Turning Winds

I am writing this review to help to encourage any parents who are experiencing serious challenges/concerns with their son or daughter to give Turning Winds their full consideration. Like many of you who are exploring, we found an overwhelming amount of negativity out there surrounding programs like TW or others who may be similar. Fortunately we took the time to dive deeper, beyond the exaggerations, and both misleading and completely false narratives that have been created by individuals with some agenda that I cannot fathom. Instead we chose to weed through the garbage and looked at the positive reviews from the actual parents of kids that Turning Winds has helped. It was not a decision that we took lightly, nor one that we regret. It was the hardest decision we ever had to make, but one that has made all the difference for our son and family. As parents of a son was going down a very dark and destructive path, and one in which we were extremely concerned for our son's life; we can truly say that TW helped to save our son from a path that very likely would have ended up in death, serious legal consequences, or a broken family. It was scary as hell to put our trust in strangers and drop our son off in the middle of nowhere, thousands of miles from home. But now that he is back at home and doing so incredibly well, we can truly say it was the best decision either of us have ever made. We believe Turning Winds helped to save our son's life. For the kids, it's tough work. And it's hard work for you parents. It's not a summer camp or a country club like so many of the other options we had reviewed. Rules are made, kept, and consequences delivered. They are taught to be responsible to themselves, but also to those around them. They are also built up, learn to believe in themselves, and are given all of the tools to grow into young adulthood in a safe and caring way. Our son will be a healthier, better, stronger man for having this experience. We cannot say enough about the staff. They truly care. In many ways, they have become family and despite our son being back at home after many long months, there is regular communication and continued work...for our son and us, the parents. We dropped off a sixteen year old, whose behaviors and emotional condition were those of an 8 or 9 year old. Coming home, we felt we picked up a 16 year old who is far beyond his years from an emotional maturity standpoint and one who practices a healthy lifestyle physically, mentally, and spiritually. In addition, the support system that we now have as a family and/or as individuals is really impressive. The staff is there for us and there are parent groups that exist while your child is in Turning Winds and after they graduate from the program. We join calls bi-weekly with parents who are just beginning their journey and others whose child is 5+ years removed. All with the intent of helping each other to get through those difficult times, to provide helpful advice and support when you need it, all sharing the common connection of individuals who at some point almost lost hope that we had lost our child forever, but now have hope and promise for a great future. If you are at that crossroads and you just don't know what to do and what to believe, ask the TW staff if they can make a connection. We are more than happy to share our experience. We honestly don't know where we would be at this point had we not put our faith in the team at Turning Winds.

Amazing experience at Turning Winds. Truly life saving for both myself and my son. He was there for a year and he even graduated higschool a year early! He went from abusing drugs and wamting to drop out of highschool to a graduate and sober. I cannot stress enough what an amazing experience we had. The facility is beautiful and the whole staff is caring and kept me in the loop the whole time. Thank you so very much!

Avoid at all costs. In 2008, I spent 14 traumatic months at Turning Winds, a secluded facility in Yaak, MT, disguised as therapy but operating like a psychological prison. Under the umbrella of the troubled teen industry (TTI), they exploit desperate parents, promising to “fix” kids through control and fear. Mail was censored. Phone calls were monitored and cut off if we spoke the truth. We weren’t allowed to move or talk freely. Punishments included days of isolation—staring at a wall in silence, on upside down construction buckets, even outside in brutal winters—no talking, no sleeping, no relief. Showering was 5 minutes—start to finish. We were forced to eat everything on our plates, no matter how poorly it was cooked—until we vomited, and then were forced to keep eating. Medical care was denied. Illness was treated as manipulation. None of this is therapy. This is degrading, traumatic, horrific, humiliating. “Therapy” meant public humiliation, forced eye contact, and being berated by peers for things like smiling “too much” or having a crush. We were banned from making eye contact with boys. Any emotion labeled “negative” meant punishment. The staff? Most were in their early 20s with no credentials—God complexed bullies that were barely older than us, and many made students uncomfortable with creepy or inappropriate behavior. We weren’t being cared for—we were being controlled. Seventeen years later, I still struggle to speak up, eat normally, or form healthy relationships. This place left me with trauma, not healing. I strongly believe this place is run the way it is because of greed. To the owner: it seems profit matters more to you than human lives. Most of the positive reviews come from parents—not the kids who were actually subjected to this place. We lived it. They didn’t. Management routinely dismisses survivor accounts as “malicious” or “fake,” even petitioning Google to remove them. That kind of desperation speaks for itself. The truth threatens their profits. We’re not looking for pity—we want accountability. Don’t be fooled by name changes or new paint—it’s still run by the same family. No matter how many times a snake sheds its skin, it’s still a snake. To the Baisden family: kids aren’t your business model. What you did to us is not therapy. To parents: If you’re reading this, please—don’t send your child here. I’m sharing this to spare every child from the irreparable damage done to me here.