Turning Winds, Troy MT

Sending our son to Turning Winds was difficult in every aspect. My Wife and I tried several different avenues of approach with little to no effect. As time went on, he got worse! My wife was able to find Turning Winds and through our primary care provider was able to get a referral through Tricare. We are a Military family, and our family was still suffering the effects of multiple deployments. Turning Winds gave us and our son opportunity and to open a communication line that didn't start out with continues arguing and fighting. We are grateful to the staff at Turning Winds for all of their dedication and efforts trying to help these kids.

My son spent close to a year at Turning Winds, which was his fourth program. The staff at Turning Winds unquestionably cared about my son, and did their absolute best in working with him, and trying to get him into a better place. He is home now, and while life is not perfect, the version of my son that returned home is far less confrontational, does not push and escalate to the same degree he used to, does not escalate to physical violence any longer, and takes breaks when difficult discussions are happening. I am very grateful to the entire staff for their work with my son, and of the four programs he attended, Turning Winds unquestionably made the biggest impact on him. When he entered, I did not have much hope for his future. Thanks to Turning Winds, that has changed.

Sending our child to Turning Winds was the most difficult decision we have ever had to make. We debated for months and knew that without drastic change there would be no High School graduation or much of a future. Turning Winds gave us that opportunity back and a path to communication with our child. I am grateful to the staff for all of their dedication.

My son spent just under one year at Turning Winds and while it was a bit of a roller coaster given his challenges, I have nothing but great things to say about TW. From the directors, therapists, daily staff, teachers, nursing crew, etc. I felt like my son was in great hands and was very well cared for. They truly built relationships with him and while he could be extremely difficult at times, they stuck with him and he would pull through. It is an extremely agonizing decision to make to send your child away to be cared for by people you don't know, especially when there are some programs that are not what they present to be and there's a lot of mixed reviews. With Turning Winds, I trusted the people, the process and the program, and truly believe he was safer working through his challenges with their professional and trained staff than at home with me as I was hanging on by a thread. As a parent, I also learned so much through the program and grew in ways I needed to in order to support my son upon his return home. They really cover the bases with regards to the family and working with parents as well. I encourage people to not lose faith in these programs although you absolutely need to be careful and do your due diligence in choosing one. I feel very grateful and lucky to have found TW and would highly recommend their program.

Our family had a great experience with TW. Not only did I feel comfortable speaking with the staff and treatment team, but I felt secure in their process. The team at TW genuinely cares about the kiddos and the family dynamics. The staff was readily available through phone, text, and email. There were weekly updates with Zoom meetings and phone calls. If you can seek this additional help for your family member, I highly recommend TW!

Facility let Some get away with thing's while others were punished for littlest of occurrences, staff were trained but had favorable student's. Recommend Mike Wallace and mike Dillard for better pay.still went out a better person despite being kicked out.

My child attended TWAI in 2023. It was a great experience for him. The location is amazing. The staff are excellent. They are dedicated to the students. The Theraputic side has the best therapists and the academics are right on track with the students grade level. They have actual teachers so it's very hands on. The communication between staff and parents is open. I would not hesitate to Recommend Turning Winds Academic Institute if your'e looking for a TBS

My best friend went here and it was hell for her. She was not the same when she got out. Please do not send your children here, they are not treated like people here. The staff are not professional and they enjoy power tripping the students.

I went to Turning Winds for a year when I was 15. I am now 23, and don’t have a day go by where I don’t blame the Baisden family and any staff that work for them for the trauma they put me through. While there I experienced sexual, physical, but most consistently, mental abuse. The staff are not trained or qualified to be dealing with children in such fragile situations. The education was incredibly sub-par, hence how children can make up two years of eduction in one year. My parents have since expressed that they regret having sent me to Turning Winds because of the constant manipulation by the staff including Carl Baisden. They pit me and my family against each other by claiming I was lying and manipulating them when I begged to go home. I was not able to tell my parents about the constant abuse and neglect because all of my phone calls and letters were monitored. If I brought up the things that were going on inside those walls they would end the call and claim it to be a lie used to manipulate my parents into taking me home. Their best phrase is “you know a kid is ready to go home when they stop asking”, which should show you that they are intent on breaking your child like a horse. They charged my parents and their insurance for services that were never provided, and they continued to receive charges well after I had returned home. They also falsely advertise the activities, living conditions, services, and daily life on their website. If you are considering sending your child here and would like an honest recommendation, talk to the survivors of Turning Winds and they will almost unanimously agree that this place causes more harm than good. I went to 3 programs during my teen-hood and Turning Winds is the only one that I am writing a review like this for. Please do thorough research and DO NOT trust just anybody with a good website and brochure to raise your child.

