When a young person experiences mental health problems, many parents are unsure where they can find the most effective support. Parents often think that young people can access the mental health care they need at a traditional boarding school, especially renowned Swiss boarding schools. However, behavioural and mental health problems are rarely fixed in a boarding school environment, leading to increased parental concern, anxiety, and feelings of failure.
Instead, young people who have difficulties with friendships, self-harm, drug or alcohol use or behavioural disorders often require a higher level of support. Therapeutic boarding schools and residential treatment spaces provide comprehensive professional mental health care alongside education. In these spaces, mental health recovery is a priority, and each structure and environment is carefully constructed to support young people’s mental health needs.
When Can Boarding School Environments Make Mental Health Symptoms Worse?
Today, many boarding schools are aware of the importance of mental health. They may provide counselling, therapy, pastoral support, and other forms of mental health care. For some young people, this support may be adequate to get well and stay well.
However, boarding schools are often not best equipped to support young people with higher mental health needs. Some young people may require medical support or a level of monitoring and care that is hard for schools to provide.
Boarding school environments can also reinforce certain harmful thinking and behavioural patterns, acting as a barrier to recovery. It can be hard for young people to escape the pressure and competition surrounding assignments, school grades, and exams. The usual focus on high achievement can offer little time for reflection, growth, and change.
At the same time, academic and social expectations can reinforce perfectionist traits that often underpin eating disorders, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
Boarding schools may also lack sufficient social support for young people who have difficulties making friends. In an unsupported social setting, this can lead to social exclusion and feelings of being left out. This can harm young people’s self-esteem and make mental health symptoms worse.
Finally, boarding schools may lack the capacity to deal with certain mental health symptoms. On the one hand, they may not have the medical facilities and medical and psychological monitoring required to keep young people safe, such as those who self-harm, use drugs or alcohol, or have eating disorders. Similarly, they may not be equipped to work with young people with some behavioural disorders. This can lead to a young person’s exclusion from school, harming their self-esteem and leading to increased parental concern.
Looking Past Stigma and Misconceptions
Sometimes, parents avoid choosing residential treatment because of misconceptions about the values and practice of such programs. Parents may equate residential treatment with hospitalisation or a kind of mental health ‘facility’. They may think that residential environments are strict and lack compassion, care, and creativity.
However, these ideas are outdated and usually far from the present reality. Residential treatment spaces and therapeutic boarding schools shouldn’t be uncomfortable, punitive, or take anything away from young people. Instead, they create new experiences, encourage growth, nurture creativity, and teach life skills.
Choosing a School or Treatment Space: What Should Parents Know?
When a young person has additional mental health needs, choosing the most suitable kind of treatment can feel like a big decision. Parents may feel anxious, confused, or overwhelmed by all the different options.
It’s important for parents to tell the full story when they’re speaking to a school or residential treatment space about potential admissions. A school or program can then make an accurate evaluation of whether they will be able to effectively support a young person and, more generally, whether the space is right for them. If a parent is scared to tell the full story, it may be a sign that a traditional boarding school cannot meet their needs.
It’s also worth noting that high prices do not mean high levels of mental health or additional needs care. Parents should be careful to understand exactly what kind of support a school can offer and how the school approaches mental health more generally. It’s usually helpful to speak with a mental health professional (especially any professional who is already working with a young person) for guidance and advice.
Our Residential Treatment Space: Combining Education and Specialist Mental Health Support
The Wave Clinic is a residential treatment space just outside of Kuala Lumpur city centre. We combine exceptional clinical care with tailored curriculums, remote learning, and online school options, supporting young people to continue their education as they receive mental health support.
Our Educational Program
We understand how important it is for young people to continue their education as they recover from mental illness. We work with each young person in their educational position to continue with their curriculum and find new pathways. We collaborate with secondary and higher education partners, supporting young people to gain GCSEs, A-levels, IBs, foundation degrees, and other qualifications.
Our curriculum learning is facilitated by Pearson, an online education provider, in collaboration with prestigious UK schools. We also provide one-to-one in-person tutoring with tutors and lecturers who are based in the region, many of whom work with global centres of UK and US universities.
Alongside academic learning, we support young people to gain a variety of vocational qualifications, including equine studies, trauma release exercises (TRE®), and yoga teacher training.
Exceptional Clinical Care
The Wave Clinic is a treatment and learning space dedicated to mental health recovery. Our team includes experts from around the world who are specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry. We offer a diverse selection of the most up-to-date evidence-based modalities.
Our treatment space caters to young people at all levels of need. For those who need the most support, our Indigo room provides 24-hour medical monitoring, equipment and facilities, ensuring young people are safe at all times. Other adolescents and young adults live collectively in our main house, supported by psychologists, counsellors, social workers, and other mental health professionals.
Global Citizenship and Personal Growth
Education is about more than learning facts or even practical skills. It’s also a process of personal growth: developing emotional and social skills and shaping one’s identity.
Our programs support young people to explore new life paths, live unforgettable experiences, and form life-long friendships with others around them. By sharing experiences and creating memories, young people can grow in self-confidence, develop life skills, and find their place in the world.
One important element of treatment is global citizenship. This includes working with local communities, learning from people of different cultures, and volunteering or completing internships with NGOs and other projects.
We also organise outdoor adventures in Malaysia’s sublime nature, team-building activities, and creative practices.
Contact Us Today
At the Wave Clinic, we’re proud to be a little bit different. We focus on building life advantage and giving young people the skills they need to pursue their goals and realise their potential.
With our support, young people learn to overcome internal and external challenges, grow in self-esteem, and believe they can succeed.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our programs, get in touch today.
