The band started playing “Pomp and Circumstance” as the graduating class of 2010 processed into the gym. Coming to see the graduation of some of the students I had worked with on college applications was the culmination of a busy week in which I had blogged, posted, emailed, and spoken to parents about the transition to college, especially for Third Culture Kids. I had listened to, advised, and consoled parents about how to get through graduation without tears and embrace the changes their children were about to experience. So then, as the students entered the gym, why did I get a lump in my throat and feel tears stinging my own eyes? I did not expect to get emotional – after all, I wasn’t the parent this time and I was the one who had been doing the consoling!

As I sat there through the graduation ceremony, I thought about that long and hard. What was wrong with me? Why was I getting emotional about this? And the answer came to me – because as the one who helped to guide and advise these students, as well as my other students in other parts of the world, these kids and their families had become very dear to me as we experienced the journey together.

The role of the educational consultant, or independent counselor, is not just that of someone who helps kids decide on schools and gets the applications done. No, it’s much, much more than that. It’s about relationships.

With each one of my students, we had spent hours and hours talking about their personalities, interests, hopes, and dreams. Together with their parents, we took our time fine tuning “the list” until we had a list of schools that would be appropriate for them and their uniqueness. We had brainstormed ideas about essays, and in doing so, had had wonderful and candid conversations about who they were, who their friends were, what stirred their souls, and how they were going to tell their story. I knew when each one of them had hit the “send” button on their applications, and heard from them one by one as the acceptances and denials came. And I helped them think through their values and how they would make their final decisions. For each of these kids, I have loads of emails and online chats saved, most of which start with “Hey Becky!”

But even that was not all that we experienced together. Each student and family has a special story to tell….and throughout the year, the story keeps unfolding. We talked about their schedules, how to approach the SATs, how to deal a difficult class, stress, a less-than-hoped-for grade or grades, wait lists, denials, and setbacks. My students faced crises throughout the year as well – serious illness, deaths in the family, the loss of fellow students, and uncertainty regarding their own family circumstances. Parents confided their own hopes, dreams, fears, and worries with me, too, and I answered countless questions that they had. We were in this together.

So it’s no wonder that seeing students graduate was also an emotional moment for me. It wasn’t just seeing the students I had worked with make it to the finish line with their college acceptances in hand. I was also thinking of the students whose graduations I would not get to see in person, and knowing the stories of the families who stood behind their kids. Most of all, I was struck with how much love and support these kids had been fortunate to receive. And how lucky I was personally that I got to play a role in shaping their futures. These new graduates are my kids, too, and therefore, my own tears are those of pride and joy.

by Rebecca Grappo, founder, RNG International Educational Consultants, LLC

The countdown to graduation has started! Students now know where they will be attending college, and they are busy saying goodbye to friends and hopefully, looking forward to new beginnings. Many of them have heard over and over that going to college is going to represent the “best four years” of their lives. So the expectations are high that this is indeed true! It’s a bittersweet, emotional time for everyone – parents included.

Now let’s add to the mix the experience of being a Third Culture Kid. Kids who have grown up overseas may be returning to the country of their passport to go to university. Or perhaps they are going to yet another new country, this time on their own as an international student. Yet another scenario is the TCK who will remain behind in the country of their passport to study while their parents go overseas again. No matter what the situation, major life transitions are in store for them.

I have done many presentations to students and parents at various international schools on the topic of transition to college, and have written several articles about the topic as well. It is very important to raise awareness about the complexities of transitioning to college for any student, but especially the TCK. They not only have to adjust to life as a college/university student, but also as one who may not always feel perfectly at home or comfortable on campus because of their TCK characteristics. Sadly, too few of them even know what that means. Therefore, I’d like to highlight some resources here that may help you and your family navigate the challenges of adjusting to university life for the Third Culture Kid/Global Nomad.

The Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition by Tina Quick is a new book completely devoted to this topic. I blogged about attending her presentation at the Families in Global Transition conference back in March. I have had a preview of the book, which will be released by mid-June.  (I’ll be sure to alert you when has been!) It is chock-full of invaluable information, and as I wrote in my review for the book itself, it should be put in the hands of every TCK going off to university.

