Troubled Teens - Turning Winds - Residential Treatment Program for at risk youth

Make that first call.

Every child must go through a review process. This process includes several conversations between the Turning Winds staff and the parent. In order for your child to be enrolled in the Turning Winds program the following items must be completed: an application form, an enrollment document, a financial review and a staff review. Upon receipt and review of these things any follow-up questions will be addressed and a letter of acceptance or rejection will be sent out.

Many troubled teens are making poor decisions regarding their lives. Most of these decisions are negative and are resulting in life altering or life threatening behaviors. You, as the parents know your child best. Our opinions come from past history. We have heard many statements such as:

If you send me to a program, I will run away.
If you send me to a program, you will never see me again.
If you send me to a program, I will hurt myself.
If you send me to a program, I will just get worse.
If you send me to a program, I will never speak to you again.
If you send me to a program, you are even worse parents then I originally thought.
I won't go.

These are all things which adolescents have told their parents in hopes that the course of their decisions will be changed. If you think for a fleeting moment that your child would do any of the above, why would you take the risk of confronting your son/daughter? Remember that we are trying to save his/her life. Let us tell him/her upon our arrival.

If, on the other hand, your child is interested in receiving help, please let him/her know where he/she will be going and attempt to help him/her understand the benefits of such a program.

Several members of the Turning Winds staff are experienced in transport procedures. Often these staff members fly into your nearest airport and transport the adolescents to our facilities. Transports generally occur early in the mornings in order to ensure the successful transport of your child. Airport security is always notified for emergency purposes. The Turning Winds staff will check into a local hotel the day prior to the scheduled transport and will meet with you over dinner that evening. We will explain to you the common procedures which are employed in a transport. The length of the procedure itself should take only a few minutes. Your child will then be on his/her way to Montana. We have determined that when the Turning Winds staff is involved with the transportation of your child, then the child feels less stress and is more compliant.

Each participant is an individual who progresses at a different rate. No two children are the same. Therefore, we do not have a standard date for your child's return home. Each child goes home when he/she is ready. We employ a mandatory three month minimum stay in our program. However, the average length that adolescents reside in our facilities is approximately 1 year. The length of stay for your child will depend upon his/her goals and success in the program. For example, if your adolescent chooses to stay and attend a semester of college before returning home, the length of stay may be longer.

Along with each "parent packet," there are testimonials written by parents and students who are either enrolled in the current program or have returned home. Upon review of those documents, you may want to contact these parents. Please take the time to ask, and we will provide names and phone numbers necessary for this to take place.

Along with each "parent packet" there is a list of clothing which the participants will need during their first few months at Turning Winds. Please send those items to Turning Winds within the first week after arrival of your child at our facilities. Anything which the participant needs prior to that will be purchased by Turning Winds. Those items will be billed to the parents.

Turning Winds does provide the participants with the following items;

Sleeping Bag
Camp mattress
Tent
Camp pillow
Headlamp
Back pack
Hiking socks (12 pair)
Hiking Boots
2 water Bottles
Camp Stove
Pans
Eating Utensils

Any additional items will be billed to the parents.

The three phases of the Turning Winds Program are: the Orientation Phase, the Transition Phase and the Aftercare Phase. The Orientation Phase involves stabilization, counseling, group therapy, academics and family reunification. The Transition Phase of the program is designed to maintain change. During this portion of the program, each adolescent continues in counseling, group therapy and academics. Also, he/she will be given privileges and responsibilities that are similar to those that he/she will experience upon returning home. The Aftercare Phase allows the adolescent to keep in contact with Turning Winds Staff and to work through issues or problems that may occur after your child returns home.

Academics, during the months of September through May, begin for each student approximately three weeks into the orientation phase. They are scheduled from 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. Academics are administrated by a licensed teacher and are designed to maximize each student's individual learning style. Due to the fact that most participants are behind in school, we have chosen to teach through correspondence courses. Students may also choose to enroll in the High School Equivalency program. This program is only meant for participants who are behind in academics, are of the appropriate age and would like to enter college or technical school.

Yes. Currently, we have a Ph.D., NCC as part of our therapeutic team.

2:1 (Total participants to total staff).

Yes. Northern Montana is a recreational wonderland. We are surrounded by pine trees, lakes, rivers, streams and mountains. We certainly take advantage of our environment. One of the most exciting and therapeutic outdoor activities that your child will participate in is a 7-10 day backpacking trip called "course." The Course is outlined in more detail in the program description.

Turning Winds is a small, individualized program. We maintain our current staff to student ratio in order to provide each of our residents with the best possible treatment. If you are looking for a large facility where your child may get lost physically and/or mentally, then Turning Winds is not for your child.

Due to our unique size, and the caliber of staff, we can assist your child in ways that will promote your child's success. Each child is given an individual service plan that is designed to specifically address the issues that are most pertinent to his/her success.

