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

After trying every option in their quest to help their daughter, parents in Zephyrhills, Florida are happy to find the Teen Challenge Girls Academy near Columbus, Georgia. They have usually tried counseling, medication, relocation, mental health approaches, and social service interventions, 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. So, they seek the help of a Christian boarding school for troubled teens, like the Teen Challenge Columbus Girls Academy.

The typical prospective resident from Zephyrhills, Florida 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 a loss of interest. 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 allow them to lead her down an alternate and dangerous path in life.

While changes usually happen in the attitudes of teenage girls going through early adolescence, some precipitating factors can leave a void in a young woman’s life and lead to 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
• Chronic illness of a loved one
• Physical invasion or mental intimidation
• Gang membership
• Excessive interest in pornography
• Negative peer influences

Resulting from such factors, teenage girls from Zephyrhills, Florida who enter our our boarding school typically demonstrate attitudes and actions including:

• Low self-esteem
• 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 Zephyrhills, Florida have sought help from psychiatry and the prescription of medication. While such medications can help reduce 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 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 Zephyrhills, Florida have been previously diagnosed with behavioral disorders including:

• Attention Difficulties
• Difficulty with Distractions in a Classroom Setting
• Being oppositional and defiant
• Mood disturbances
• Issues from adoption
• Sadness or Over Exuberance

Progression of a typical Teen Challenge resident from Zephyrhills, Florida:

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 student begins to feel some regret for the consequences of her prior actions. Essentially, she is sad 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 roller coaster that parents have been living with at home — pledges to change, periods of peace, that cycle back to repeat and crisis. Sorrow does not change individuals, repentance does.

Many times, adolescents 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, teens are not always entirely certain of the need for a different way of living. However, the parent is certain of the need for intervention, because their daughter is obviously headed for disaster 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 demonstrating a dangerous lifestyle.

We can be reached at (334)855-3695 or contact us using the online inquiry form to discover more. We enroll young women from Zephyrhills, Florida year-round.

Christian boarding school near Columbus, Georgia, a Teen Challenge program for adolescent girls in Zephyrhills, Florida and around the nation 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 Zephyrhills, Florida, but it accepts young women from Zephyrhills, Florida.