Symptoms of Teen Depression
It is not uncommon on occasion for teens to experience "low days" or feelings of inadequacy compared to their peers or family members. However, for a depressed teen the feelings seem to surface more often than not. Many may experience symptoms that indicate significant depression, especially if these symptoms last for more than two weeks. Symptoms may include:

* Poor performance in school
* Withdrawal from friends and family
* Overreaction to criticism
* Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
* Substance abuse
* Depressed mood or sadness most of the time (for no apparent reason)
* Problems with authority
* Suicidal thoughts or actions
* Sadness and hopelessness
* Lack of energy
* Anger and rage
* Feelings of being unable to satisfy ideals
* Poor self-esteem or guilt
* Inability to enjoy things that used to bring pleasure
* Indecision, lack of concentration or forgetfulness
* Restlessness and agitation
* Lack of enthusiasm or motivation
* Significant weight loss or gain

Teens may begin experimenting with alcohol or drugs in order to self-medicate, with the objective of feeling better about themselves. Many teens turn to sexual relationships to help them cope with their depression. These temporary "solutions" result in deeper feelings of depression, eventually leading to serious consequences and destroyed relationships with loved ones and authority figures. Many children suffering with teen depression become aggressive, hostile, and on some occasions take incredible risks, exposing both themselves and those around them to serious harm.

How Top Flight Academy Can Help with Teen Depression
It is critical that depressed teens receive professional and appropriate treatment. Top Flight Academy provides intense individual therapy (often using a cognitive-behavioral approach) where teens learn to understand the link between negative thought patterns and painful, troubling feelings. They also learn how to deal with these feelings in appropriate, positive ways. In addition to individual therapy, students receive group therapy in a powerful positive peer culture setting where they learn to change negative behavior into positive behavior, hence developing healthier relationships with their peers and family members. Aviation training is also an intervention that is unique to Top Flight Academy. Through flight education and experience, students learn to trust themselves and build a strong foundation of self-esteem. It is powerful to witness the improvement in a student's outlook on life as they feel the accomplishments of piloting an airplane.

Symptons of ADD and ADHD
ADD (Attention-Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) are some of the most common health disorders among school-aged children. ADHD teens may display the following symptoms:

* Lack of attention to detail
* Careless mistakes in school work
* Easily distracted
* Forgetful or appears to not listen when spoken to
* Doesn't follow instructions
* Fails to complete school work or chores
* Shows difficulty organizing tasks and personal belongings
* Dislikes concentration-intensive activities (such as schoolwork)
* Has difficulty sitting still
* Fidgets and squirms
* Talks out of turn or excessively in academic settings
* High energy level (sometimes associated with risky behavior)
* Interrupts frequently
* Intrudes into conversations or games
* Acts or speaks impulsively
* Displays social immaturity

How We Can Help
Although there is no cure for ADD/ADHD, Top Flight can help manage symptoms by teaching socialization and behavioral skills designed to provide more effective strategies for the challenges of ADD/ADHD. In addition, Top Flight will oversee and administer ADD/ADHD medications as part of a comprehensive treatment plan where appropriate. Your child will also benefit from individual and group therapy. Our Positive Peer Culture will provide the positive environment that will help your child learn to deal with their ADD/ADHD disorder.

Substance and Alcohol Abuse Among Troubled Teens
Problems include:

* Interference with work, school, or home life
* Engaging in hazardous activities (such as driving an automobile, operating machinery, or fighting) while under the influence
* A variety of short- and/or long-term health risks
* Run-ins with the law
* Disharmony in the family
* Numerous social group issues

How We Can Help
Teens today face a storm of issues that pose a real threat to their long-term well-being. Troubled teens that turn to alcohol or drug use (substance abuse) for whatever reason (peer pressure, rebellion, experimentation, etc.) often find themselves out of control. Using the 12 Step Program as a basis, Top Flight Academy teaches coping methods to help young people realize that there is hope, and that there are real solutions to their chemical addictions/problems. Individual and family therapy and positive peer group assistance are some of the first, and most important sources for help. Positive Peer Culture will help your child learn to help themselves and others.

Teen Suicide - Warning Signs
Troubled teens with suicidal tendencies may exhibit the following:

* Talking about committing suicide
* Preoccupation with death and dying
* Trouble eating or sleeping
* Noticeable change in personal appearance
* Loss of interest in work, school or hobbies
* Withdrawal from social activities, friends and family
* Drastic change in behavior
* Often taking unnecessary risks as if the consequences didn't matter

Some troubled teens suffering from teen suicide tendencies increase their use of alcohol and drugs. They may also display signs of preparing for death, such as making funeral arrangements or giving away prized possessions.

How Top Flight Academy Can Help with Teen Suicide
Top Flight Academy will immerse your child in very intensive individual and group therapy while providing a positive peer culture environment where troubled teens learn life-long skills that will help them feel good about themselves again. In addition, our treatment program uses aviation therapy to help students learn how to think critically—like a pilot has to—in order to analyze their own issues.