Maureen Tillman, a psychotherapist in New Jersey, has a practice devoted to helping students transition to college as well as helping students who do not succeed get back on their feet again. She just did a radio interview about the transitions to college which you can listen to on iTunes. (The first few minutes are chatter, but the interview will follow, I promise!)  She also blogs for the New York Times, and has a practice called “College with Confidence”.
Then for TCKs returning to the U.S. (though I’m sure any TCK would be welcome!), there are summer transition sessions for high school and college age TCKs run by Interaction International.

For information about sending your child to college from overseas, check out my article  that was published in the AFSA Foreign Service Journal (June 2008) called Flying Solo – Going to College from Overseas: A Guide for Parents.

For practical tips on adjusting to college from other TCKs, read TCKs and College/University: From Overseas to Undergrad that was featured on the expatwomen.com website. I especially enjoyed writing that article, as many of the TCKs interviewed were former students of mine from my years of teaching overseas.

I also have information about  transition to college from a parent perspective gathered on my website. From the College Resources page, scroll down to “Parent Resources”.

Lastly, though there are hundreds of issues that kids and parents need to be aware of, I have found that many students do not have much experience handling their personal finances when they go to college, nor do they really understand basic credit instruments. Here is a resource for students that will give them the basics about credit education.

Hopefully, your children will transition smoothly! If not, know that there are many resources as well as caring, knowledgeable, and experienced professionals out there who can help.

And if you start to get too weepy about your child leaving home, just remember. This is exactly where you wanted them to be at this stage of their lives. They’re going off to college most likely because you’ve also been successful as a parent. So rejoice that you have the opportunity to see them launched!

For more information about college planning services, or presentations on TCKs or college-related topics, please contact me.

Few letters strung together like “SAT” or “ACT” can conjure up as much fear, anxiety, and dread in a student as these! Students hear the hype about college admissions and think that their very future depends on their SAT or ACT score. In some ways, they are right – but in other ways they are very wrong.

When applying to highly or very selective colleges, the SAT or ACT score is one of several critically important factors in the admissions process. If this is the goal, then yes, every point might count. Yet many other highly selective colleges and universities have gone “test optional” and no longer require standardized testing at all. Still other less selective colleges and universities do not require scores that reach the stratosphere, and will look at a student for his/her potential and motivation to learn more than they look at the test score. The standardized test score is just one component of what colleges are looking for.

So when it comes to SAT/ACT preparation, is it worth the time and money? It depends. The Times Union in Albany , New York, had an article this morning about the effective of test prep. In it, they quote the College Board, creator of the SAT, as saying that test preparation will not dramatically raise scores, and the Princeton Review has been pressured by the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus to drop the claim that their “Ultimate Classroom” SAT prep class will be able to raise scores by 255 points.

What is a student and parent supposed to think with this kind of information? Does this mean it’s just not worth the time and money to even try to prepare? I personally think that yes, a student should prepare for these standardized tests, and that they should take them, even if they apply to a school that is test optional. They can decide later whether or not to submit the scores. “Better to have it than not” is my motto. But I also think that students and parents need to be reasonable about their expectations (expect improvement but don’t expect miracles), and be wise and strategic in how the student prepares.

I have a variety of SAT and ACT preparation materials on my website under resources – college. Some resources listed are free, and others are fee-based. My advice to students is first of all, know yourself. Are you motivated and disciplined enough that you can study by yourself? If so, there is plenty of free help out there. Do you work well in a group that is led by an instructor with an approach that fits the average student taking the class? Then take a class. But perhaps the most effective method to prepare is to know how you learn, what you need to improve in order to perform better, and how to attack the standardized test strategically. If the family can afford it, I highly recommend private instruction with well-trained and professional SAT/ACT tutors. A true professional really understand the test, how it works, how to strategize to take it, will administer a diagnostic test to assess the student’s strengths and weaknesses, and then customizes instruction to meet the student’s individual needs.

As with everything else in life and college applications, be reasonable. Everything is best in moderation. I advise the students I work with to make a plan, do their best, be informed, but to not let the SAT or ACT rule their life. It does not define who the student is. Instead of investing too much time in test preparation, students should be finding their passions, doing their best in academics, and contributing to their school communities in other positive and meaningful ways. That’s how they will really get the desired college’s attention!

For more information about personalized college counseling, contact us.

Anne O’Connell, journalist extraordinaire, recently interviewed me on background for an article she was writing about using personality tests for career planning. Obviously the entire interview could not be used for the article, so I thought I’d share with you the transcript of that interview instead.

