Columbus Girls Academy is an affordable Christian boarding school located near Columbus, Georgia, offering a safe haven for teen girls in Stuart, Florida and from around the country; teens 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 girl, parents in Stuart, Florida turn to the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy. They have usually tried relocation, counseling, and medication, and getting nowhere. Some have been told by loved ones 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 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 Stuart, Florida was once moving toward a bright future; 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 disdain for what she held dear. The teenage girl 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 follow them 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 cause extremely self-destructive and angry behaviors. These factors include:

• Death of a parent or loved one
• Childhood abuse (known or hidden)
• Family split
• An absent or abusive parent
• Bullying from others/Loss of friends
• Change in economic status or a change to a new home or school
• Medical issues with a loved one
• Rape or intimidation
• Gang membership
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer influences

As a result of such factors, young women from Stuart, Florida who enter our our program generally exhibit 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
• Self-Hatred

Many times, prior to choosing CGA, parents in Stuart, Florida 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 psychological issues are generally precipitated by underlying emotional issues, which must be dealt with having 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 Stuart, Florida have been previously diagnosed with behavioral disorders such as:

• 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 usual Teen Challenge student from Stuart, Florida:

When a girl comes to 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 student begins to feel some regret for the consequences of her previous behavior. Essentially, she is “sorry” for being caught in her behavior, 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 been living with at home — pledges to be different, moments of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Regret does not change behavior, repentance does.

Many times, teenagers have been spared or delayed the trouble of the full-blown consequences for their bad decisions; sometimes by well-intending authorities in their life. So, as a result, teens are not always confident of the need for a different way of living. However, the parent is convinced of the need for intervention, because their teenager is obviously headed for disaster if such actions persist. The Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy is an intervention program, hopefully intervening in troubled adolescents’ lives before they go on with life habitually living in a dysfunctional lifestyle.

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

Therapeutic boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge program for adolescent girls in Stuart, Florida 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 Stuart, Florida, but it accepts girls from Stuart, Florida.