Seeking out an alternative therapeutic boarding school for troubled boys in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania? Perhaps you will look at Heartland Boys Academy, an affordable boarding school in Western Kentucky. Heartland is an alternative therapeutic boarding school known for its dedication to adolescent boys who have wandered away academically, emotionally, legally, or socially.

Heartland Boys Academy enrolls troubled boys from across America, including from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a faith-based boarding school that uses adventure as a powerful therapeutic tool for turning around troubled boys. We are an early intervention school with a calling to lead struggling teenagers to achieve their specific purpose, or destiny, in Christ.

Heartland exclusively enrolls troubled or struggling boys. Parents of these boys find it valuable for their boy to spend time in a new environment here at Heartland that is detached from negative influences back home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We demonstrate love and respect to disrespectful and seemingly unlovable boys who are in need of a new life perspective including a new spiritual focus in life. Our mentoring and encouragement is meant to bring about transformation where there was once only ungodly motivations and an impasse in the relationship with their parents.

Accredited School for Teens from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

To provide a quality education is also our top priority. Heartland Boys Academy is a fully accredited high school that operates under a program of independent study with personalized instruction. Students work through courses at their own speed, with weekly objectives set by instructors based on the student’s program of study. Heartland also supports students to prepare for post-secondary goals by offering assistance with college testing.

Students from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who come here achieve phenomenal progress towards successful high school completion and beyond. Our partnership with Edgenuity produces an educational environment that spurs a desire to succeed, which gains momentum and helps students to do their best. Edgenuity is certified by COGNIA, the highest accrediting body for schools in the United States.

While the Edgenuity program is intuitive and self-paced, our own certified on-campus teachers make sure that our students keep up their coursework. They tutor, answer any questions, and give each student plenty of encouragement. Our teachers are kept informed online how well each student is progressing. Students who lag behind or are having difficulty with a specific topic are helped, but if they are failing as an act of rebellion, they may lose out on some on-campus privileges like fun times until they choose to get caught up.

Heartland Spiritual Focus

Spiritual life is the cornerstone component of Heartland Boys Academy. We believe that ultimately Jesus Christ is the only answer for troubled teenagers from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We are devoted to introducing every teen to a relationship with their Maker. We help them find their spiritual gifting and purpose in Christ.

Many teenagers who come have dismissed their religious heritage or have never professed belief in Christ. Heartland offers an open environment for them to renew or gain their faith as they may never have done before. Godly character surrounds every aspect of life at Heartland Boys Academy.

Where Teens from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Can Gain Leadership Training

Beyond helping capable students get back on track academically and spiritually, we provide specific leadership training to unleash the potential in each boy. We teach teens to serve and love others. Mission trips and community service events give real life experience and application of the leadership principles taught at Heartland.

Reversing the Negative with a Positive Peer Culture

Heartland knows that adolescents and their families in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, face enormous pressure from the culture. Teens are impacted by a barrage of negative peer pressure. The Heartland model for change is called Positive Peer Culture (PPC), which believes that teens can learn self-worth, significance, dignity, and responsibility only as they devote themselves to the positive values of helping and caring for others.

Adventure Therapy is Key

Adventure therapy is a key therapeutic tool of Heartland. We understand that boys are more open to communicating and learning while participating in adventure tasks, so we use those times to instill positive thinking and to develop better communication skills. It also facilitates improvement in their ability to work cooperatively with others.

Adventure therapy is a form of experiential therapy that uses challenging adventure activities to aid the therapeutic transformation. It is meant to contribute to character maturation. Every teen takes part in our adventure program because of the valuable life skills that can be gained. We offer a number of adventure activities including camping, backpacking, rappelling, canoeing, swimming, hiking, hunting, and spelunking (cave exploration).

At a therapeutic school like Heartland, students get the opportunity to engage in many activities and new adventure experiences during their stay. Adventure therapy activities at Heartland are where boys learn to listen, learn regulation skills, and push themselves to overcome challenging fun tasks. The obstacles students face through our adventure programming are meant to forge a more positive identity, build character, and develop a sense of accomplishment. Students do not just participate in the activity; they learn how to do it themselves. This is called experiential learning.

Our team are trained to manage the adventure program in a safe and effective way. The same team members who live with students all week, building rapport and making connections, are then able to instruct the boys during their adventure activities.

Heartland Boys Academy is a campus teeming with healing and hope for boys in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We have been privileged to see hundreds of at-risk and troubled boys transformed into hard-working, respectable adults. We help restore boys to their families; healthy, confident, and spiritually and academically on track. Call (888)300-2830 to learn more today, or fill in our online inquiry form.

Please consider looking beyond Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to learn how our Christ-centered adventure-based therapeutic boarding school program can guide your troubled teen toward life transformation. To discover more, please contact us today.