Hello. I am currently looking for a boarding school. I struggle with severe depression, as well as fibromyalgia. The fibromyalgia gives me debilitating fatigue. I’m hoping for a regular boarding school, that will support my mental health and will allow me to flex my schedule to accomodate for my disability. I don’t really want to go to a therapeutic boarding school though, because they all seem to be for rebellious kids that are doing drugs alcohol, sexual stuff, or are violent etc. I want a calm, easy going school that will motivate me to get through high school. Nothing extremely rigourous, as that will put me into a complete crash. Any suggestions? Thank you so much!
Not knowing anything else, I don’t think a regular boarding school is the place for someone with severe depression.
Consider a school like Green Chimneys in Brewster NY (I do not know much about it, but have heard wonderful things).
To the OP @aulei73 - just wondering if your fibromyalgia symptoms may diminish in a warmer/sunnier climate than up in NE? Some folks I know say that being in a warmer year-round climate does help. You may want to look at schools outside of NE, also.
Hello. I am currently looking for a boarding school. I struggle with severe depression, as well as fibromyalgia. The fibromyalgia gives me debilitating fatigue. I’m hoping for a regular boarding school, that will support my mental health and will allow me to flex my schedule to accomodate for my disability. I don’t really want to go to a therapeutic boarding school though, because they all seem to be for rebellious kids that are doing drugs alcohol, sexual stuff, or are violent etc. I want a calm, easy going school that will motivate me to get through high school. Nothing extremely rigourous, as that will put me into a complete crash. Any suggestions? Thank you so much!
It’s probably not what you want to hear, but based on experience with my daughter who has been to 2 regular boarding schools (one for a week and one for a semester), they have a lot of rules about how many classes you can miss before you have to withdraw or not get credit for classes (of course this is true for public school also, and she did have these issues for a semester at public school, but they were a lot better about considering something an excused absence and letting her make up credits with online classes in the summer). My daughter’s mental health struggles led to missed morning classes, which meant she had detention every weekend for about 10 weeks. Sometimes double detentions. And that was with the school making a lot of accommodations for her! If I had been able to convince her to go to a therapeutic school instead, it would have taken a lot of pressure off both of us in terms of feeling confident that she would be able to graduate from high school despite her struggles, although it has other downsides like being farther from home and somewhat more restrictive communication with parents and friends.
If you do look at regular boarding schools, I recommend you be very open and honest about your diagnosis and what you need for support, and also consider whether you could get good therapy on or off campus nearby. That was another issue that made it hard at the boarding school, since she didn’t get the type of therapy she needs. If you find a school that has what you truly need to succeed, that’s wonderful, but don’t go somewhere thinking that the school environment will solve your problems or radically change your level of functioning, and therefore end up suffering financially and emotionally if it’s not accommodating enough (note that it’s hard or impossible to get your money back if you leave, even with tuition insurance, if you have been treated for a preexisting condition).
Also, there are some therapeutic boarding schools that are geared more towards students who aren’t there for disciplinary reasons but more for anxiety, depression, etc. Possibly the Grove School in CT is like that. I will be looking at that next, if public school doesn’t go well next year. You may also want to work with an educational consultant who specializes in therapeutic and supportive boarding schools. I can recommend someone in NJ if you want. Good luck to you!
I believe it depends on level and type of emotional-behavioral issues, as well as type of therapeutic support your student needs. Reading your post, OP, you may not want to start formulating a list of what you do not want in addition to what you do want. This also includes size. You may want to consider schools in California, also.
I have heard good things about Marvelwood in CT; I know a family whose daughter, who struggled with severe anxiety and OCD, found success there. Their website says that they welcome students who may have/need:
A non-traditional learning style.
A language-based or math-based learning difference, executive functioning issues, or suspected learning differences.
A need for learning or organizational support or academic accommodations.