Anne: How effective are personality tests in providing guidance on career options?

Rebecca: Certain careers lend themselves to certain personality types better than others. Therefore, personality tests can be an important tool in providing career guidance by pointing out one’s innate strengths. People are happier in their careers when they feel fulfilled, and that often means they know how to make their personality work for them.

A: What tools have you used and why?

R: When I work with adolescents, I use a personality test based on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) that has been developed for use with teens exploring their futures. After the personality test segment, it then asks students questions about possible career interests, then provides suggestions for the students about what career paths they might want to pursue that would be take advantage of their personality strengths. The theory behind it is that our basic personalities do not change over time, even though our interests and skills might.  I also use variations of personality tests based on the the work of John Holland which also illuminate one’s innate personality traits. When I have the time to work with a student in more depth, I like to administer several tests so that we can compare the results. And of course, at every stage, I always ask the student to comment on the accuracy of the profiles. They love learning more about themselves, and they almost always say the tests are very accurate!

A: What are the best circumstances in which to administer personality tests?

R: I like to work with a student in a relaxed setting so that they are not stressed or rushed.  Ideally, they should be administered between the ages of 15 and 17 when we begin to start talking about plans after secondary school. Young people need to know what’s out there so that they have time to lay the foundation while they are still in school. Together we identify the careers that interest them the most, and what will they have to do to prepare for those careers. This also serves as a motivational tool so that they understand the relationship between today’s choices and tomorrow’s opportunities.

A: How do you interpret results of personality tests and apply them to realistic career goals and strategies?

R: Let me give you an example. I have many students tell me they want to study “business”. Then I ask them, what angle of business interests you the most, i.e. finance, accounting, marketing, logistical planning, management, etc? I usually get a surprised look from the student, for they have never thought about the different opportunities within business before. That’s when we take a closer look at their innate personality and how they can use it to their advantage.

A: Can you give an example of a personality type and the career best suited to that person?

R: There are thousands of examples I could give! However, let’s take one that is very easy to understand. If I were working with a young person who wanted to be a television host, I would encourage someone to do that if they had great interpersonal and communications skills that made it easy for them to meet new people. But if their personality was such that meeting new people was painful, I might suggest that they pursue a different angle, such as working on the writing or production side of the show. There they might use their personality strengths to better advantage.

A: In all your years working with students are there any other insights you’d like to share?

R: When doing career exploration, it’s also important to also assess a person’s interests, abilities, skills, and work/life values. Personality assessment is just one part of the equation! But I think that the world would be a happier and more productive place if we could better guide students towards careers that took advantage of their passions AND personalities! Then work ceases to be work, and people engage in “work” activity for the sheer joy and satisfaction that comes from doing something that one loves.

Click here to read the final article that Anne O’Connell wrote about “Using Personality Tests to Ensure Career Success and Happiness” for Suite101.com.  If you know a young person who would like to have more career guidance as part of the college planning process, wherever they may be in the world, please contact me or see the RNG International Educational Consultants, LLC, website for more information.

One job requirement I love about being an educational consultant is that I have to get out and visit schools. Although I have seen over 175 different boarding schools, I grab every opportunity I have to learn about new schools so that I can better serve my students and families. After just visiting another five American boarding schools, I am more enthusiastic than ever about the huge range of students served and the opportunities these schools offer. What is so remarkable to me is that each boarding school has its own unique character, culture, student profile, and niche of students they serve. And each school is mature and self-confident enough to know exactly who they are and who they serve best, so they don’t even attempt to be all things to all people. I like this approach, because I feel that ultimately, it’s the student that is best served.

All of these schools welcome international students as well, and do their best to make them feel at home.

Some schools offer fantastic learning support, while others emphasize a classical approach to education while acknowledging that it’s not for everyone. Some schools have a very experiential approach to learning, and all schools seek to take advantage of their geographic locations to maximize learning opportunities for students. I spoke with administrators, counselors, and teachers about the teaching and learning experience at these schools, but it was the conversations I had with students that thrilled me the most.

My favorite question to ask students is, “What will you take away from the experiences you have had at this school?” Here are their answers – let them tell you why boarding school is an option they have loved!

