Where do parents find the most appropriate school to fit their family needs? 

First, they must understand that not all schools are alike. 

The starting point is determining whether a school is accredited.  Accreditation is one of the most important concerns for parents who wish to provide trustworthy education for their child. 

A school accredited by the appropriate accrediting agency can grant credits that lead to seamless transitions into secondary and post secondary institutions.  However, a credit that is given by an unaccredited school can turn out to be a waste of time, talent, and treasure. Parents need to know the facts about accreditation before their child enrolls into a course with any school. 

What is accreditation? 

Each year, hundreds of public and private schools seek accreditation.  Accreditation is a voluntary method of quality assurance developed years ago by American universities and secondary schools.  The goal of accreditation is to evaluate, verify, and improve each school's quality.    

What are the benefits to students?

• Increased Performance:  Accreditation focuses a school on improving learning for all students.
• Transfer of Credits:  Accreditation eases the transition for students as they move from one accredited school to another.  This ease of transition applies across the nation due to reciprocal agreements between regional accrediting agencies.
• Access to Programs and Scholarships:  Accreditation benefits students as they participate in specific sports programs, apply for federal grants or scholarships, or pursue admission to colleges, technical schools, or military programs that require students to come from regionally accredited schools.

 What are the benefits to parents? 

Accreditation assures parents that the school is focused on raising student achievement, providing a safe and enriching learning environment, and maintaining an efficient and effective operation.

Who grants accreditation? 

The six regional accrediting commissions and the states in which they accredit schools and institutions of higher education are:

Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges: District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania

North Central Association: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia

Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges: Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington

Western Association of Schools and Colleges: California and Hawaii

What if my school is not accredited? 

If you choose a school that is not accredited, your child may find many secondary and post secondary institutions will not accept course credit or the high school diploma. 

It may be difficult to convince institutions to take the credits seriously, specifically in the core subject areas of Reading, English, Math, and History.

ABOUT BLUEPRINT EDUCATION

Blueprint Education is a non-profit organization that has been helping students succeed since 1969. Services offered by Blueprint Education include distance learning, curriculum design, and alternative education.

Blueprint Education's programs and courses meet the high quality standards of the NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, CITA, and the NCAA. 

For more information call 1.800.426.4952 or visit their website at www.blueprinteducation.org.   

Helping Your Children Navigate Their Teenage Years

Getting Help for Your Teen

Getting help for your teen is a major step in bringing them back from the edge of harm's way, and promoting a healthy future.

You should also know that sometimes when a child is having serious difficulties, it may be a sign that there are family issues that need to be addressed. When seeking help for your teen, consider whether the rest of the family could also benefit from coaching or counseling.

When There are Problems at School

When your teen is having difficulty at school, such as poor grades, behavior problems, or being bullied, it is important to reach out to school officials. They can provide support, and also may be able to give you additional information about what has been going on with your child. You can start with your child's teacher. When the school has a counselor, social worker, or school psychologist, you can contact this person. The school principal is also a good resource and may be able to pull together appropriate staff members to talk with you about your child.

When you have concerns about contacting school personnel, most school districts have designated a parent advocate or have a parent resource center to help parents navigate the school system. School personnel are oftentimes a good source of referrals for child rights advocates, educational consultants and mental health services.

When Your Teen Appears Depressed or Anxious

Depression is more than the blues; it is more than the normal, everyday ups and downs. When that "down" mood, combined with other symptoms, lasts for more than a couple of weeks, the condition may be clinical depression. This is a serious health problem that affects the total person. Anxiety disorders are illnesses that fill people's lives with overwhelming anxiety and fear that doesn't go away, and often gets worse. These disorders can change your teen's behavior by diminishing physical health and appearance, school performance, social activity, and the ability to handle everyday decisions and pressures.

When you think your child has an emotional problem (even if it is not serious enough to be called a mental illness) that requires more help than you can give, the sooner they get the needed help, the sooner they may feel better. Mental disorders are real illnesses, just like diabetes or other physical ailments. Having a mental illness does not mean a person is weak, or a failure, or is not attempting to engage in daily life activities. It means they need treatment. Untreated, mental disorders can result in damage to self-esteem, poor school performance, problems with relationships and even suicide.

Mental health treatment works; most people can be helped.

Treatment helps reduce the symptoms of the mental disorder, improve relationships, strengthen coping skills and promote behaviors that make a person's life better. Neither parent nor teen should be afraid of what people might say or think about seeking treatment. You should draw upon many available resources and may even be surprised by the support you receive from your friends and your teen's friends.

I want to get help for my teen.  How do I find someone good that I can trust?

In picking an educational consultant or mental health professional, it's important to identify a person who is experienced in working with youth and families, and highly respected in the community and by their peers. School administrators, counselors and teachers often know educational consultants or mental health providers with this expertise, and can usually make recommendations. Family doctors or your local mental health association can also point you in the right direction. Ask other parents as well-they are among the best referral sources.

Skilled educational consultants and mental health professionals understand that adolescents may be slow to embrace professional help, and perhaps were brought for help against their will.

These professionals will carefully build trust with your teen, important for an effective therapeutic relationship. They help young people understand that much of their conversation is kept confidential- and also spell out the limits of confidentiality.

Language and other cultural issues may exist as barriers to accessing quality educational consulting or mental health services. Parents should expect that educational consultants and mental health professionals are sensitive to cultural and ethnic differences, and can address issues affecting diverse populations.

There are so many different kinds of educational consultants.  What's the difference? How do I know what is right for my child?

Educational consultants, social workers, mental health counselors, psychiatric nurses, psychologists and psychiatrists, among others, all have different kinds of training and skills, and provide different types of services.

Your family physician or school guidance counselor can help you assess what type of professional help you need.