What is Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) is a psychiatric disorder that is very difficult to understand. Behaviors usually consist of aggressiveness and a willingness to irritate others. Patterns of negativity, defiance and hostility also may be present. Parenting teens with ODD is a challenge because these children often loose their tempers easily and argue with their parents. ODD teens have difficulty taking responsibility for their own actions and usually place blame on others around them. In teens with ODD there is an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously interferes with their social, academic or employment activities.

Symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder
* Frequent temper tantrums
* Excessive arguing with adults
* Active defiance and refusal to comply with adult requests and rules
* Deliberate attempts to annoy or upset people
* Often spiteful or vindictive
* Blaming others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
* Often touchy or easily annoyed by others
* Frequent anger and resentment
* Mean and hateful talking when upset

How Top Flight Academy Can Help
Students at Top Flight Academy have a tremendous advantage - while receiving intensive individual and group therapy students are immersed in positive peer culture where they learn the social skills training to increase flexibility and tolerance with their peers. Students also learn how to assist others in their behaviors, which in turn helps themselves. Students at Top Flight Academy learn to improve frustrations tolerance with their peers and decrease their negativity by focusing on positive solutions. Children need understanding and support in addition to training that improves communications. Parenting a teen with ODD is truly one of the most difficult tasks a parent can face. Parents are part of a treatment team at Top Flight Academy that will work together through family therapy and parenting seminars.

Anger Management and the Troubled Teen
Anger is a normal and healthy emotion. All of us have felt it from time to time; however, when it becomes too frequent, and escalates out of control, anger can be very destructive. Teens with anger management issues are difficult to parent because their behaviors can be so unpredictable. Anger problems can lead to serious problems in personal relationships, employment and school, with the quality of life ultimately suffering.

How Top Flight Academy Can Help with Anger Management
Top Flight Academy has the luxury of being able to observe troubled teens with anger management issues seven days a week, twenty four hours a day, assessing students in a wide variety of circumstances. Students are placed in a positive peer culture environment where they receive empowerment of their emotional feelings and the physiological arousal that anger causes. Students also attain the tools needed to help them control their reactions in all situations. Our students receive very intensive individual and group therapy — as well as aviation training — where they build a strong foundation of self-esteem, allowing each child to develop the inherent ability to build a positive outlook on life where they can exercise full control over their emotions.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness condition, which displays symptoms of extreme mood swings. These mood swings range from extreme mania to depression. A troubled teen having problems with bipolar disorder may display:

* When Depressed-
o Sadness
o Problems sleeping, eating, and losing weight
o Negative thoughts about oneself (including thoughts about death and hurting oneself)
o Difficulties with attention and concentration

* When Manic-
o Euphoric or irritable moods
o Inflated self-esteem and over-confidence
o Increased talkativeness
o Distractibility
o Boundless energy
o Decreased need for sleep

Bipolar disorder may also involve hallucinations (such as hearing voices) and delusions.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder
Doctors and researchers don't know exactly what causes bipolar disorder. But a variety of biologic, genetic and environmental factors seem to be involved in causing and triggering episodes of this illness. Factors that may contribute to or trigger episodes of bipolar disorder include drug abuse and stressful or psychologically traumatic events.

How Top Flight Academy Can Help
Bipolar disorder can upset how a person functions as well as effect family members and others around them. Medications, therapy, structure, and skills development, will benefit troubled teens with bipolar disorder to help them develop strategies so they can cope with their bipolar disorder. Top Flight Academy will manage medication, provide daily therapy, and teach skills through the foundation of Positive Peer Culture that will help troubled teens with bipolar disorder. In addition, Top Flight Academy provides a motivational factor of aviation training that expedites positive changes and makes students feel good about themselves again.

Unfortunately, Top Flight Academy cannot accept many children diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Each application is considered carefully, on a case-by-case basis. Please contact a Top Flight counselor to discuss your child's particular needs.

Top Flight Academy utilizes an intensive individual and group therapeutic model. All of our therapists are highly-trained and have considerable experience working with adolescents. Each student meets with his therapist twice every week on non-consecutive days. The first meeting is a regularly scheduled therapy session and the second is a check-in meeting. Having two sessions per week provides students, parents, and therapists maximum flexibility in processing issues, assessing progress, and treatment planning. Each student receives an individualized treatment plan that addresses his or her personal issues and needs.

Group therapy is a very important component of Top Flight Academy's comprehensive therapeutic program. All of our students participate in group therapy six days per week. Students have the opportunity to process individual and group issues, give and receive solutions to problems, identify and set personal and group goals, and engage in therapeutic processes and relationships within a group setting.

