Mastering Honesty

One of the first things we ask of new students is to compile a dishonesty list: to search heart, soul, and memory for everything they did that landed them in a therapeutic boarding school.  The process is hard and the lists can be long (one troubled teen girl came up with a 26-pager!), but admitting to negative behaviors is the first step to changing them.  The list serves as the focus of the student's first family group counseling session, and most students feel a lot better after completing them.  In fact, they often take it upon themselves to repeat the process over the course of their stay here, especially when they're struggling emotionally.  There's no underestimating the therapeutic value of coming clean---with yourself, a counselor, a teacher or a peer.  Learning to be honest is a hard part of growing up, but it's one of the most valuable gifts of the therapeutic boarding school experience.