Island View Offers a Safe, Supportive Environment for Teens with a History of Running Away

If your teenager has run away, you are probably left wondering where they are, who they're with and what they're doing. While you may be angry at them for running, it is likely that the safety of your teen is your top priority.

At Island View, the safety of your teen is also a top priority.

The residential treatment center for adolescents is uniquely positioned to help teens who are prone to running away. With an emphasis on safety, supervision and a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment, Island View can provide teens with a safe place to develop alternate coping skills, learn about and manage their emotions, and implement new tools for handling their stress, anxiety and fears.

"If your teenagers continue to run away, you need to get them somewhere that is safe and secure," said Jason Drake, LCSW, a clinical program manager at Island View.

An Emphasis on Safety

The safety of students is always a priority at Island View. For students who have a history of running, security is particularly important.

To help ensure that students don't run away, all dorms at the residential treatment center are locked. The residents aren't locked into their bedrooms, but the doors leading out of the buildings are secured.

"We are the only residential program in Utah with locked dorms," Drake said.

Students who have a history of running are given 24-hour supervision until they can be trusted to roam campus without running away (or threatening to do so). The residential treatment center's location also makes running difficult, as it is at least five miles to the nearest city. These safeguards keep teens safe from running away and getting into dangerous situations.

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Treatment

In addition to the physical wellbeing of its students, Island View also works to address the underlying psychological issues that cause a teenager to run.

"A runner is someone who typically avoids issues or problems, and running is the extreme form of avoidance," Drake explained. "Teens who demonstrate psychological avoidance tend to use it as a coping skill, meaning when things are really tough or difficult, they will run away."

Teens with avoidance issues generally believe that running is their only resort. These teens often suffer from denial, low self-esteem and low self-worth, Drake said. They may also use drugs or alcohol, or self-mutilation, as a way to escape or avoid their issues.

A residential treatment center such as Island View can help teens address any or all of these issues so that they develop healthy coping mechanisms and don't rely on running away as a way to deal with their problems.

"Our students really deal, address and work through their avoidance issues," Drake said. "Once they get to the other side, they feel better about themselves and their lives, and their desire to run diminishes or goes away completely."

Residential Setting More Effective Than Outpatient Therapy

If your teen has a history of running away, the first step is to try outpatient therapy. However, keep in mind that not all teens respond well to this option, where it is easy for them to choose not to participate and avoid treatment. They can be silent, dishonest or manipulative during their sessions instead of addressing their issues.

"Kids who run tend to avoid, and in an outpatient setting they can continue to avoid," Drake said. "They can avoid their family by going to school, they can avoid school by skipping classes, and they can avoid their emotions by using drugs or cutting."

But at a residential treatment center, where teens are living on campus, it is difficult for them to avoid their problems for long. At Island View, all staff members (including psychiatrists, nurses, licensed therapists and substance abuse counselors) are aware of each resident's needs and works with them to address their issues head-on.

"If your kids continue to run away, they need to get somewhere that is safe and secure. They need somewhere they can expect to confront their issues in an environment where avoidance is no longer an option," Drake said.

Peer Support

In addition to Island View staff keeping an eye out for students who may be avoiding issues or thinking of running away, students at the school also help their peers stay out of trouble. Students will call out other students on their behaviors, which makes it difficult for teens to continue to use avoidance to cope with their issues.

"The students are really good at holding their peers accountable," Drake said. "They'll either report the behaviors to staff or have the kids report it themselves."

Family Involvement

At Island View, family involvement is considered vital to a full recovery by students. Unless parents get actively involved in the process of helping their teens, the skills the teens learn through therapy will not become permanent. The residential treatment center gets parents involved through weekly therapy sessions, quarterly parent seminars, multi-family group therapy and home visits, when students can test the new skills and tools they've acquired.

"For kids to be successful at home, parents need to make changes themselves," Drake explained. "Both the parents and the kids need to be invested."

Teens learn new ways to cope while they are at Island View. When they return home, they will want to put those skills to use. If parents are not equipped with the tools to support their teens and help them adapt, there is a chance they will return to old behaviors.

Helping teens who run away can be challenging. Teens who are avoidant often don't want to tackle their problems or change their behaviors. "Change is hard, and sometimes scary," Drake explained. "Running is adventurous and exciting, and you don't have to work on core issues."

But at Island View, your teen will work on addressing core issues so that running away is no longer the answer.