"Top Flight Academy is unique ... in that it utilizes PPC (Positive Peer Culture)... PPC teaches internal self-control ... teaches youth to regulate by accessing their personal internal moral code of conduct. In real life PPC is the only one of these models that can consistently help to create responsible and effective adults."
-John Bagley, L.C.S.W.
Clinical Social Worker

"The biggest difference between PPC (Positive Peer Culture) and Behavior Mod came simple to me; that just sums everything up. Behavior Mod gets you to do the right thing by making you afraid of the consequence, but PPC allows you to figure out on your own to make the right decisions because it is the right thing to do."
- J.D.
(former PPC and behavior modification student)

Top Flight Academy uses Positive Peer Culture to empower students to create personal positive change. We focus on internal change, not just outside behavior. There are two key goals for students and staff in Positive Peer Culture: First, help the student to identify his or her personal values and beliefs; second, teach students behaviors that are congruent with those values and beliefs.

Positive Peer Culture focuses on three levels of responsibility that influence individual growth:
1. Self Responsibility
2. Group Responsibility
3. Authority Responsibility

The highest level of growth is self-control. While in the Program, your child will be taught how to recognize, resolve, and prevent problems on his own. This is called self-responsibility. If a student is able to identify and apply solutions for a problem there is no need to go any further in the process. If, however, the student is not able to cope with the problem on the self-level we move to the group level of responsibility. The group assists the student in identifying solutions for the problem with which he or she is faced with. The process will end at this point if the student accepts one or more of the group's solutions. In cases where a student is unable or unwilling to exercise self-responsibility and group efforts are ineffective, staff will gently assist the student in gaining control. This is called authority responsibility. An authority-level intervention is utilized as a last resort and responsibility is returned to the individual as soon as possible.

Upon entering Top Flight Academy, an academic assessment is made for each student, to determine specific educational needs and requirements. Objectives and goals are outlined in a personalized education plan. Once in place, each student will work toward these goals, which are designed to meet graduation requirements. In some cases, students may also work to obtain college level credits.

Top Flight Academy provides caring, certified teachers in a small and nurturing classroom environment. Core classes generally consist of eight to twelve students with teachers and staff members who understand fully the specific needs of each young man. Such support makes it possible for our teachers to effectively differentiate instruction based on the learning process and capabilities of each student. Students are challenged, monitored and guided on an individual basis. This positive, focused, yet intimate environment ensures your son will obtain the highest degree of academic progress possible. Top Flight Academy's educational classroom is state of the art, warm and inviting. Internet access is monitored and only approved educational sites are accessible.

Aviation ground school is taught twice per week, also in a direct teaching classroom environment. Students implement math and science principles in a new and exciting way, applying their knowledge in the "real life" experience of flight.

Top Flight Academy provides many of the elements of a traditional flight school. While enrolled as a student your child will spend time each school day receiving instruction from an FAA Certified Flight Instructor in preparation to take the FAA private pilot written examination. Preparing for and taking this test will likely be one of the most difficult tasks your child will have attempted, however, the thrill and satisfaction of receiving a passing score will provide a memory—and self-confidence—never to be forgotten.

Upon progressing to a responsible level at Top Flight Academy, your child will be given flight instruction in an actual airplane with an FAA Certified Flight Instructor - receiving approximately 10 to 15 flight hours before graduating! At the conclusion of these lessons your child will be able to truly say that he can basically 'fly an airplane.'

Top Flight Academy can work with each student who desires to continue with their flight training. We can locate a flight training facility near your home and help put together a basic training itinerary with that facility or we can place your student in a local associated flight school.

A primary objective at Top Flight is to reunite your son and family in an enduring, positive relationship, and to set the stage for future memories that will bind family and friends in ways you may not have thought possible.

From the beginning of your son's treatment at Top Flight, your family will be involved in weekly therapeutic sessions. You will be kept apprised of your son's progress, both through weekly phone calls as well as through access to on-line records. Most importantly, you are an integral part of the therapeutic process. All of this is designed to facilitate the transition to a normal home environment.

The Positive Peer Culture based program setting at Top Flight provides a strong therapeutic environment where students learn how to apply newly adopted skills into the home environment. Many students return home and adapt quite easily. For some, this transition can provide a struggle. Without question, this transition home is a large determinant in your son's long-term behavioral success.

As your son progresses at Top Flight, you and your therapist will begin to focus more attention on the transition home. To ensure this return home results in a successful experience, your therapist may recommend a Family Transition Management program. This program, developed and managed by Homeward Bound, employs the transition model developed by William Bridges, Ph.D., and brings proactive transition management into your home, into your son's circles and into the lives of your family at a time when dramatic change is taking place. Note that this is not passive, office therapy. Homeward Bound specialists work in your home and in your family's environment with all involved parties.

This three month transitional program is provided at a substantially reduced fee, as compared to standard tuition at Top Flight. Students enrolling in the Homeward Bound program will generally graduate from Top Flight earlier than normal, resulting in nearly the same overall cost to the parent.