• College is no longer daunting for me because I know I’m ready
• I’m more willing to try new things
• I was exposed to many more experiences as well as culture
• I’m more open-minded
• I love the sense of community
• I got to be in leadership roles
• The academics
• I like going away from home and being with my friends in the dorm, and will be a proctor next year
• I learned organizational skills
• I became more independent
• I learned how to manage my time and my things
• I realized there is always help around from teachers and other students
• I learned study skills
• I loved the relationships with my teachers – the biggest class I’m in has 12 students
• I like being able to build relationships with my teachers and the ability to quickly get help and quick extra study sessions at night
• Here the teachers really care about their students
• The teachers are our friends, too
• I learned how to manage my time and be self-disciplined, and that will help me in college
• I learned how to find resources on my own, and not just go to my parents and my brothers
• I have had to relate to other people and groups that are different from myself
• The work is hard but I’m more interested
• I like being able to introduce my new friends to my old friends back home
• With only 8 kids in my class, I’m more invested in my own learning
• This school taught me how to think
• I feel good about myself
• I can participate in a lot more activities
• I like the family feel here
• I became a self-starter
• I now think about something greater than myself
• I learned how to be a more “faithful, hopeful, loving person”

For photos, please visit our Facebook fan page at RNG International Educational Consultants, LLC and look under “photos” or at previous posts.

New York City – The other night I was dining out with my daughter at a charming restaurant in the city, when I excused myself to go to the ladies room. When I walked in, I saw the young, blond, attractive seating hostess, who so cheerily welcomed us earlier, crying her eyes out. I was out of sight, but could hear what happened next. As she sobbed on her friend’s shoulder about her recent break-up with her boyfriend, I could hear her friend consoling her and offering supportive words of advice. Then a woman entered the scene – a total stranger – and stopped to ask what was wrong. From her tone, I could hear words of comfort and knew that there was a hug for her next. So there we were – all strangers in the ladies room – yet willing to stop and offer comfort and emotional support to a young woman with a broken heart.

Contrast that to a brutal break-up when the guy’s heart is broken. Can you imagine him crying his eyes out in the men’s room and getting hugs from total strangers? Nope. Neither can I!

But I thought of this scenario in light of the book I just read and blogged about, Raising Cain – Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys by Michael Kindlon and Daniel Thompson. Males can be just as broken hearted, but where and how do they find comfort? Obviously, it will not be the bathroom among strangers, but somewhere, somehow, it’s important for them to find some kind of support, too, if we are to have well-adjusted boys and men in our lives.

Do you have a son, brother, father, husband, or other male in your life? Do you work with children? If so, I highly recommend that you read Raising Cain – Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, by Drs. Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson. A New York Times bestseller, this book should be given to every new parent of a male baby before they leave the hospital. I would put it on the required reading list for every teacher. And I’m going to shout from the rooftops that if you only read one book this year, and you have a boy in your life, this one has to be it.

The authors of Raising Cain, who have spent their careers as psychologists working with boys, take us on a fascinating journey inside this male “fortress of solitude”. The premise of the book is that the emotional life of boys is just as rich as that of girls, but perhaps even more fragile. Our society has stereotypes that expect our boys to be brave, stoic, in control, and fearless. Therefore, too many of our boys do not learn how to express their emotions in healthy ways. The result of this stunted emotional growth plays out in every possible area of a boy’s life.

With chapters devoted to relationships with fathers, mothers, peers, girls, and “sex, drugs, and rock and roll”, Kindlon and Thompson take the reader on a journey into the inner life of today’s male. They also discuss the risk factors that lead to depression, drug and alcohol use, and suicide.

The Washington Post called this book, “Brilliant….required reading for anyone raising – or educating – a boy. PBS, or the Public Broadcasting Service, made a special out of it.

So although the book is not a new release, it was new enough to me to want to share it with you.

Although this book is written with an American perspective, my work with boys from various cultures around the world has convinced me that males are in trouble everywhere. This is not a uniquely American problem, and it is one that has me gravely concerned.

Healthy expression of emotion is vital to good mental and physical health. The male perspective and experience is different from that of girls but no less important. Therefore, the more we know about it, the better we can understand, guide, mentor, and love our beloved sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, and students.

Ask a *Third Culture Kid (TCK) where he/she is from, and watch most of them stumble over the answer. The TCK wonders, do you mean where I was born? The country of my passport? Where I live now? Where I used to live? Where my parents live? The place where I feel I most belong? And so the confusion begins!

