Therapy, medication, and behavioral treatments can be expensive. In many cases parents simply can't afford to send their child to a therapeutic boarding school, private boot camp, or expensive wilderness therapy program. Even without insurance, or insurance that doesn't cover behavioral treatments, there are many free options from which you can choose.

The first thing to remember is that you are not alone. Parents in your local neighborhood and city are experiencing the same frustrations with their child. You have a lot of options that won't cost much and many treatments are free. Hopefully this list will give you some ideas to help you with your teen.

Free alternatives include:

• Free Groups - Groups like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and NA (Narcotics Anonymous) can help your teen find strength in membership. These programs are designed to help at a meaningful level in your teen's life. Instead of parents and other authority figures enforcing rules and laws, youth find supportive friends.
• Free Support - Support can be just as important for you as a parent as it can be for the youth. As a parent try to seek out other parents that are struggling too. You will find strength in knowing you're not alone. The first place you can look is among the parents of your teen's friends. The parents of your child's friends might not have any idea their teen is involved with drugs, alcohol, or other destructive behavior. When you are able to working in a support group your solutions are more effective.
• Free Books - Your local library will serve as a valuable resource as you look for information to help your teen. Studying books specific to your teens behavior will provide valuable insights and ideas on correcting the problem.
• Church & Religious Groups - Throughout history, religion has played an important role in helping people turn their lives around. If you are christian, jewish, or of another religion try to seek out activities your teen can join. Try to help assimilate them by telling leaders that your child is new and needs to be reached out to. Sometimes a little extra attention can help your teen stay active. Another idea is to use the scriptures like the bible as a way for your family to grow closer together. Try to read often and share your thoughts and feelings with each other. Many teens will try to resist but there may be a part of them that is really interested in spirituality.
• Free Government Grants - The government provides free grants for a wide range of causes. Register with the government and search for grants that might fit your needs. You can start by looking here grants.gov. Try searching for "treatment" using advanced search.
• Free Truancy High Schools - Many public schools provide a means for students with poor grades or behavioral issues to go to school outside their regular school environment. These schools are designed for students as a chance for them to catch up on their grades and correct any problems they might have.
• Free Counseling - Public schools have free therapeutic counseling from in-house student counselors. As a first step consult with these professionals. They will help guide you and provide more free options.
• Free State Run Programs - Some states have free vocational schools for teens that have dropped out or been expelled from standard schooling. These vocational schools teach valuable job skills the teen can use as they become more independent. These schools also provide a sense of accomplishment and pride for a struggling youth.

Do you have any more free ideas to help? Please email contact [at] fortroubledteens.com (To send an email remove the spaces and brackets so the address looks like are regular email address. This is done to prevent automatic robots from harvesting my email for SPAM