The iconic American poet Maya Angelou once wrote, “You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it’s all right.” This embodies a little bit of what it means to leave and come back from mental health recovery. Going away to treatment can feel like one of the most frightening things a person and their family will ever have to do. It can also feel scary for one’s daughter to return home after experiencing such a big transformation during treatment.
However, the good news is that while it may be scary at first, both leaving for recovery and coming home from recovery can be one of the best things to ever happen in a young person’s life.
The Need for Mental Health Recovery
We understand it can feel frightening to think about a child going away to recovery. However, we also understand that for many young people, this is their best chance to find a healthy life trajectory. When those feelings of uncertainty arise, it is important to remember that momentary discomfort is worth long-term recovery.
One of the most important aspects of mental health recovery is recognizing that there is a problem. Individuals who are struggling with their mental health often try to keep their struggles hidden for fear of judgment and disappointment. This is especially true for adolescents.
The following are just a few of the more common warning signs that a child or teenager is struggling with their mental health. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), these are some, but not all, of the warning signs of mental illness in adolescents:
- Feeling excessive fear or worry
- Having trouble concentrating and learning at school
- Looking noticeably depressed or anxious
- Showing extreme mood changes
- Withdrawing from friends and family
- Having trouble relating to others
- Struggling to communicate with others
- Experiencing changes in sleep patterns, such as sleeping too little or sleeping too much
- Having a loss of appetite
- Choosing poor life choices to cope with everyday stressors
- Expressing thoughts of suicide or self-harm
The Importance of Mental Health Recovery
If any or several of the previously mentioned “red flags” of mental illness appear, it is highly recommended that a person seeks professional mental health and/or recovery center services as soon as possible. While sending a child away for treatment may feel overwhelming, it is much better than seeing the negative issues of mental illness progress.
It may be hard to realize at the moment, but sending a child away to recovery in the short term can ensure their long-term success. However, that does not mean that we don’t understand the hesitancy that many parents feel about their child receiving mental health care away from home. After all, many of us here at Clearview are parents as well.
Integrating Back Into Life After Recovery
The thing to remember about someone who returns from like Clearview Horizon Girls Academy is that they are not the same as when they left. What we mean by that is that when a student leaves our recovery center, they are a healthier, more confident version of themselves.
We utilize an individualized recovery plan to ensure that our students don’t merely recover from their symptoms of mental illness, but that they have the tools to continue to grow after they leave. Long-term recovery is our goal, not just short-term improvements. At Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, we utilize a three-tiered approach that aims to address all of the issues our students face so they can comfortably integrate back into their lives after recovery.
We focus on academic achievement so that our students don’t fall behind their classmates. When students come to us in academic decline, we can actually correct that. Furthermore, we can often offer the chance to accomplish two years of academic credits in just one. We also focus on “behavioral reconciliation” to help our students restore their values and better control their reactions. Lastly, we focus on spiritual growth. We believe that adopting a spiritual life is one of the best ways to ensure that our students feel empowered, wherever they may end up in their life’s journey.
The Mission of Long-Term Recovery at Clearview
Another iconic American author, John Steinbeck, once said, “You can’t go home again because home has ceased to exist except in the mothballs of memory.” That also embodies what we try to impart to our students. They should never worry about what has happened in their past. Rather, they should focus on the hard work they have done and the bright future they have created for themselves.
At Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, our goal is to light our students’ path to recovery. That light will help guide these girls home as well. Additionally, this light will illuminate the beautiful person that they were always meant to be.
One of the scarier aspects of going away to treatment (especially for adolescents) is the worry about what it will feel or look like when they return home. They may fear relapsing, losing friends, and not being accepted back into their “community.” A community can mean friend groups, church groups, academic groups, and also broader community groups, all of which can be important in a young woman’s life. At Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, we make sure to instill the coping skills and life skills that our students can use to become leaders in their communities. For more information on how to healthily and successfully ease back into the community after treatment, reach out to Clearview Horizon today at 866-584-4788.
