Ten Troubled Teenager Warning Signs 1. Your teen refuses to abide by anything you say or request, and his or her resulting behaviors put your child or your family in danger or high risk leading to constant fear or stress in the home. 2. Your teen is displaying behavior that is a marked change from what has been normal (sleeping little or too long, forgetfulness, lack of motivation, aggression, depression, anxiety, grades slipping, hating what they once loved or loving what they once hated, always wanting to be with friends or away from home, or avoiding friends altogether and spending too much time alone). 3. Your teen has become increasingly disrespectful, dishonest, disobedient and openly displays rebellion, no longer veiling his or her feelings or caring about the consequences. 4. There is a blatant ignorance or profound rebellion toward the boundaries, Belief System or rules of the home. This can be shown in passive aggressiveness or open defiance that is unusually excessive for your child. 5. There are outright or veiled threats of suicide, or self-mutilation/cutting, excessive risk-taking, dangerous drug use or blatant sexual promiscuity--seemingly a loss of a conscience or moral compass. 6. Treatment by your teen of people, pets, or belongings is threatening or out of control. 7. Your teen thinks he or she is the center of your family and shows blatant disregard for the feelings of other family members, their time or their possessions. 8. Months of counseling is providing little or no positive progress for your teen. 9. Your teen refuses to do anything with the family and displays a growing hatred for the family. 10. You cannot keep your teen away from peers who are obviously leading a lifestyle counter to your beliefs and your child is buying into their destructive behavior and attitudes.                                                                SCORE: ________ If your child exhibits 5 or more of these signs, you may want to contact us.

There is nothing worse than living with a teen spinning out of control, and no worse feeling than the hopelessness parents experience in the process.  It is difficult to know what to do and how to react when your teen daily reaches new lows in disobedience, dishonesty, and disrespect, and chooses every wrong thing.

Your teen is caught in “The Spin Cycle,” and he or she needs you to intervene.  The downward spiral can have tremendous destructive potential with lifelong consequences, or even bring a young life to a quick end.  When teens spin out of control, they need a responsible adult to respond, not react, even if they do everything they can to keep you out of it. 

If you’re caught in that cycle with your teen, then act now.  Don’t wait and don’t ignore the evidence that your teen is spinning out of control.  Act today based on what you know is true - your faith, your own beliefs, and what you know is best for your child.  

Heartlight's therapeutic program can provide your child with the help and mentoring he or she needs, as well as defined boundaries and a continued education.  It will give time for the whole family to heal. Heartlight also provided the parents and family with seminars and weekend retreats, so it becomes a family effort to achieve success, not just the burden of your child. And the Heartlight staff help parents learn what to expect from their child as they move through the program, which sets minds and hearts at ease.  Everyone can then look past heated emotions to focus on healing.

You may need a program like Heartlight if you've been thinking...
"Our family cannot live like this any longer."
"I can't put a finger on it, but something is wrong with that kid."
"Everyone runs for cover when he comes home."
"I can't sit by and watch him destroy himself."
"We've got to do something before she goes too far."

TRANSPORT TIP:  Keep in mind that we can help you deal with getting your child to Heartlight.  We can also tell you how other parents in similar situations have accomplished this.  PLEASE CALL!

REFERENCES             REQUEST INFO PACKET 

How We Knew It Was Time to Enroll Our Child at Heartlight...

“We knew it was time because everything got crazy. We received the cell phone bill that listed daily phone calls from 1-3 am and her only response was 'so what?' She started running away and would sneak back in late at night. She was out of control....and we were helpless.”

“I knew it was time…when I looked into his big brown eyes and the spark that bad always been there was gone. All I saw was a look of hopelessness and darkness, a silent cry for help.”

‘‘Our entire family was being controlled by her behavior. My marriage was failing; my relationship with my older daughter was suffering. I wasn’t eating, sleeping, or able to perform well at work. I was beginning to withdraw from social settings as well and felt as if my family was failing apart. Every option I tried had failed.”

“I knew my child was spinning out of control when she stopped smiling and refused to get up and go to school.”

“Her attitude changed upon starting public school, after being in a private Christian school. She was arguing more; she was more defiant and began hanging out with a different group of kids.  I later found out they were experimenting with drugs and alcohol.”

“Our daughter just couldn’t get on the other side of her dad’s death.  Her depression was out of control. She wanted help more than I wanted it for her and begged us to find a place where she could get it.”

“It got just as physical as he was verbal!”

“My daughter was a sad little girl. She was meeting with a therapist and a variety of people - her youth minister, Sunday school teacher, school counselor, other school personnel, and family members - that were all taking extra time with her and poured their lives into her. Yet all of these interventions weren’t effective. One night she came right out and said, ‘I need help. I have no more desire to live now than I did before everyone started helping me. I just want to die and I don’t like feeling this way.'"

“We were calling the police several times a week. We never knew whom she was with, where she was, or when she was coming home. The police told us to do something now or things would only get worse.”

“She showed a continual disrespect towards Inc that was manifested in several ways. Nearly every sentence out of her mouth was a lie. I discovered she was having casual sex and she did not think that it was wrong or show any remorse.”

“We saw a drastic change in his friends. His attitude towards us completely changed almost overnight.”

“When my daughter looked me in the eye and said 'I’m going to do whatever I want and there isn’t a %$#@ thing you can do about it.'”

 “I knew something had to change because the dialogue between us was nothing more than her two word answers of %$#@ you.”

“When she started cutting herself and continued to skip school, even in the face of probation from the D.A.’s office.”

“Our son was arrested three times in three months for possession of marijuana, and he chose to go to juvenile detention center rather than come home under house arrest. He had violated the rules we had set in place and communicated, and he knew if he defied me again, he was going to have to leave. The situation was tough, but the decision was easy, since he made it for me.”

“When my son looked at my wife and said, '“If you don’t shut your mouth, I’ll shut it for you.'”

“We knew our son was not responding to our efforts to help him when he ran away from home for the second time and was brought home by the local police. Our efforts at changing schools and participating in family counseling for the previous four months weren’t helping, and our counselor recommended we find a different place for him to live.”

“When my daughter came into the bedroom late one night and said, 'Mom and Dad, I need help.'”

“Our son was out control: disrespectful to his parents, his sisters, his teachers, his step-parents.  He was abusive, verbally, and possibly, physically to his girlfriends. He left school when he was getting suspended.”

“She made no effort to cover up her poor choices, didn’t care about consequences, and thought everything revolved around her. After having enjoyed success at most anything I put my mind to, I felt like an utter failure for the first time.”

If any of these comments from parents sound familiar to you, or reflect your current situation, we would suggest that you strongly consider getting further help for your child.

The actions you take now may make all the difference in the life of your teen. Click here or call Melissa Nelson, our Admissions Coordinator, at 903.668.2173 ext. 32.  She’ll be happy to provide you an information packet and answer any questions you may have.