It’s normal for young people to want to stay in school, even when they’re experiencing mental health problems. Schools are not only a place for academic or vocational learning but also for friendships, socialising, and exploration. Schools are collective learning environments where adolescents develop emotionally, socially, and cognitively.
However, sometimes, typical school environments can’t offer young people the support they need. This can happen when girls develop eating disorders or when they have behavioural or conduct concerns. Schools can start to become a barrier to full recovery and healing when the pressures and expectations placed on young people offer little time for reflection and change.
While they’re attending school, young people can usually only access outpatient support, which may not be sufficient for their safety or recovery.
That’s when therapeutic boarding schools come into play. Therapeutic boarding schools offer young people the opportunity to continue their education while receiving a greater level of mental health support. They provide a safe and structured environment that combines professional psychological support with collective living, learning, and personal growth.
Therapeutic boarding schools can provide the level of care of an inpatient program embedded in other aspects of daily life.
What Are Therapeutic Boarding Schools?
Therapeutic boarding schools offer a combination of mental health support and education in a residential space. There are many types of therapeutic boarding schools tailored towards young people with different sets of experiences. They may be dedicated to specific mental health problems, ages, genders, and other characteristics.
Therapeutic boarding schools offer residential mental health support for young people alongside education, collective living, extracurricular activities, social events, and other experiences.
What Are the Benefits of Therapeutic Boarding Schools for Girls?
Therapeutic boarding schools offer a range of benefits for adolescent girls. We’ve outlined some of them below.
Diverse, Comprehensive, and Professional Mental Health Support
Therapeutic boarding schools can offer a level of care that goes beyond outpatient treatment programs. They may offer several hours of treatment sessions a day from a range of different mental health professionals across a diverse selection of modalities.
Therapeutic boarding schools should be staffed with different types of child and adolescent psychiatry specialists, creating individualised and evolving treatment programs according to each young person’s needs.
Girls with eating disorders at therapeutic boarding schools can also benefit from supported dining guided by nutritionists and other professionals. Meal times are often one of the most challenging moments for young people with eating disorders, but with the right support, they can become a manageable and even positive experience.
Continuing Education
When young people begin mental health treatment, their education mustn’t stop. They shouldn’t feel like they’re being left behind or missing out. Pausing education can also affect girls’ self-esteem, motivation, and sense of direction in life.
Therapeutic boarding schools enable girls to continue their education alongside treatment. This usually involves personal education programs where girls follow their current curriculum through online lessons or individual tutoring. It may also include additional vocational qualifications that teach new skills and inspire new passions.
Education is a broad term, and the best therapeutic boarding skills facilitate learning and development. Social projects and community work help young people learn social skills, develop a sense of community, and find their place in the world. Team activities help to build interpersonal skills, while cultural exchanges offer opportunities to explore different ways of living.
Forming Friendships
In therapeutic boarding schools, girls live and learn alongside others who share their experiences and recovery goals. Therapeutic boarding schools can provide a community that creates a sense of belonging and stability within young people. As girls share different aspects of daily life together, they develop close bonds of mutual support, friendship, and trust.
They’re also a place for young people to develop invaluable interpersonal skills that support their recovery journey and improve their interpersonal relationships in the long term. This can profoundly affect young people’s well-being, both at the time and in the future.
Discovery and Exploration
Therapeutic boarding schools offer opportunities for young people to discover new passions, learn life skills, and explore their identity. This might involve trying new hobbies, going on group outings, and meeting people from different places and cultures.
Therapeutic boarding schools may offer a range of creative outlets, sports, and places of adventure. Some experiences may challenge young people to confront and surpass fears and anxieties in a safe and supportive setting.
Risk and Safety
Sometimes, girls with mental health problems may require a high level of care. This often happens when eating disorders become more severe or when young people are at risk of self-harm or suicide attempts. In these circumstances, girls may need 24-hour monitoring and access to medical support and/or psychological support to stay safe.
Therapeutic boarding schools that cater for young people at the highest risk should provide specialist facilities with the necessary equipment for the most serious situations, including medical emergencies. They should also have medical professionals available 24-7 to give the required support.
Why Are Families in Mexico Choosing The Wave Clinic?
The Wave Clinic is a residential treatment and learning space in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, dedicated to young people’s mental health care. We combine exceptional clinical care with education, social responsibility, and an international gap year experience, supporting young people to discover their dreams – and develop the skills to follow them.
At our residential space, young people from around the world live together, supported by a diverse team of expert professionals. Today, many families from Mexico are choosing The Wave Clinic as a therapeutic boarding option for their children.
One of The Wave’s greatest strengths is the connections we build with families. We believe that families play a fundamental role in mental health treatment and recovery, constituting a key source of emotional support and a system that can reinforce positive behaviours while protecting against harmful ones.
We fully involve families in our treatment programs from day 1, developing personal bonds with family members. We invite families to our centre for family therapy sessions and continue to provide comprehensive support and guidance once young people have returned home.
Some other reasons why families choose The Wave include:
- Exceptional personal learning programs in partnership with Pearson’s online platform, prestigious UK schools, and university tutors based in the area
- Vocational qualifications
- Skills and knowledge sharing with local communities
- Internships and work experience
- Reintroduction meetings and facilitation for young people’s return to their previous school
- Enriching experiences, including outings and adventures in Malaysia’s breathtaking natural surroundings
- Creative projects, including art, music, and dance
- A kitchen garden where young people can grow ingredients for the meals they eat, creating positive emotional experiences surrounding food
- Unequalled expertise within a team of professionals specialised in child and adolescent psychiatry
- A diverse selection of treatment modalities based on the latest scientific research
- 24-hour medical monitoring and support for young people at the highest risk
- Trauma-focused programs that emphasise how past experiences shape young people’s emotions and behaviours today
Contact Us
If you’re interested in finding out more about our programs, get in touch today. We’re here to make a difference.
