4 minute read
The Charlton School
– SOREN KIERKEGAARD
Accepting the concept that hope is possible is a first step toward having it. For teens who have mental or emotional disabilities, hope is a critically important factor in the recovery process. It’s fueled by the notion that a teen with a mental or emotional disability wants to get better and believes he or she can. “The journey of recovery is an ongoing, personal process, which aims to allow a person to have a satisfying life despite the limitations posed by their condition. Several factors are important in permitting it, ranging from learning how to manage one’s condition, to improving self-esteem. However, the central tenet in recovery is hope.” 1
Our fourth family in this editorial series tells of a student who has been successful in navigating her way along the path of recovery to a bright future. She is presently attending the Ph.D. program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, majoring in Feminist Philosophy. She attended Charlton for her Junior and Senior year of high school. After that, she was home 6 months and then went on to Sienna College, where she graduated four years later with a triple major and minor, as well as a research certificate.
The student had a history of difficulties with separation anxiety and parting issues from an early age. She was very bright and had many friends. She graduated middle school as Valedictorian and attended a prestigious accelerated high school in NYC. Always an overachiever, her clinical symptoms worsened under the pressure. By October of freshman year, she was calling the suicide hotline for help. After seeing a therapist for a number of years for anxiety, the student was later labeled with depression, generalized anxiety disorder and suicide ideation. She was hospitalized, and then attended the Restart Program, followed by a roller coaster series of additional hospitalizations. She made a couple of serious attempts to take her own life, being saved by strangers who were on the scene.
The mother kept asking the doctors and therapists about residential treatment and was told to wait. She was advised to seek residential treatment as a “last resort” instead of seeing it as a middle-line choice for treatment. The mother described it as a “fight” to get her medical advisors to approve of a residential therapeutic facility. Instead, it was suggested to go the route of “lockdown” in the hospital because of her daughter’s “high risk” factor.
The mother struggled to gain support from school for her daughter. Faced with a disharmony between what she intuitively felt was right and what she was being advised to do, she didn’t know where to turn next. It was then that one of the Department of Education school-based support team administrators recommended the Charlton School. The mother researched the school and applied, and her daughter was accepted. “Charlton was our only hope at the time,” said the parent. “The Charlton School saved my daughter’s life.” The mother commented that her daughter was “complicated.” She had interrupted transcripts and yet her Regents scores were excellent. “At Charlton, they listened to her needs and accepted that she wasn’t a cookiecutter model,” the parent said. “At Charlton, they work together as a staff and team. They understand the complexity of meeting kids where they’re at!” the mother added. The parent talked about the Equestrian Program that Charlton offers and shared how her daughter bonded with the teachers in the school’s Art Program. The parent expressed that “If my daughter had gone earlier to a residential facility, she would be better today. It’s not right that our system sets our kids up to fail.” Regarding her journey, the mother said, “When you first start, you don’t know what’s next.” She continued, “The institutions won’t let you out until a plan is in place, but they won’t help you put it in place. As a mom, you have to be your child’s advocate, take care of other children in the family, and make a living. I was second guessing myself all the time. I didn’t know if my daughter would be alive, let alone graduate from college. Now, I don’t take anything for granted. I’m still on high alert and hyper-vigilant. I have hope she will continue the tremendous path she’s on.” This family is one of many who have journeyed through years of struggle toward recovery. Studies have shown that teens with mental and emotional disabilities who receive the treatment intervention and support they need can move on to have fulfilling futures. The cornerstone is hope… “…it is the catalyst for change, and the enabler of the other factors involved in recovery to take charge…hope offers the means by which a better future can be perceived; and therefore, achieved.” 2
The Charlton School is a therapeutic learning community offering the right treatment in the right environment for students who struggle with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or complex traumas. The Charlton School also sees students who exhibit school refusal, fragility, or withdrawal; students lacking in self-esteem, motivation, or social skills; or students who are struggling with relationship or identity issues. The Charlton School strives to create a safe and nurturing environment that fosters growth in their students and empowers them to succeed educationally and emotionally throughout their lives. For more information on The Charlton School, visit TheCharltonSchool.org.
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1 Archarya T, Agius M. The Importance of hope against other factors in the recovery of mental illness. Psychiatr Danub. 2017 Sep; 29 (Suppl3): 619-622. PMID 28953841 2 Archarya T, Agius M. The Importance of hope against other factors in the recovery of mental illness. Psychiatr Danub. 2017 Sep; 29 (Suppl3): 619-622. PMID 28953841
