The Best Teen Conduct Disorder Treatment Center in Valdosta, GA

Understanding the Treatment for Teens with Conduct Disorder Disorder

Conduct disorder is defined by a set of behavioral and emotional difficulties in adolescents and teens which cause significant interruptions to normal, healthy functioning. A teen who has been diagnosed with conduct disorder will have problems following rules at home and at school, will exhibit behaviors that are socially unacceptable, and will often have difficulty in the learning environment. These teens will have trouble forming healthy social relationships with their peers, and will typically have strained relationships within the family. While the precise cause of conduct disorder is not known, there are a few factors that have been shown to increase the likelihood that a teen will develop the condition, including brain damage, child abuse and neglect, genetic factors, academic failure, and traumatic life experiences.

Teens with conduct disorder may exhibit some of the following behaviors: aggression towards people and/or animals, destruction of property, deceitful tactics such as lying or stealing, and major rule violations beyond those sometimes displayed by a typical teen. Without the proper professional help, a teen with conduct disorder will likely encounter issues with law enforcement, and may face removal from his or her school or home.

Fortunately, we, at Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital, are available to provide the personalized services and supports that have been proven to help teens overcome symptoms of conduct disorder, and get back to living their lives to the fullest.

Helping Your Teen Get Treatment

If a teen you care about has been showing signs of conduct disorder, you may feel uncertain as to what to do to help him or her. A challenging emotional and behavioral condition, conduct disorder makes it difficult to connect with the affected person, and you may be unsure how to get your teen into the treatment he or she needs. If you are looking to take those first steps in helping a teen in your life access care, consider the following:

• Learn all you can about conduct disorder and the way it impacts teens. By better understanding the condition, you will be better able to separate the person from the behaviors that can be so frustrating to face.
• Begin delving into options for treatment in your community, and focus on programs that offer specific interventions for conduct disorder which are tailored to teens and adolescents.
• Expect resistance, but lead with compassion. In asking a teen who has a conduct disorder diagnosis to leave his or her home and enter treatment, you should prepare to encounter some challenges.
• Be steadfast in your commitment to helping your teen access care, always ensuring him or her that you care deeply about him or her.

Lastly, be sure to practice good self-care during this trying time. The more you focus on your own health and well-being, the more ready you will be to offer support to the teen in your life who is being challenged by conduct disorder.

Why Consider Treatment at Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital in Valdosta, GA

The negative impact of conduct disorder is far-reaching, and without proper professional treatment, an affected teen will face a host of challenges that will make it nearly impossible to function in a healthy manner. Conduct disorder is a progressive illness that will not fade away on its own. Therefore, it is imperative that teens affected by this condition receive appropriate care as soon as possible. Sadly, young people who do not access treatment for conduct disorder will likely face legal challenges, possible incarceration, and an inability to function in both personal and professional realms. Often, individuals who do not address symptoms of conduct disorder in a comprehensive manner turn to dangerous attempts at self-medication in order to ameliorate the distress they are experiencing as a result of their condition. What results is typically a substance use disorder that only exacerbates a person’s mental health conditions. To help a teen you care about avoid this perilous scenario, begin seeking options for care for him or her as soon as possible.

Treatment Options for Teens Offered at Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital

Located in Valdosta, Georgia, Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital is a pioneering provider of world class mental health and substance abuse treatment for individuals of all ages. Since treating its first client, this 113-bed center has offered a supportive and caring environment in which teens, men, and women can come to heal and grow into healthier and more productive beings.

At Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital, we understand how difficult adolescence can be when a mental health condition is present. For this reason, we are proud to offer acute inpatient programming for teens between the ages of 12 and 17. When engaged in this invaluable program, young people benefit from compassionate support from our staff and time-tested therapeutic interventions that are proven to help teens successfully manage mental health and substance use concerns. Additionally, each teen is afforded with highly personalized care in the form of individualized treatment planning that takes into account each young person’s needs and goals for treatment.

