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

After exhausting every option in their search to help their daughter, parents in Winder, Georgia turn to the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy. 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. 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 prospective resident from Winder, Georgia at the Teen Challenge Girls Academy was that she was once bright and talented; however, because of poor choices or an uncaring attitude, 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 sought her parents’ 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 changes usually happen in the attitudes of girls 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:

• Loss of a parent or loved one
• Childhood abuse (known or hidden)
• Divorce of parents
• A difficult or especially critical parent
• Bullying from others/Loss of friends
• Loss of economic status or a change to a new home or school
• Chronic illness of a loved one
• Physical invasion or mental intimidation
• Gang membership
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer influences

As a result of such factors, girls from Winder, Georgia who enroll in our boarding school typically 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 selecting CGA, parents in Winder, Georgia have sought help from psychiatry and the prescription of medication. While such medications can help alleviate the symptoms of deeper issues, we have found significant 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 care of our physician and the family’s psychiatrist.

Most girls who come to CGA in Columbus, Georgia, from Winder, Georgia have been previously diagnosed with behavioral disorders like:

• 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 Winder, GA:

When a student 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 resident begins to feel some sorrow for the consequences of her previous actions. Essentially, she is “sorry” for being caught in her actions, but she has yet to experience a turning away from that behavior. This may be very similar to the roller coaster that parents have been living with at home — promises to be different, moments of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Sorrow does not change individuals, repentance does.

Many times, teenagers have been spared or delayed the heartache of the full-blown consequences for their negative decisions; sometimes by well-intending authorities in their life. 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 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 become an adult habitually demonstrating a dangerous lifestyle.

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

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