I was here in 2011-2012. This place was very abuse and did not treat me like a human being. I had so much hatred with my family over the fact that they sent me here, that I rebelled once I went home. If you love your kids, you would never put them through this experience.

I spent almost a year here, and its a good experience for adolescents to soul search,
The environment and the therapeutic "system" work very well at helping breakdown how certain phycological concepts work, and how to work on yourself to master your mind.if you have the ability to control your own mind you can find success in various endeavors in life, and this is a place that can allow a young adult to figure how he/she can do that for themselves.everything inside the program is perfect for helping your kid improve in these main aspects
1) hygiene and cleanliness
2) Disciplining yourself
3) clearing your mind of past trauma
4) solving your mental crisis, through factual information.
5) staying involved in school.
6) how to control drug cravings, and what tools to use to stay away.etc.

Now.fair warning to the parents,
Before thinking of sending your kid here, please give it an effort yourself, give your kid an idea as to how you feel about whats going on, and talk to your kid about different options.
Give them a second chance at home by setting rules and doing everything turning winds does at home.if after all of your personal efforts your kid hasn't changed,
turning winds is a good option, just make sure you have a good medical insurance carrier/ either or 6 figures kept away due the high cost of this program and also any other program just like it.make sure to actually be there when your kids call, any send letters back to your kid if they write to you.my parents did a very incredible job at showing they care,
but I got very tired of hearing stories about parents who send their kid away to treatement and dont communicate.thats crucial in the growth of your child,
if your not going to show your kid that YOU are also involved, then dont send them away from home!

thanks,
Enoch, Carl, Dave, Cliff, Waxbom, Tara, Mike W, and to all the staff that were a part of this process.

I would highly recommend Turning Winds for families with troubled teens. The program is well structured and deals with a broad spectrum of mental health and behavioral issues. I was concerned when I read some of the one star reviews but once I did my own due diligence by contacting the Montana Department of public health the Joint Commission on the Accredidation of hospitals and puplic records of malpractice suits I found that most of the one star reviews were simple a smear campaign and not accurate at all. Turning Winds checked out on all levels as a legitimate and safe institution/program. My niece attended Turning winds for 5 months and we saw a significant improvement in her attitude, behavior and mental health. I took off a star because of lack of direct communication from the Psychiatrist on staff and because my niece was let go from the program when she turned 18. She could have benefited from a few more months in the program

We were recommended to TW by some friends so we decided to give him one last shot. We arrived and were greeted by the nicest people. Everyone was very helpful in welcoming him to his new "home". I went with staff and toured the facility. The views were breathtaking. They are very kid friendly and open to our needs. They went in depth about therapy and what they offer. Now, we have tried about 5 different RTC's and this blew them all away.
I can't say enough about the 1 on 1 therapy he was given and the information that they passed on to me as his journey began. Not only is there therapy but the outdoor activities and fresh air was great for him. They are knowledgeable and understanding to every kids needs. This was a great place for our son to get professional help in an environment that was educational, tough love, and therapeutical.