Parents are contacted by a staff member weekly. The contact person works directly with your child and has first hand knowledge regarding his/her situation. In addition to the weekly phone calls, parents receive a weekly email. This could include current pictures of your child at various stages of work and activities, a summary statement regarding your child's progress and a 50 word note from your child.

Weekly phone calls are made from staff to parents. Parents must be available for these pre-scheduled phone calls. Parents must also support the program and its staff during the child's stay at Turning Winds. Weekly letters are required from the parent to the adolescent. Parents are required to write a "time-line" (see parent handbook) to arrive at Turning Winds within the first 10 days of the adolescent's stay. Parents are also required to write an "issue letter" (see parent handbook) to arrive during the adolescent's 3rd week of stay. Parent are to participate in their child's graduation from the Orientation Phase of the program which happens between 8-12 weeks after the adolescent's arrival at Turning Winds. During and after the child is enrolled in the Turning Winds program, the parents must attend formal family and individual counseling.

Most parents tell us that their child is at the point of not listening to or not communicating with them. A common statement is, "Everything seems go in one ear and out the other." To build up communication between the child and the parents, weekly letters are sent out each Monday and Tuesday. Each family should receive these letters by Friday of the same week. Once a child has graduated from the orientation phase of the program, weekly phone calls are made between child and parent. These phone calls will be pre-set with date and time. A staff member will facilitate these calls. We are there to answer any questions and talk about any concerns. Each child is allowed to talk for 30 minutes.

Your first visit will take place between the second and third month after the child's arrival. These constraints are determined by the child's progress. Parental visits must be scheduled after the initial visit. Visits will range from 3 to 7 days.

Yes. Since the Turning Winds program is transitional in nature, it is our goal to have the child on home visits as often as possible. These visits normally happen two months after the parents' initial visit. These visits range from 3 to 10 days. All visits can be shortened or extended based upon other circumstances. We are interested in seeing how the child and parents did when confronted with their own home environment. These visits can be scheduled at two month intervals.

Through a lot of hard work and consistent effort. Correspondence work is the best and fastest way to get caught up.

The Turning Winds facilities are homes situated on approximately 80 acres of woods in Northern Montana. Each child has a bed and receives a daily hot shower. Hot meals are prepared by the participants who are guided by staff. Chores are also the responsibility of each student. Washing dishes, cleaning the counters, cleaning the table, washing the pots and pans, putting away the food, preparing the weekly food inventory, wiping down counters, stove, refrigerator, cleaning the bathrooms, and their own rooms and daily bed making. The participants become self motivated and self reliant.

Food is bought and prepared based upon the weekly food menu. All meals include all of the basic food groups.

Each child takes a daily hot shower. There is an exception to this rule. That is when we are on an overnight activity and there are no shower facilities. This is common in the great outdoors. There are always lakes and streams to dip into while out on an extended backpacking or camping activity. General hygiene is conducted in the morning, after each meal and prior to going to bed. Washing of clothes takes place on a weekly scheduled basis where each participant is required to per-spot, wash, dry and fold their own laundry. Each participant then has the responsibility to put his/her clothes away.

During late spring, summer and early fall some activities might be:

Hiking
Backpacking
Canoeing
Kayaking
Swimming
Camping
Motivational sessions
Field trips
Tending a garden
Group sessions
Volleyball
Fitness Workout
Building and creating
Reforestation

During late fall, winter and early spring a few of these activities might be:

skiing
Snowshoeing
Sledding
Backpacking
Hiking
Camping
Fitness workout
Survival activities
Building and creating
Landscaping
Volleyball
Field trips

See the daily schedules included in the "parent handbook."

Each participant starts his/her day in a motivational session where ideas and thoughts are put on paper and into practice. This a time where the child begins to reflect upon his/her life and the consequences for living an at-risk life. As an example:

See the Story of "The Starfish" and Student Response in "parent handbook."

Turning Winds provides each participant with many opportunities to sit and talk about the ups and downs of life. These are done on a formal and informal basis. Each child participates in a weekly counseling session and on a monthly basis, each child participates in a therapy session. On an informal basis, each child, when the need arises, may sit down with a staff member on a day-to-day basis to discuss issues which the child may be dealing with. Group sessions are conducted on a three nights per week basis.

Yes. A nightly group session occurs in which each child is able to express problems or issues that have arisen during the day. Also, three nights per week special group sessions are conducted in order to facilitate change and growth in the adolescents enrolled in the Turning Winds Program. These group sessions make use of the "Positive Peer Culture Model." The model engages the peers and expects them to hold each other accountable for their actions.

Once participants have returned home, they are advised to make frequent phone calls to the staff and the students they have left behind. E-mail is also encouraged on a weekly basis. Each child may also be given the opportunity to return as a visitor to Turning Winds. Our unique summer program may be used year after year as a support program.

Yes. Our Independent Living Skills Curriculum is required for all students enrolled in The Turning Winds Program. Skills such as cooking, food inventory, resume writing, how to apply for a job, finding a job, interviewing, balancing a check book, organizing and managing daily activities are all things which adolescents learn at Turning Winds.

