The Turning Winds team is dedicated to fostering lifelong relationships and promoting the healing of our teenage clients. Our model of care, renowned for its effective therapeutic support, mirrors a functional family system. This system is integral to our residential treatment for teens. From the beginning, embodying the essence of family has been a cornerstone of the Turning Winds approach to healing.
Many alumni, having dramatically changed their lives at Turning Winds, are so positively affected that they wish to share their stories to help others. Alumnus Andrew (not his real name) recently returned to Turning Winds because he wanted to support a family member currently in treatment with us.
It was an emotional experience for Andrew. “It’s hard and it’s amazing at the same time,” he says. From his own experience, he knows it’s “the best thing and the most exciting thing ever because I know what it can do and I believe that it can do the same thing for her as it did for me, and that’s changed her life completely. Like a 180 degrees—completely separate from what it is now or what it was before treatment.”
Today, Andrew feels blessed that people who cared enough about him got him into treatment and set him up for success. Now, he is giving back. “I’m super lucky that I got to go through those things because the same things that I learned while I was here are the same things that I get to teach other people in my life today. And that’s just a huge blessing. So, my life is beautiful.”
REUNITED WITH FAMILY
Our mission is to rescue teens from crises, renew their belief in their potential, reunite them with their families, and put them on a sustainable path to success. A crucial element of Andrew’s treatment was repairing his relationship with his family.
“I have a really amazing relationship with my family,” he proudly confirms. “I have honest relationships that I don’t have to take from them. So, I can have their love and care, and it’s not transactional, and that’s really beautiful.”
That kind of profound change usually takes time. In his book Not By Chance, teen therapy expert Tim Thayne emphasized the importance of allowing enough time for change to occur. “There is another element to why good programs work, and that is simply time,” Thayne wrote. “To create deep internal change, teens need to be immersed in a carefully crafted milieu, with positive values and solid principles, long enough for these changes to sink in.”
The biggest thing for Andrew was the moment when he stopped running away from his problems, no longer willing to just numb himself to those problems. “When I invested in myself and let people invest in me, that is when I was given the gift of this amazing life, right?”
HARD WORK PAYS OFF
Recovery takes a lot of work, says Andrew, “but once you do just a little bit, things will start showing up in your life that are out of your wildest dreams. My life today is more beautiful than I’ve ever expected because I just took a little bit of time and had faith in myself and tried to see why people cared about me, so I think that anybody who maybe is struggling or scared or nervous about this next step forward, it’s just allowing yourself to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Instead of getting high and wasting his life, Andrew is now looking forward to what each day can bring. “I’m just trying to make sure that I can see all the people I need to see, get the things done that I need to get done, spend time with my family, and still have time to rest,” he says.
CREATING LEADERS AND REAL CONNECTIONS
A big part of his success at Turning Winds is that “they like to create leaders,” says Andrew. “Every kid is gonna be a leader by the time they go, and those kids at the end of their stay are taking the new kids on, helping them a lot. One of the biggest things for me about Turning Winds that changed my stay was the connections that I built here. The kids who had been here a little bit longer were great. I had a lot of really good friendships, kids that I still spend time with today.” On top of that, Andrew stays in touch with the Turning Winds staff as well.
Aside from the connections he forged, Andrew feels that Montana is really beautiful, so much so that he may move there someday.
The Turning Winds model of care centers on therapeutic support in a setting that resembles the family environment clients will return to. Healthy behaviors are practiced and reinforced in a safe environment. Our clinical services combine the best elements of care from wilderness therapy, therapeutic boarding schools, and inpatient treatment to create a one-of-a-kind residential treatment center.
“Our multi-therapeutic approach is designed to address the diverse needs of our teens. By combining different therapeutic methods, we can offer more personalized and effective treatment,” says CEO Owen Baisden. “Each method brings a unique set of tools and perspectives, which, when used together, provide a well-rounded approach to mental health care. This integration is crucial for dealing with complex behavioral and emotional issues.”
Are you seeking a transformative solution for your teen’s challenges? Turning Winds offers a full continuum of care for teens with mental health needs, including suicidal ideation and substance misuse. Our clients achieve success through a combination of therapeutic, recreational, and educational approaches that together provide the best possible outcomes.
The hybrid approach at Turning Winds blends the successful aspects of residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools, and wilderness therapy into one life-changing experience. Contact us online for more information, or call us at 800-845-1380.