On my recent trip to Utah, I met hundreds of new people. And 99% of each new conversation started with two questions: “What’s your name? Where are you from?” To tell you the truth, even I got tired of answering it. I started wondering to myself again – do you want the long answer or the short answer? Do I like you enough to tell you my whole life story? Or do you like me well enough to want to listen to it?

This question is the reason why so many TCKs have some identify confusion. It’s just complicated, and my personal opinion is that the answer needs to be rehearsed so that various versions are ready for different occasions.

But when TCKs get around other TCKs, the mood changes. All of the sudden it’s fun to compare notes! I was reminded of this yesterday when I was on the set of Dubai One television to tape an interview about TCKs for the show, “Twenty Something”. I met someone in the lobby of the studio who had a Swiss and Indonesian parent. We instantly had a connection. The presenter was born and raised in Dubai, but her parents were from Karala, India. Another staff member has Lebanese and Jordanian parents, but was raised in London. The staff person attending me is from the Philippines and her son is being raised in Dubai. The next guest interviewed, a celebrity hairdresser from Los Angeles, spoke of his multi-cultural background before his parents immigrated to the United States during his interview for the show. Everyone I spoke to had a mixed heritage from a multitude of cultures. Since the topic of the show was to talk about Third Culture Kids, everyone was in the mood to share bits of their own life stories. In that setting and situation, it was fun! And why? because we were with our own “tribe” of other people who understand what it means to have a very international life. Even though I’m an adult now, the same rules that apply for TCKs also apply to me….We don’t belong anywhere 100% – and yet we seem to fit in everywhere. Rootlessness and restlessness. Home is everywhere and nowhere. These are a few ways many TCKs define themselves.

Would you agree? What has been your experience, or that of your children’s, when it comes to roots, identity, and sense of belonging?

Feel free to comment – and if you get satellite TV, watch the interview about TCKs on Dubai One next Monday, April 19 at 8 pm, Tuesday at 3 pm, and Friday at 7 pm!

Click here for more resources about TCKs, or here to read more of my articles on the topic.

*A Third Culture Kid is someone who has spent a significant amount of their developmental years outside their parents own culture. The TCK builds relationships to all cultures while not having full ownership in any. Although elements of each culture is assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, a sense of belonging is in relationship to others of a similar background. – definition from David C. Pollock and Ruth Van Reken’s book, Third Culture Kids, The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds.

All of us know of teens or young adults who seem to have a harder time growing up than others. They have various struggles, and these struggles can derail them from getting on with their lives. But there is help available for them, and those who are lucky enough to find it can turn their lives around.

In earlier posts, I wrote about my trip to Utah to visit therapeutic programs to help these struggling teens, and promised to write more about the various options. The first option I would like to share with you is a wilderness program, since I think that there are often many misconceptions about what a wilderness program is.

Wilderness programs provide students with an environment that gets them away from harmful influences by immersing them in nature. There they come face to face with themselves, their behaviors, and the negative forces that have been with them in their lives. These kids are usually in patterns that include poor decision-making, the choice of negative peers, and school failure or avoidance. Sometimes they have been dabbling in substance use (drugs, alcohol, smoking) and their actions have usually upset the entire household. The attention-getting behaviors usually are a symptom of more profound issues that need to be addressed. Families realize that something has to change, and are willing to take serious steps to get their children the help they need. Kids, on the other hand, rarely think that going to a wilderness program is a great idea – at least in the beginning.

What happens in a reputable, quality, clinical wilderness program? First of all, every action and interaction is designed to be instructive and therapeutic. Masters and PhD level psychologists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists all make up the therapeutic team that works with the adolescent. Therapy is done in group sessions with positive peer interactions, as well as individually. Kids start to identify the issues that lie underneath all the negative behavior. Sophisticated clinical assessments can also be made in the field, and usually yield extremely accurate results since the teen usually starts to shed their armor by then.

Wilderness is NOT and never should be punitive, harmful, or survivalist. The physical and emotional well-being of the individual is always highly respected. Parents are brought into the therapeutic process so that the entire family can be a part of the positive change in a student’s life. When an educational consultant is involved, the therapist also works closely with the consultant to update him/her on the progress of the student, and to discuss next steps.

