At Timber Ridge School, creating goals is not just a New Year’s pursuit. We work with teenage boys with a diverse array of backgrounds and sometimes, we encounter boys who have never set personal goals and who don’t even know how to set a meaningful, productive goal.
Around here, goals are more than your average self-improvement list. They play a critical role in students’ lives and are a deeply-rooted part of our treatment process, and even help us determine whether or not a boy is ready to advance to the next stage of treatment.
How Goals Work at Timber Ridge School
A study reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that “life goals motivate career behaviors beginning at an early age and that subsequent changes in certain life goals also matter for educational and occupational outcomes.”
At Timber Ridge School, treatment goals are developed based on specific needs demonstrated by students and family, and achievement of those goals is the criteria for discharge readiness.
Our Goal-Based Services are designed for youth who need to master specific objectives to transition successfully back to their families and communities to be self-sustaining. Recognizing the complexities of individual needs and family dynamics, we provide tailored skill development, practice opportunities, and ongoing support to set them up for lasting success.
Individualized Service Plans (ISPs)
Step foot on campus at Timber Ridge School, and you’ll quickly be acquainted with the term Individualized Service Plan (ISP). From the identified treatment goals for each boy, an ISP is developed with specific objectives initiated on the basis of specific needs demonstrated by the student and their family. That way, boys have a measurable path forward for which to identify progress.
Goals can be as simple as brushing their teeth and practicing a self-care regiment everyday, or as complex as working towards building supportive, healthy relationships with their family. During their time at TRS, family engagement is a key part of treatment plans to build healthy, supportive relationships that lead to positive changes.
Timber Ridge Families and Goals
At Timber Ridge, we often try to incorporate families into the program to not only foster positive relationships and provide a sense of normalcy, but to also encourage the family to be proactive in a boy’s TRS journey.
Weekly family sessions are put in place to help facilitate open communication, and at these sessions, we welcome and encourage you to understand your child’s goals so that you can encourage them and be aware of what they are working on.
Helping Your Teenager Set Goals
We’ve seen the lasting impact that goals-setting can have in the lives of struggling teenagers, and while our goals may be unique to Timber Ridge, here are a few ways that you can support and encourage your own child to set helpful, even life-changing, goals:
Help Your Teen Establish SMART Goal
Encourage your child to set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound). This will serve as a guidepost for making goals that are actually reasonable, preventing burnout and feelings of personal failure.
Help Your Teen Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection
Encouraging your teenager to celebrate milestones instead of perfectionism can go a long way to producing an effective, powerful, and rooted individual. Give them the freedom to make mistakes, while recognizing their hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity. Every moment can be a learning experience.
Being a Role Model for Your Teen
Be transparent about your goals, and how you are working to achieve them. Be candid about setbacks that you’ve experienced, and what you’ve gleaned from your pursuit of these goals. Your mindset will have a profound effect on their desire to grow.
The Power of Goal-Setting for Teens
Expecting transformation without setting SMART goals is unrealistic, at best. Goal-setting isn’t just about checking tasks off a list, it’s about developing conscientious habits that form young men into disciplined individuals. At Timber Ridge School, goals help our teens develop a sense of purpose, accountability, and confidence, equipping them with tools that they can carry into the next stage of life with them… and beyond.