Specialty Boarding School for Troubled Teens in Montana

Turning Winds Academic Institute:
Are you looking for a Boarding School, Residential Treatment Program, Boot camp, Military School, Wilderness Camp, or a Therapeutic Boarding School? Turning Winds Academic Institute is a leading therapeutic private boarding school for troubled teens, and provides a comprehensive teen help program for parents of troubled teens between 12 and 18 years, who need the support of professional educators and therapists to turn the lives around. Located in Troy, Lincoln County, 76 miles northwest of Kalispell in northwestern Montana, Turning Winds Academic Institute provides a structured environment as a good alternative to a boot camp or military school. Although we are not a summer camp, we understand the power of the outdoors and spend a good amount of time in the outdoors with those who attend our program. Turning Winds Academic Institute is one of the most successful therapeutic boarding schools in our industry. We are fully accredited by The Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.

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Turning Winds Academic Institute seeks to turn hearts and minds toward a brighter future. We challenge each student to achieve personal excellence in academics, communication, and thinking skills, in order to become a self directed, contributing member of society.

Philosophy:
Our teachers are dedicated to providing each student with an excellent education. Educators structure learning for students based upon their specific learning needs and growth. Turning Winds Academic Institute provides a variety of teaching and learning opportunities. Frequent field trips, technology integration, and other educational activities and resources are integrated to support student learning.

Turning Winds Academic Institute is a "well oiled machine." We have been in the teen business long enough to know what works and what does not work. Our main areas of focus are: behavior modification, emotional stability, and academic achievement. We are very good at what we do. Below are a few key points that could set us apart from other programs.

* First-Class clinical team.
* One on one weekly therapy sessions.
* Nightly group sessions led by a counselor.
* Fully Accredited Academic Institute accredited by National Private Schools Accreditation Alliance and Accreditation Alliance International.
* Certified teachers coming from a variety of backgrounds in education, affording them the necessary tools to cultivate success with each student.
* Small program of up to 50 students, which allows us to focus on the individual. (Allowing no child to slip through the crack)
* Turning Winds Academic Institute employees are amongst the best in the industry.
* Our administrative/management team have over 50+ years of combined experience working with troubled teens.
* Family oriented program.
* Located in Northwestern Montana on 150 acres with a beautiful trout river flowing through the property.
* Our students are housed in an immaculate 10,000 sq. ft. log lodge.
* Utilize the outdoors to help facilitate change.
* Competitive prices.
* Partial scholarships available.
* Parents can qualify for educational loans.
* Extensive aftercare program.

* Depression
* Defiance
* Substance Abuse
* Negative Attention Seeking
* Absence of self worth
* Lack of motivation
* Counterproductive relationships
* Low academic achievement
* Manipulation
* Resistance to change
* Disorganization
* Poor Family Relationships

Duration of the program:
The average length of stay is about 12 months. Although that is the average, the length of stay will vary for each teen we help. Some of our students go home after 10 months and do very well, while every now and then it could take up to 18 months for other teens to go home and be in a good enough space to be successful. The easiest way to determine the amount of time it will take to change a teen is to consider the amount of time they have been going in the wrong direction; while understanding the longer one travels in the wrong direction, the longer it is going to take to get him/her back on track.

* Personal values based on selflessness and commitment.
* Skills in critical thinking and quality decision making.
* The accumulation of academic skills for a variety of occupational choices.
* Communication skills of the highest standards in reading, writing, and speaking.
* Basic technology skills to succeed in academics.
* An environment that instills leadership qualities through peer interactions.
* Integrity while participating in all academic and social activities.
* A strong sense of self-discipline which enables him/her to act responsibly.

We Believe:
* All students have the capacity to learn.
* Individual students have different learning modalities.
* High expectations are necessary for the student to reach their greatest potential.
* The products of life long learning, through goal setting and persistence, are satisfaction and success.

Theurapeutic Boarding school program for troubled teens between the ages of 12-18. High School; General Education Development (GED) or high school equivalency; College Programs. While at Turning Winds Academic Institute the teens go through three program phases; the orientation, transition, and aftercare phase. The entire program averages approximately 12-months. Turning Winds Academic Institute can accept enrollment for up to 50 students.

Although not a short-term treatment option, the Turning Winds Academic Institute therapeutic program is designed to help teens return to live with their families as soon as possible. This program is based upon the philosophy that lasting behavior change must involve personal growth, and that a person's character is important. Our clinical staff helps residents develop the character virtues of industriousness, direction, environmentalism, integrity, responsibility, respect, and familial connection. Residents learn to appreciate themselves as complete persons, their weakness also being their strengths. They are encouraged to explore their own resources and bring their strengths into different areas of their lives as they develop a better understanding of themselves, their peers and their environment.

An indispensable part of the Turning Winds Academic Institute therapeutic program is that clinical services are carried out by our first-class clinical team. Upon admission, each resident is assessed by a clinician, including through use of formal testing, to determine their unique psychosocial and mental health needs. Then an individual treatment plan is created by the treatment team in order to address the needs of that individual.

Teens have weekly individual counseling sessions with treatment clinicians. The predominant therapy orientation in use at Turning Winds Academic Institute is the well-known and validated "Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy" approach. Our treatment team meets frequently together to discuss the needs of each child. Periodically, teens participate in co-therapy sessions involving two or more clinicians. Also, several members of our treatment team meet with teens from time to time to assess their progress and provide direction, and parents are frequently asked to participate in person or by phone in these "directions meetings". Certain challenges require more frequent interventions. Decisions are made flexibly, on a case-by-case basis.

Clinical staff present clinical curriculum to groups of teens on a variety of topics each week, and help them to actively process this material. Clinical staff also often mediates other groups, which bring the positive power of the teen peer group to bear on individual teens. In this setting, residents can explore interpersonal relationships and take risks without fear of rejection.

Guided career interest explorations is also provided to teens, typically after they have made significant progress in addressing their individual problems and are closer to reintegrating back into their families.

The Turning Winds Academic Institute treatment team values the input of families. Families are the crucible in which residents have become the persons that they are, and are thus crucial in the turnaround process. During family visits at the Turning Winds Academic Institute facility, family therapy sessions with the resident are scheduled in order to work on challenges within the family as well as to prepare residents and their families for reuniting during the aftercare phase of treatment.