Once the streamlined admissions process is complete, our staff will determine the methods of care that can best address the treatment requirements of the youth. Once done, the teens treated at Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital will then experience a blend of the following effective interventions:

Medication management services: Teens who come to Greenleaf for the treatment of conduct disorder may require pharmaceutical intervention in order to stabilize and more effectively manage their symptoms. When this is the case, our expertly trained psychiatrists will work closely with each teen and their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) so that it can be conclusively determined if medication is necessary. These same staff members, along with the other mental health professionals at Greenleaf, are able to monitor the administration and effectiveness of any medication prescribed so that each young person who receives this type of care will experience the most favorable treatment outcomes.

Detoxification services: For some teens, substance use concerns are present at the same time as conduct disorder. Because of this fact, we are pleased to offer detoxification services so that harmful substances of abuse can be cleared from teens’ bodies in order for them to progress in their healing processes. Detoxification is a closely monitored service, as the health and wellbeing of the adolescents we treat are our top priority.  

Individual therapy: Since each teen we treat is a unique person, with varying strengths, needs, and treatment initiatives, we purposefully include individual therapy in the care available to young people needing treatment for conduct disorder. During individual therapy sessions, teens will be able to meet with a member of our staff so that they can talk about concerns that they may not feel comfortable discussing in a group setting, process their past experiences and how they are doing in treatment, and work to establish goals for the present and future. These sessions are scheduled on an as-needed basis and can be monumentally helpful for the young people entrusted into our care, as they enable teens to receive the individual attention they deserve.

Group therapy: A great deal can be gained when one is able to receive encouragement and support from others who are grappling with similar concerns. At Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital, the treatment we offer teens includes daily group therapy sessions so that each young person is able experience peer support, practice coping skills, and process through their feelings and emotions with other teens who may have experienced similar struggles. When a youth comes to us battling conduct disorder, these sessions can be integral in helping him or her develop the confidence needed to heal and become well again. Among the topics covered in group therapy sessions, the following are those that are commonly featured:

• Addictive behaviors and triggers
• Effectively expressing emotions
• Life skills
• Stress management
• Anger management
• Communication skills

Experiential therapy: At Greenleaf, we recognize the importance of remaining active and creative beings while working towards healing from conduct disorder. Given this fact, we are proud to offer recreational and creative opportunities to the teens we treat so that they can experience healing on all levels. Depending on each teen’s needs, we facilitate physical fitness activities and creative art projects that are supervised by the dedicated staff who are providing treatment at our hospital.

Family therapy: We have found that the young people we treat tend to thrive and experience more favorable treatment outcomes when they have positive support from the individuals who are closest to them. For this reason, our adolescent programming includes family therapy sessions with a member of our compassionate staff. As a teen learns to manage the symptoms of conduct disorder, he or she also learns to rely on the support of loved ones, and family members are given the support and guidance for how they can best help the young person once he or she returns home. Family therapy sessions are also designed to help mend the emotional wounds of the past so that the family unit can move forward as a united front.

Family education: For the parents and legal guardians of teens struggling with conduct disorder, it may be confusing to know what exactly to do to help someone grappling with this type of mental health concern. For this reason, we offer parents and legal guardians support and guidance in the form of education while their children are in our care. During family education opportunities, our staff will do the following:

• Provide them with the resources needed to help their children thrive long after leaving Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital
• Inform those closest to our clients on how to best support their child during and after treatment is complete
• Explain the effects of mental illness on their children’s emotions and behaviour

Discharge planning: At Greenleaf, we strive to improve the lives of all we treat and arm them with the confidence and skills needed to be healthier. Each teen who is treated for conduct disorder benefits from the aforementioned methods of care, and is also afforded with a thorough discharge plan so that they can continue to be successful in managing their conduct disorder symptoms. Discharge planning at Greenleaf is an ongoing process that aims to address each teen’s barriers to wellness, and attempts to put resources in place so as to ensure that a life of improved mental health is achieved.

Continuing Care and Aftercare Planning

Once a teen has successfully completed our acute inpatient program, he or she may be recommended to participate in a lower level of care so that his or her healing journey can continue. Depending on the recommendations set forth in the youth’s discharge plan, Greenleaf Behavioral Health Hospital offers both a partial hospitalization program (PHP) and intensive outpatient program (IOP). These two outpatient treatment options are designed to help teens working to manage the symptoms of conduct disorder slowly transition back into their communities by providing them with the additional services needed to become well again.