DS is 17 and in the lower sixth of a co-ed sixth form. He was previously at an all boys school. He didn't work hard for his GCSEs. He got good results but not stellar. He admits he has a problem with applying himself. But he also has a problem with getting overwhelmingly stressed. We've had plenty of emails and chats with the school about him not doing his work, being distracted and distracting other people. On paper he looks like a kid who doesn't care but he suffers from stress and anxiety. He doesn't sleep well, has IBS and "zones" out a lot at school. He is concerned about this zoning out. He realises that "equally bored people are producing more work". He doesn't go out that much, preferring to play computer games, though he does seem to communicate with people on snap chat. There are no drugs issues. We live in a 2 bed flat - we would know.
He's been saying recently that he's not going to university, having previously been aiming at a Russell Group. It's not a +tive decision. He just says he can't see himself applying himself. He's not saying he'd prefer something else, he's saying he can't cope. In fact most of what he says is about avoiding life's challenges. He says he can't think about the future and he doesn't feel optimistic about it. His preferred thing is to escape. He plays fantasy games and reads Manga.
We want to know how to help him. I can see him just grinding to a halt. He's on course for C/Ds at A-Level and worry about him not really doing anything. He doesn't want to leave home and he had a job in a pub which fizzled out. He doesn't seem to be motivated by anything.
We were wondering about sending him on Wilderness Therapy. He's done a bit of talking therapy with a life coach and he's good at chat. We just think that he needs more experiences and needs to build confidence and resilience. I was wondering if anyone had any experience of this kind of therapy? Or any other ideas?