Our typical student

Our typical girl would be described as very bright and talented. She may have an interest and talent in Fine Arts such as painting, ceramics, photography, music or dance. She may also have great interest and ability in writing, math, science, literature, or language. However, she tends to be a girl whose emotional and/or behavioral issues have conflicted with her being able to succeed in the areas in which she has great gifts.

While academic performance tends to range greatly with our students, their ability level certainly has them as college bound material. For some, this may require a lot of work, as they have begun taking a downward spiral in classroom performance or may struggle to comply with academic rigors in mainstream schools. For others, they have managed to maintain strong grade point averages and might need help to push themselves to more engaged learning experiences.

The La Europa student struggles with core issues such as hurt, pain, or fear. These core issues may result from a variety of different types of past and current experiences. Core issues may also display themselves in a variety of different types of behaviors. The La Europa student is more likely to find coping strategies to relieve her pain in the short term, while punishing herself in the long run. This makes her clinically complex and she may no longer be benefiting from outpatient therapy.

Some issues/behaviors might include:

• Depression or Bipolar symptoms
• Anxiety
• Eating Disorders
• Cutting/Self-Mutilation
• Sexual Reactivity
• Drugs/Alcohol
• Relationship difficulties–Often getting too close too fast or having a tough time making friends at all
• Excessive anger or frustration
• Family Conflict
• Defiance to rules or authority figures
• School failure
• Trauma
• Self-esteem issues
• Chameleon behaviors (may act differently based on whoever she is hanging around)–Tries to adapt or fit based on what others want/expect from her. Tends lo lack her own identity.

Our girls are more likely to be kind to others while treating themselves poorly. Our girls struggle with self worth, feeling loveable, and worrying that they have let the family down. These intense feelings tend to be what she is hiding. We believe this is the root or core of her intensifying and escalating behaviors.

For a vivid look at our students, click here to watch a unique video into the talents of our students.