Argyle, TX – In their recent blog, local mental health center for teen girls, Roots Renewal Ranch, covered a topic that concerns many parents: school avoidance. Roots goes on to unpack the phenomenon that they claim is largely misunderstood.
“As many as 5% of children experience school avoidance. The term ‘school refusal’ isn’t entirely inaccurate, because the adolescent will refuse to go to school, but it’s incorrect in assuming the young person has control over their desire to avoid it,” the treatment center explains. The article acknowledges that all children don’t want to go to school sometimes, but emphasizes that school avoidance is deeper than that.
“School avoidance manifests as a deep feeling of being unable to go to school, and isn’t just ‘not feeling like it,’,” the blog claims. It then breaks down major reasons for school avoidance: bullying, mental health concerns, academic difficulties, and physical health conditions.
The ranch takes a moment to highlight anxiety disorders in particular as a culprit for school avoidance. The article says depression is also a factor, placing the blame on lack of energy and low mood for teens not wanting to attend school. Roots Renewal Ranch also briefly touches on the stress that comes with academic difficulties and reminds parents that those physical health symptoms their child reports could be a sign of a deeper concern. It encourages parents to bring their teen to a doctor if they experience physical symptoms with their school avoidance if only to rule out physical health conditions as a factor.
The article then delves into the cycle school avoidance can cause. “For teens experiencing anxiety, staying home from school makes the idea of eventually returning even more stressful than it was to begin with. They have to deal with questions from peers about where they were, and might worry about judgment from classmates and teachers alike,” the blog points out. It also empathizes with the fear school-avoidant adolescents often feel when trying to explain their reasons for staying home. The article suggests practicing explanations with teens, so they feel more prepared to answer questions about their whereabouts.
Next, Roots Renewal Ranch explains the difference between acute and chronic school avoidance. According to the blog, acute school avoidance comes on suddenly and lasts a shorter time, and chronic school avoidance lasts a year or more. “Chronic school avoidance doesn’t require your child to have to stay home for a whole year,” the blog clarifies. “It just requires consistent school-avoidant symptoms, such as intense anxiety, tantrums, and unexplained physical symptoms related to school.” Acute school avoidance is often due to a specific event, while chronic school avoidance is likely related to a mental health condition, the article adds.
The next portion of the blog offers advice to parents with school-avoidant teens. “You’ll see countless other pages across the web telling you that you must get your teen back to school no matter what, even if it means forcing them. We recommend against that,” Roots Renewal Ranch states. “There’s something deeper at play, and making them go to school without addressing the underlying issue will only take a greater toll on your teen’s health and well-being.”
Instead of forcing teens to go to school, the blog recommends having teens make a list of what troubles them regarding school and staying in close contact with the school and a mental health professional to develop strategies. “Ask your teen what they think would help. The solution needs to be about them and what will benefit them most – not what the adults in the situation want most,” the article emphasizes. It also reminds parents that online school, and in some cases, changing schools, could be a worthwhile option.
Roots Renewal Ranch ends their article with a reminder that therapy is beneficial to every teen, encouragement to get mental health care for them, and a comment that keeps it all in perspective: “All of this will inevitably be stressful, but remember: your child’s well-being is the most important. School is so valuable, but they’re more valuable.”
Roots Renewal Ranch is a mental health treatment center for girls ages 13-17 located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Their care is trauma-informed, with specific lessons to address aggression when needed. The highlight of treatment with Roots is animal therapy. Girls take care of the animals during their time at the mental health center, learning responsibility and experiencing their unconditional love. For more information, call Roots Renewal Ranch at 888-399-0489 or visit their website. “She is strong, she is loved, and she is enough.”
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For more information about Roots Adolescent Renewal Ranch, contact the company here:
Roots Adolescent Renewal Ranch
Zoey Schwolert
888-399-0489
info@rootsrenewalranch.com
819 Indian Trail
Argyle, TX, 76226
