There are two main types of camps directly for troubled teens:  boot camps and wilderness therapy camps.  Boot camps are the more traditional version.  Boot camps sometimes call themselves “challenge camps” rather than “boot camps” to make it sound a bit more appealing.  They aim to help troubled youth and teens develop self-confidence and understand how their choices affect others.  The camp is meant to be a wakeup call for teens that are developing a self-destructive lifestyle.  Boot camps generally include military type training activities like marching and obstacle courses.

Wilderness therapy camps are meant to be an alternative to boot camps.  While both types do aim to help troubled teens, they each go about it a completely different way.  In contrast to the demanding boot camp, wilderness therapy camps are meant to nurture teens.  They include the normal summer camp for troubled teens activities like hiking, canoeing, horse riding, and rope courses, as well as therapy sessions.  Individual and group therapy during camp is meant to help troubled teens develop self-esteem, face issues, and develop healthy relationships.  A usual camp day includes individual counseling and journal writing to encourage self-reflection and self-improvement.

While boot camps and wilderness therapy camps can be extremely beneficial to your teen, they can also be extremely expensive.  These residential camps can often run several thousand dollars per week.  If you’re looking to save money, an alternative may be a day camp.  There are some day camp versions of boot camps and therapy camps, but there may or may not be one in your area.  Some you may find might be more of a therapy or counseling program rather than an actual summer boot camp for troubled teens.  If a camp is what you are looking for, a residential camp may be your best option despite the high cost.

You can also check out Christian summer camps for troubled teens if you are interested. If you are Christian these summer boot camps for troubled teens might just be the way to go. It can’t hurt to at least check it out.

There are wilderness camps for teens that are normally held in the summertime.  This is a camp where your teen will spend an amount of time in the wilderness, and learn responsibility for their actions.  This is often a very eye opening experience for many teens, and they come home with a renewed appreciation for the people in their lives.

A boot camp is another option for a teen that is having behavioral issues, and you can find a summer program for this resource.  A boot camp is a much more structured environment, and this is a great option for any teen that is having repeated problems.  This will give a teen a much more disciplined environment, and this can change many behavioral problems.

If you are concerned that your teen is having a substance problem, many camps offer a program for this, and can help a teen overcome addiction.  Substance abuse can turn into a major problem if left untreated, and can have serious lifelong consequences.  If you treat drug problems as early as possible, you can prevent this from ruining a teen’s life and future.

When your teen completes treatment, you may want to have some type of secondary care in place to help ensure success.  A summer boot camp for troubled teens may not provide a long enough time frame to be completely successful on its own, and you will want to have a plan in place so you can help your teen continue success at home.

Some teens need counseling and this should be woven into the treatment in addition to a summer camp.  Counseling is often needed for a period of time that outlasts the summer camp and this will need to be continued at home.  Counseling will help your teen deal with any unresolved issues.

Summer camps for troubled teens can help your teen overcome behavioral and addiction problems.  If you take control of your teen’s behavior early, you will have a much better chance at success