Runaway Shelters for Troubled Teens

Runaway Shelters for Troubled Teens Theories Behavioral Psychology Print Runaway Shelters for Troubled Teens How programs can help when a teen runs away from home By Kathryn Rudlin, LCSW Updated on September 30, 2019 Datacraft Co Ltd/Getty Images More in Theories Behavioral Psychology Cognitive Psychology Developmental Psychology Personality Psychology Social Psychology Biological Psychology Psychosocial Psychology A troubled teen who makes the decision to run away from home needs a safe place to stay and assistance in addressing the issues that led to the decision. Runaway shelters are designed to help those teens  and can provide assistance to parents and guardians in helping a teen transition back to home. What Is a Teen Runaway Shelter? Runaway shelters and programs for teens provide temporary housing, food, and specialized counseling to troubled teens who run away from home. They provide a safe place for teens to face and confront their problems. Shelters help families determine the next steps necessary for dealing with these issues. Services Provided by Runaway Shelters The overall goal of shelters for runaways is to assist in reuniting families, identify issues, and help resolve them.?  Temporary shelters can provide a place for your teen to live while dealing with the reasons for running and the consequences  of their decision to do so. Runaway shelters provide some or all of the following services: Temporary shelter and a safe place to stayIndividual therapy to help teens articulate their reasons for runningRegular mealsGroup therapy with other teens in similar situationsCounseling by phone for teens who call inResources for work, academic, medical, and other needsFamily therapy focused on dealing with the crisis caused by the teen leaving How Runaway Shelters Can Help When a teen agrees to go to a runaway shelter, they make a healthy decision to seek support and start taking responsibility to resolve the problems they are experiencing. Runaway shelters are established and run by staff trained to understand, work with, and advocate for teens who run from problems or difficult family situations. Shelters can assist in this family crisis by helping to: Identify the problems causing the teen to runBe an intermediary to help understand why your teen ran awayWork out an initial contract outlining the conditions a teen needs to follow once returning homeDiscuss alternative living situations for the teen while problems get worked outProvide referrals to family therapists in your areaOffer direction to a variety of resources to assist your teen with the problems they are havingDetermine the next steps to deal with the problems your teen is running away fromA free bus ticket home is available in many cases How to Locate a Shelter in Your Area Youth can access the Safe Place system to connect with those who can help in their situation and find the location of youth shelters. Their TXT 4 HELP program allows you to text the word SAFE  and your current location (address/city/state)  to 69866 to be connected to a Safe Place. To help locate a runaway shelter, call the National Runaway Safeline at 1-800-RUNAWAY anytime. They will respond via phone, text, or email. You can also search online for a listing of shelters in your area.