Turning Winds works with teenage clients, ages 13–18, who may benefit from clinical therapy and academic guidance as they transition to adulthood. We are a catalyst for positive change in the lives of those who spend time here and specialize in many of the most common mental health conditions such as low self-esteem; behavioral problems; poor academic performance; various mental health disorders which may include ADHD, depression, substance use disorder, as well as spectrum and attachment disorders.
These children are intelligent, capable, and amazing, and yet their actions do not measure up to their true potential. Outward signs of their conditions are a daily dose of self-destructive and life-impeding decisions.
Many alumni transform their lives at Turning Winds and are so positively affected that they wish to share their stories. “Joshua” (name changed to protect his privacy) is a recent alumnus of Turning Winds. In one of our podcasts, he explained how working on himself turned his life around. “As a kid, I had a lot of trouble with defiance and just general disrespect toward my parents. I was very rebellious and did not want to do what my parents told me to. So, I was doing stupid stuff and being irresponsible.”
The Turning Winds model of care is centered around 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.
For Joshua, self-acceptance was one of the first steps. “Accepting who you are, accepting that you have problems that you need to start working on and that some of those problems you can’t work on by yourself,” he remembers. “When I went home, I was able to compare myself to the people I was hanging out with before I went to Turning Winds and they were just not good influences. So, I ended up dropping those people.”
THERAPEUTIC BOARDING SCHOOL
We aim to ensure every student gets the education and support they need for success. We work closely with the counseling departments in every student’s previous school to fill in any remaining gaps in their current educational path. We have an incredible educational team that specializes in working with teens who need specialized support with an individualized education program (IEP) or working with those students who need an advanced curriculum.
Our core curriculum was built over many years and is constantly updated. For example, when history books become outdated (as they often do), they are replaced with more recent editions. As in other school systems, the core curriculum at Turning Winds includes English, math, science, history, physical education, and foreign languages such as Spanish and French. In addition, there are electives such as psychology and sociology.
Teens in our therapeutic school environment learn decision-making skills by working to set and attain goals, relying on their knowledge and skills along with the knowledge and skills of others to address initiatives and projects, and participating in daily therapeutic group sessions dealing with issue resolution.
The “Five Pillars of Change” are the foundation for all our services. The Turning Winds staff believes that treatment success is most likely to be achieved through a combination of therapeutic and educational approaches that provide the best possible outcomes for each of our teenage clients.
WORKING ON BEHAVIORAL ISSUES
Our first objective after enrollment is to create a plan that addresses immediate behavioral issues. Most of our teens struggle behaviorally, especially at home. Typical behaviors we treat include defiance, lying, lack of motivation, stealing, running away, immaturity, negative peer relationships, and impulsivity.
We address these behaviors while also helping the family to close any gaps that may exist in the home environment. Our therapeutic boarding school like environment is effective in helping teens curb bad behaviors and adopt a healthier way of living.
ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT
At Turning Winds, we believe that creating relationships is key to success in life. We challenge each student to achieve personal excellence in academics and communication as they become self-directed and continue on their path of growth and achievement.
Students enrolled at Turning Winds experience an individualized academic experience. Our data show that our students earn an average GPA of 3.5 while here, and in a typical 12-month time period our average student completes about 1.5–2 years of school while experiencing an increase in GPA of almost a full letter grade over their GPA before coming to Turning Winds.
The process of learning itself can be powerfully therapeutic. The mindful pursuit of education can relate to all areas of life. At Turning Winds, educators help students see parallels between the rigors of academic life and the pursuit of a meaningful personal life.
“We’re not just talking about grades on a paper,” explains science teacher Cathy Miller. “We’re talking about emotional stability, goals for the future, making sure that academically they are where they are supposed to be, and planning where they’re going to go when they leave Turning Winds.”
OVERCOMING POOR DECISION MAKING
Before coming to Turning Winds, our clients typically have levels of self-worth that are in the unhealthy low range, which is manifested outwardly by almost daily self-defeating decisions. Additionally, they may struggle with social skill deficits—at home and/or outside the home—and poor impulse control. These children underachieve because they do not understand their value, potential, and strength. We specialize in helping them gain the vision to understand, see, and act according to their potential.
COMMON ADOLESCENT DISORDERS
We treat teenage boys and girls who may struggle with mild and major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, learning difficulties, attention difficulties such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mild to moderate oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reactive attachment disorder (RAD), and bipolar disorder (BD).
ADDICTION
Addictions can be overcome by utilizing the strength of a therapeutic boarding school environment. We treat all forms of mild to moderate addiction. Addictions treated at Turning Winds include video game addiction, online addictions, sex addiction including pornography, cutting and other self-injuries, and substance use disorder. Teens exhibiting similar forms of addictions have learned to manage and move past these vices, and more, while in our care.
In 2021, nearly a quarter of high school students drank alcohol during the past 30 days with female students more likely than male students to currently misuse alcohol, according to the CDC data. Sixteen percent of high school students used marijuana during the past 30 days that year and again girls were more likely than boys to currently use marijuana.
THE TURNING WINDS DIFFERENCE
At Turning Winds, teenage clients get reacquainted with life without constant phone and internet use. It is a safe place for teens to unplug and heal. We help teens break free from unhealthy tech habits. Instead, they try new activities and develop the social skills that are often stunted by excessive screen time. They gain confidence and build authentic friendships that are missing in the digital world.
“The simple, singular focus of our treatment process is to help each student improve their self-image and their self-confidence and change the behaviors that have been hindering their growth by teaching them to create stable patterns of living through education, process groups, and individualized treatment planning,” says Turning Winds CEO Owen Baisden.
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. Contact us online for more information, or call us at 800-845-1380.
