists, medications, and rehabs, all without success. Some have been told by loved ones 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 therapeutic boarding school, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The typical girl who is enrolled from Kennesaw, 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 disdain for what she held dear. 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 an alternate and dangerous path in life.

While shifts usually happen in the moods of young women 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:

• Death of a parent or loved one
• Early abuse (known or hidden)
• Divorce of parents
• 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
• Chronic illness of a loved one
• Physical invasion or mental intimidation
• Gang participation
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer influences

Resulting from such factors, young women from Kennesaw, Georgia who enroll in our program typically exhibit issues and behaviors such as:

• 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 choosing CGA, families in Kennesaw, Georgia have sought help from psychiatry and the use of medication. While such medications can help reduce the symptoms of deeper issues, we have found high success in weening girls 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 girl’s psychiatrist.

Some students who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Kennesaw, Georgia 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 typical Teen Challenge resident from Kennesaw, Georgia:

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 girl begins to feel some regret for the consequences of her prior behavior. Essentially, she is “sorry” 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 ups and downs that the family has experienced at home — promises to be different, periods of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Sorrow does not change behavior, repentance does.

Often, teens have been spared or delayed the heartache of the full-blown consequences for their inappropriate decisions; sometimes by well-intending adults. So, as a result, teens are not always entirely certain 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 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 become an adult habitually demonstrating a dangerous lifestyle.

We can be reached at (334)855-3695 or inquire using the online inquiry form to learn young women from Kennesaw, Georgia year-round.

Christian boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge program for teenage girls in Kennesaw, Georgia and from 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 Kennesaw, Georgia, but it accepts young women from Kennesaw, Georgia.