What might those next steps be? Sometimes the kids go home – but there need to be supports and a plan in place to be sure that the gains made in treatment hold. Many times the teen will go on to a residential treatment program, therapeutic boarding school, or traditional boarding school, depending on their need. A residential treatment center, or RTC, has the most clinical approach, usually with a psychiatrist on staff, multiple specialized therapeutic sessions per week, individualized therapy, 24/7 staff on call, and of course, school for the kids. However, in these cases the psychological/emotional needs of the student must be the primary focus in order for the learning to eventually fall in to place again. A therapeutic boarding school is very similar to an RTC, but usually has slightly less therapeutic intervention. Then there are “step-down” programs that students can attend once they are ready to integrate more and more into a more traditional setting. And of course, there are more traditional boarding schools that work for some kids coming out of wilderness, or who have graduated from a therapeutic program. (I wrote an earlier article about these options.)

Not all programs are the same, and there are sometimes subtle and not-so-subtle differences between them. Educational consultants travel constantly to see first hand what programs have to offer, and to be sure that the programs and schools deliver on their promises. I have seen great websites for programs that I don’t use or trust, and I have had parents call me after they learn the hard way that not all programs do what they say they will. I have also seen amazing programs that are life-changing for teens.

But after visiting numerous programs in various parts of the United States, this is one thing I can say with certainty. There are some fabulous, dedicated, highly trained, caring, compassionate, and experienced therapists and staff in these programs. They choose spend their lives working with the kids that are in crisis, and their work not only changes lives, but saves lives as well. There is nothing more rewarding for any of us than to see a young person’s life turn around and to see hope restored.

“I used to be a good manipulator, and here it just doesn’t work….things get questioned here. I lied to myself a lot, too. I ask myself, “What is the truth?”

In order to really understand what happens in a therapeutic program, it’s important to listen to the kids themselves. At almost every school or program we (Louise Slater, May Peach, and I) went to, we did just that – listened. Note that when the kids were asked to talk about their issues, very few of them spoke of drug or alcohol use in isolation – and in fact, not all kids have even been involved in those issues. Rather, they demonstrated a remarkable sense of self-awareness and honesty that many adults don’t have.

The questions we asked were “What issues are you working on and what have you learned?” Here is what the teens had to say at one school. But answers were very similar in many places we visited.

• Narcissism
• Family relationships
• What I’m going to do with my life
• Examining my motives
• Relationships
• Eating disorders
• Substance abuse
• Dealing with my mom’s death
• How to deal with an alcoholic father
• Impulsivity
• Relationships
• Separate my own thoughts from my mom (who was also struggling) in a healthy way
• Doing program for myself, not for anyone else
• It’s empowering
• It’s my life
• Learning things many people never learn
• We’ll be a huge leap ahead (in terms of emotional awareness)
• Self-awareness
• When I go home on a home pass, I can’t identify with the life I thought I missed
• You’ve changed but maybe your family hasn’t changed as much
• When I went home, I was actually looking forward to coming back
• I can handle myself better
• Helps define good/bad relationships
• See there’s a way out of the past – you aren’t defined by it
• Hope
• Identify negative behaviors
• Learned how to be honest
• Support
• Make good relationships
• People will call you out if needed
• Family – the school also works with the family, too – that’s huge since he’s been there
• Can’t B.S. here – looking back, it’s what has helped him the most
• People stick with you
• Feels like a family here
• School is really cool here – they teach you to take the initiative
• I’ve made the best friends I’ve made in my life here
• Family therapy – I live 2500 miles from my family and I’ve never been closer to them
• Working through anger, resentments – I have completely different relationships now

Then we asked, “What plans do you have for your future?”

• I’d like to be a psychology major, go to law school, and help other kids get the help instead of going to jail
• I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t come here …maybe dead by now
• I wouldn’t put it past myself to want to work in one of the places…I want to give back
• Teach art in a treatment center
• Be a chef

I’m sure the list would have been much longer, but we ran out of time. The kids we met were awesome – open , honest, and real. They were eager to talk, and their enthusiasm for the changes they have seen in themselves as a result of the hard work they have put in was a justifiable source of pride. What also moved me was the love and support they showed for each other – they showed true empathy and personal connection.

Do you know of a teen who is struggling? They may not want the help to begin with, but after listening to the kids themselves, we can see that the right program does help to give a teen his/her life back. Let us know if we can help advise a family through the process.

The next blog will explore the different kinds of therapeutic programs and schools.

by Rebecca (Becky) Grappo, founder, RNG International Educational Consultants, LLC