I know that residential treatment and wilderness therapy programs are going to be expensive.  How will I afford it?

Finding funding for specialized education can seem like an education in itself.

Clark Custom Educational Loans provides quick, affordable solutions to your financial concerns and an awareness of all that goes into placing a child into a Special Needs Program. You may have some mental health coverage in your health insurance plan.

If your ability to pay is limited, you should be able to access community-based services. Your state department of mental health or local community mental health center can direct you to these resources. City and county mental health services are often offered on a sliding-fee scale, based on your financial resources, and some health centers and mental health professionals in the community may also provide for a sliding scale fee to those who cannot afford the full fee.

What about help for substance abuse?

Parents are usually the first line of defense against substance abuse. Set a good example by not using illicit drugs, and if you drink alcohol, do so responsibly and only in moderation.

Know your family's history of alcohol and drug abuse and talk to your children about it.

If you have a drug problem (alcohol, prescription drug abuse, or illicit drugs), get help for yourself. Teach your child or teenager that it is okay to get help. Learn the signs of alcohol and other drug abuse and take action to help your children when they have a problem. Teachers, doctors, sports coaches, clergy members and others involved with youth have important roles to play in helping to recognize and get help for teens who are using alcohol or other drugs. To find the right help, you should start by getting information about substance abuse and mental health services in your community. Ask an Educational Consultant or your health care professional for a referral, or contact local hospitals, state and local substance abuse agencies, school counselors, or community mental health centers.

You can also contact national or local substance abuse treatment helplines, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

General Tips When Getting Help for Your Teen and Your Family

Here are general tips on getting help for you and your teen:

• Be patient. Understand that experienced Educational Consultants take their time with a family.  Parents should ask Educational Consultants to keep them informed on what to expect and to discuss progress as it is made. Educational Consultants also can help parents understand what to look for in terms of changes and approximately when these changes might occur. When your child is prescribed medication by a physician, be informed about the side effects and possible adverse reactions, and understand that medications may take several weeks to several months to work.
• Be your child's advocate. Whether you have private health coverage or you rely on an Educational Consultant or public programs, find out what services are covered and for how long. Let your Educational Consultant, health care professional, insurance company, social worker, case manager and anyone else involved in your child's treatment, know what you think your child and family need. Make sure you are involved in decisions about your child's treatment.
• Evaluate your Educational Consultant as you would any other professional you work with: You should feel good about the person, and you should also get results.
• Get the whole family involved. Family stress and turmoil contribute to the problems of teenagers. Teens' problems add to family stress. The whole family must work together to solve those problems and heal. Ideally, the entire family should participate in coaching or counseling. The first priority, however, is to ensure that your teen gets the help they immediately need.
• Monitor progress. When you are unhappy with progress, talk it over with the Educational Consultant. Sometimes parents are impatient and expect immediate results. Educational Consultants should explain the timetable and perhaps point out progress that may not be so obvious. If progress is not being made, parents should ask how the current approach might be modified. If the modified approaches don't work, parents should consider getting a second opinion or transferring to another professional. This is your child's life, a family future, as well as your emotional and financial investment. 
  

Conclusion

Parents matter when it comes to helping their children successfully navigate the teenage years to ensure a safe and healthy passage from childhood into adulthood.

Being knowledgeable and keeping communication open, recognizing warning signs of problems and seeking help when you think it's needed, are important contributions that support your teen's development.

Horizon Family Solutions believes that the choices you make regarding your adolescent's or young adult's education and life steps are among the most important decisions a family makes.

Troubled Teen Check List

New Horizons Youth Ranch

4200 West Kootenai Rd
Rexford, MT 59930

Phone:1-406-889-5995

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), usually begins in adolescence or young adulthood and is seen in as many as 1 in 200 children and adolescents. OCD is characterized by recurrent intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning. Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are unwanted and cause marked anxiety or distress.

Frequently, they are unrealistic or irrational. They are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems or preoccupations. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or rituals (like hand washing, hoarding, keeping things in order, checking something over and over) or mental acts (like counting, repeating words silently, avoiding).

In OCD, the obsessions or compulsions cause significant anxiety or distress, or they interfere with the child's normal routine, academic functioning, social activities, or relationships. The obsessive thoughts may vary with the age of the child and may change over time. A younger child with OCD may have persistent thoughts that harm will occur to himself or a family member, for example an intruder entering an unlocked door or window. The child may compulsively check all the doors and windows of his home after his parents are asleep in an attempt to relieve anxiety.The child may then fear that he may have accidentally unlocked a door or window while last checking and locking, and then must compulsively check over and over again. An older child or a teenager with OCD may fear that he will become ill with germs, AIDS, or contaminated food.

To cope with his/her feelings, a child may develop "rituals" (a behavior or activity that gets repeated).

Sometimes the obsession and compulsion are linked; "I fear this bad thing will happen if I stop checking or hand washing, so I can't stop even if it doesn't make any sense."

Research shows that OCD is a brain disorder and tends to run in families, although this doesn't mean the child will definitely develop symptoms if a parent has the disorder. Recent studies have also shown that OCD may develop or worsen after a streptococcal bacterial  infection. A child may also develop OCD with no previous family history. Children and adolescents often feel shame and embarrassment about their OCD. Many fear it means they're crazy and are hesitant to talk about their thoughts and behaviors.

Good communication between parents and children can increase understanding of the problem and help the parents appropriately support their child. Most children with OCD can be treated effectively with a combination of psychotherapy (especially cognitive and behavioral techniques) and certain medications for example, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's).

Family support and education are also central to the success of treatment. Antibiotic therapy may be useful in cases where OCD is linked to streptococcal infection.

Seeking help from a child and adolescent psychiatrist is important both to better understand the complex issues created by OCD as well as to get help.