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

After exhausting every option in their search to help their girl, parents in Tifton, Georgia are happy to find the Teen Challenge Girls Academy near Columbus, Georgia. They have usually tried psychologists, medications, and rehabs, and getting nowhere. Some have been told by counselors 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 prospective resident from Tifton, Georgia was once moving toward a bright future; however, because of poor choices or an uncaring attitude, 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 looks to her peers to fulfill those needs; she is willing to allow them to lead her down a dark 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 lead to 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
• 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 Tifton, Georgia who register for our program typically exhibit attitudes and actions 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

Often, prior to selecting CGA, parents in Tifton, Georgia have sought help from psychiatry and the use of medication. While such medications can help reduce the symptoms of deeper issues, 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 reduced over time with the supervision of our physician and the prescribing psychiatrist.

Some students who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Tifton, Georgia have been previously diagnosed with behavioral disorders 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 student from Tifton, GA:

When a young woman 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 previous behavior. Essentially, she is sad 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 — promises to be different, moments of peace, that then again turn to repeat and crisis. Regret does not change behavior, repentance does.

Often, adolescents have been spared or delayed the heartache of the entire consequences for their poor decisions; sometimes by well-intending adults. So, as a result, 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 teenager 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 go on with life habitually living in a dangerous lifestyle.

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

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