Are you afraid that your child’s transition back home might pose difficulties?
Dealing with problems such as drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, and other antisocial behaviors is never easy. To help their children overcome such challenges, parents often resort to specialized programs like wilderness therapy or rehab centers. But after spending several months in rehab or wilderness programs, teens might find it challenging to reintegrate into society.
This is where transitional living programs come into play. From helping homeless teens become active members of society to facilitating a smooth transition for troubled adolescents, these programs seem to deliver spectacular results. If you want your child’s transition back home to go smoothly, independent living programs are the ideal way to go.
What Are Transitional Living Programs?
For some adolescents going from rehab, wilderness therapy, or boarding school straight back into society might be an abrupt jump. Living a healthy and productive life implies a whole new set of skills. Although most of the earlier-mentioned programs involve building life skills (to some extent), their primary purpose is to help participants overcome a specific behavioral problem.
As the name suggests, transitional living programs aim to help children transition back into society. By offering a safe environment, these programs equip members with the skills they need to become healthy and productive adults.
When it comes to admission criteria, each program has its own somewhat strict set of rules. The reason behind this approach is to prevent unpleasant events that could threaten the health and safety of other members. Fortunately, there are a fair amount of transitional living centers so finding the right one for your child should be possible.
These programs typically end when participants prove they handle independence and responsibility without slipping back into their old habits. And since we’re talking about children and adolescents, one of the main goals is to keep them in school. That’s because proper education represents the foundation of a healthy, independent, and functional adult life. In other words, one of the critical aspects of your child’s transition back home is understanding the values of education.
Here’s How Transitional Living Programs Can Facilitate Your Child’s Transition Back Home
Cultivating Valuable Life Skills
Cultivating valuable life skills is the #1 goal of most transitional living programs. From taking care of household chores to learning negotiation and employability skills, children who participate in these programs develop responsibility. But another critical aspect of transitional living programs is education.
According to a recent study, supported transitional living can help children acquire developmental assets. Furthermore, these assets predict educational attainment, educational aspirations, and participation in education. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, ‘developmental assets’ refers to experiences, preventive measures, and skills that shape your child into a healthy and fully-adapted society.
Enjoying Meaningful Social Interactions
Another key aspect of transitional living programs is the community itself. Regardless of the problems they’ve been through, children learn to interact with each other in a healthy and meaningful way. They learn to value, respect, and support each other, despite their differences or opposing views on life.
By cultivating a sense of community, these programs help children understand the benefits of collaboration and social involvement. This collaborative approach gives your child the opportunity to become an active member of society, after his/her transition back home.
Learning Functional Coping Mechanisms
Many of the children and adolescents who benefit from transitional living have completed prior programs such as therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness therapy or rehab. Part of facilitating their transition back home is helping them develop functional coping mechanisms. That way, children learn to tackle life’s difficulties from a healthier perspective and avoid repeating the same mistakes.
With solid life skills and a different perspective on education, your child’s transition back home will be smooth and successful.