I wanted to write a review of Turning Winds because if you are reading this and if you were like me you probably feel very sad, powerless, and confused. My son attended Turning Winds from Jan 2022 - Jan 2023. The months leading up to that decision were the most stressful and hopeless my wife and I have experienced. Having now attended the Turning Winds parent weekend we got to hear similar stories from other parents. Often the teen is impulsive and does things that only get themselves into more and more trouble and often isolate themselves from peers and lose friends. I read stories about some schools that essentially abused the kids or used extreme tactics. It is hard to know how much is truth versus someone making accusations out of anger or resentment but as a parent it is scary. Previous attempts at shorter term interventions, family therapy, partial hospitalizations had not worked. I can honestly say I am so fortunate to have come across Turning Winds on one of my searches. From the first phone call with Eric as we inquired about admission to subsequent calls with Carl and Owen we were greeted by compassionate and caring individuals. I realized we are not alone in this and that there are good options. My son’s experience at Turning Winds was transformative. It was not easy and around month 3 he was really trying to test staff and his teachers but eventually something clicked—about 6 months into the program. He realized most of his problems were of his own doing and that he could change and make things better. His self-esteem continued to grow as he saw he was not destined to fail at everything. He was around other challenged boys and some he found very annoying. He tells me that one day he realized that HE was also that annoying kid to others and he did not want to be that way. He needed to change and he did. Each staff member cared about the kids at the school. Toward the later part of his time at Turning Winds my son became a leader, a role model. He gained the trust of staff and now that he demonstrated he could be reliable they trusted him to participate in off campus events. He also was asked to attend a service trip to Guatemala that fall as well. His time in rural Guatemala was eye opening when he saw how they were able to make the most of life while having very little.
January 2023 my son graduated from High School as well as the therapeutic program at Turning Winds. We are now 7 months post-graduation and return home. He is 18 years old, has obtained certification in various welding techniques and is working full time as a welder for a large local company. He gets himself up for work every day at 6am and is tired by 10pm. He believes in himself and is functioning successfully. I am very proud of him but I am thankful for the program at Turning Winds to provide the structure and treatment and therapy to allow him to get to this point. I whole-heartedly recommend Turning Winds if you find that your child and you are in a similar bleak situation. My son has also kept in touch with several staff at Turning Winds and has called them every 4-6 weeks to say hello and see how things are going. I think that really says a lot. So if you are reading this I suspect you are in a tough situation and I am sorry for that. I hope that Turning Winds is an option for you and your child.

Turning Winds helped our son tremendously during his mental health crisis. They are the most compassionate people helping teenagers through mental health issues. We will forever be grateful to them.

We had a great experience at Turning Winds. I found the staff very understanding and knowledgeable. They were responsive and easy to get in touch with. They helped me with the insurance filings and accepted the reimbursements. My son was very upset with being sent there more many months. His therapist and the team were firm but supportive and won him over. He has reached up to his therapist some since leaving just to check in. He has even considered going back to visit at some point. After his experience there, he would like to be a child counselor himself some day.

Please. I beg you. Do not send your children here. I don’t have enough time in the world to explain all of the things wrong with this place. Your children are not even considered humans, they’re a “level”. Your child will suffer from extreme depression and anxiety and abandonment issues when coming home and throughout the rest of their life. This place is abuse.
The Baisden’s will seem like they care, but I promise they don’t. If you truly want to help your babies, send them somewhere else.
I will always try to help anyone decide against TWAI when choosing help for their children.

I had searched and searched and kept coming back to TW. After speaking with a few parents of past students I was certain TW was the right choice for our 16 year old daughter. It was not an easy decision to send our daughter away but we knew it was the right one. We had been in a 3 year downward spiral and TW was the best thing we ever did for our daughter and our family. She is still a teenager don’t get me wrong but she said her self if she didn’t go to TW she was headed down the wrong path. She has been home for almost 6 weeks and it’s been amazing to see the positive changes. Shout out to her therapist Sean and Cliff (support staff). These two played a huge role in our daughters journey as they were the ones she entrusted the most. The kids have structure, individual therapy, group therapy, activities and make new and life long friends. Our daughter wants to visit soon. Wanting to visit TW says a lot about what she thinks about TW.

Turning winds saved my son's life. Everyone there is dedicated and top-notch. They genuinely care about the children there and making their lives better. I would recommend them anyone that is struggling with a difficult teen.

The horrible treatment is outrageous. It is disappointing this is still open. The amount of evidence of them committing abuse is just really horrible. If you really care for your child you would not send them here.