See "Turning Winds Clothing List" found in the "Parent Handbook."

Adolescents between the ages of 12-17 may be enrolled in the Turning Winds Program. Most of the children at our facilities have the following problems or engage in the following behaviors: ADD, AD/HD, anger, disrespect, poor decision making, poor peer relations, poor in school (yet brilliant), poor behavior, failing at home and school, having a lack of focus, not following boundaries, impulsive, engaging in some drug use, having low self esteem, having no goals, procrastinating, manipulating, deceiving, lying, being disorganized, lacking motivation, and are not being reliable.

A change! In most cases, the child's success depends on the length of time the child is able to spend away from the home. The longer the child stays at Turning Winds, the greater the chance of long-term success. The reason for this is that the home environment and your child's friends are reminders of the poor decisions that he/she was making before enrolling in Turning Winds. These things can be triggers for those previous behaviors to occur again. The longer your child spends in a new environment, the greater his/her chances for developing new patterns of behavior that will remain with him/her upon leaving Turning Winds.

Almost every child who enters the Turning Winds program will change. However, long- term success depends a great deal upon the length of time a child is here and the follow- up that occurs with that child after his/her return home. Each child is given a "discharge plan" which contains goals for the individual child and the family. Some of these goals may include: family counseling, individual counseling, scheduled phone calls to the Turning Winds staff, e-mails to the Turning Winds staff, periodic return visits and return to our summer programs. Parents' work is never done. Even after a stay at Turning Winds, a child's re-entry into the home is essential and must be a learning experience for both the child and the parents. Each participant and his/her parent's should use Turning Winds as a support mechanism for the long-term success of the family.

Three phases: orientation, transition, aftercare

Orientation Phase: Each adolescent who is admitted to Turning Winds begins his/her stay in the orientation phase. During this time, each child is given rules and stipulations that he/she must meet in order to progress to the next phase of the program. Immediately after arrival at Turning Winds, a psychologist develops a service plan that details the reasons for each child's arrival at Turning Winds and the goals that must be accomplished before the adolescent can enter the Transitional Phase of the program. The goals set for each child will include things such as learning how to be respectful to parents, staff and peers, learning how to communicate effectively and properly channel feelings of anger, to show sustained academic improvement and to learn how to problem solve. The primary goal of the Orientation Phase is to stabilize each adolescent and to work towards building positive relationships with family members.

Upon satisfactory completion of the goals laid out in the service plan, each adolescent is given the opportunity to embark on a therapeutic trek which we call "course." This is a five to seven (5-7) day backpacking trek with a three (3) day solo at the end. Solo is a time when each child camps on his/her own and has contact only with staff members. He/She will work on writing assignments and motivational activities that will equip him/her with the ability to successfully continue in the Transitional Phase. These assignments also provide the foundational background that the adolescent will need to return home.

When the therapeutic trek is completed, the child's parent(s) are asked to visit Turning Winds in order to participate in a graduation for their child and to take him/her on a two-three (2-3) day visit. Graduation signifies each child's successful completion of his/her initial goals. It also signifies that the child is displaying a positive attitude and showing extreme improvements in behavior as well as academics. This is a time for each child and parent(s) to reunite and to continue to build their new relationship.

The Transitional Phase of the Turning Winds program is designed to sustain change. After completing the Orientation Phase, each adolescent has made significant changes in his/her life. The goal of the Transition Phase is to continue to build upon those changes and to ensure that they become patterns of behavior that will remain with the child upon his/her return home. After graduation, visits between each child and his/her parent(s) are scheduled on a regular basis to assist in the transition home.

The transitional phase is structured to provide a setting that is even closer to the original home environment that children are used to. Academic work continues throughout this phase and goal setting is mandatory. Each child is asked to look into the future and think about where he/she would like to be within the next few years. College and educational goals are explored as well as career possibilities. Students are given the opportunity to create resumes and participate in mock interviews. They participate in numerous educational field trips and spend time learning life skills such as balancing a check book.

The Transitional Phase also provides the children with the ability to have special privileges that are not offered those in the Orientation Phase. Weekly off campus activities occur, such as going to the movies, shopping and going out to eat. Each adolescent is given a weekly allowance. Further, the schedule for those in the Transitional Phase is modified to allow for more free time and to demonstrate to those who have graduated that they are trusted. Those adolescents in this phase are allowed to sleep in later and go to bed later than the others. They are given the opportunity to develop their own workout routine and send out emails to family members.

After Care Phase: Once it has been determined that the child is ready to return home, the After Care Phase begins. A set of rules and guidelines that each child is expected to abide by after returning home are developed by the parent(s) with the help of Turning Winds' staff. The rules are presented to each adolescent and a plan is made by the child that will help to ensure that these rules and expectations are met.

Upon returning home, each adolescent is required to contact Turning Winds at least once per week for the first two months. Our staff will assist with any conflict or problems that may have arisen since the child has returned home and seek to ensure a happy and successful incorporation back into the family unit.