Columbus Girls Academy is a therapeutic boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, providing a safe haven for adolescent girls in Richmond Hill, Georgia and around the country; teens who have sought to fill a void in their lives through negative peer influences, self-destructive habits, or risky activities.

After trying every option in their search to help their daughter, parents in Richmond Hill, Georgia turn to the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy. They have usually tried psychologists, medications, and rehabs, and getting nowhere. 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. 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 Richmond Hill, Georgia at the Teen Challenge Girls Academy was that she was once bright and talented; however, as a result of self-destructive choices, her life may end up far different from what everyone hoped for. Where there was once excelling grades, there are failing grades. Where there were once athletic, artistic or musical abilities, there is a loss of interest. The young woman who once looked to her parents for direction, love, approval and acceptance, now depends on 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 girl’s life and bring out extremely self-destructive and angry behaviors. These factors include:

• Loss of a parent or loved one
• Early abuse (known or hidden)
• Blended family
• A difficult or especially critical parent
• Bullying from others/Loss of friends
• Change in economic status or a move to a new home or school
• Medical issues with a loved one
• Rape or intimidation
• Gang participation
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer group

Resulting from such factors, young women from Richmond Hill, Georgia who enter our our boarding school typically 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

Many times, prior to choosing CGA, parents in Richmond Hill, Georgia have sought help from psychiatry and the prescription of medication. While psychotropic medications can help reduce the symptoms of problems, we have achieved significant success in weening girls off of them once and for all. All but the most severe mental 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 family’s psychiatrist.

Some students who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Richmond Hill, Georgia have been previously had emotional and motivational issues such as:

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

Progression of a typical Teen Challenge resident from Richmond Hill, GA:

When a girl 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 girl begins to feel some regret for the consequences of her previous 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 ups and downs that parents have experienced at home — pledges to change, periods of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Regret does not change individuals, repentance does.

Many times, teens have been spared or delayed the trouble of the full-blown consequences for their inappropriate decisions; sometimes by well-intending parents. So, as a result, teenagers are not always convinced of the need for a different way of living. However, the parent is convinced 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 helping make a change in troubled teenagers’ lives before they become an adult habitually living in a dangerous lifestyle.

Please call at (334)855-3695 or contact us using the online inquiry form to learn girls from Richmond Hill, Georgia year-round.

Therapeutic boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge school for adolescent girls in Richmond Hill, Georgia 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 Richmond Hill, Georgia, but it accepts young women from Richmond Hill, Georgia.