Turning Winds Academic Institute

Turning Winds Academic Institute

Turning Winds Academic Institute is a therapeutic boarding school situated in Troy, Montana. Founded in 2002, Turning Winds Academic Institute accepts residents ages 13 to 18, during any part of the year. The school places special emphasis on therapeutic approaches, encouraging struggling teens to embrace emotional stability and psychological change, while also pushing students to excel academically in their classes.




Turning Winds Academic Institute offers several tracks of study that are customizable depending on the age, capabilities, and achievement of each resident. Turning Winds Academic Institute offers high school classes for those students seeking a high school diploma or GED; it also offers college courses for students who want to take in-depth classes in a particular field. Typical class size ranges from six to twelve students. In addition to more traditional classroom academics, TWAI offers all residents the opportunity to enjoy experiential learning courses in the form of rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, orienteering, and more.


Central to Turning Winds’ mission is a set of twelve “Character Virtues,” which they believe are essential to creating a culture of learning, healing and success.

• Industriousness
• Humility
• Direction
• Environmental awareness
• Integrity
• Responsibility
• Respect
• Family connection
• Altruism
• Verbal assertiveness
• Gratitude
• Forgiveness
Character education is a large part of Turning Winds Academic Institute’s program, and is used to teach the youth important qualities that will enhance their lives.

 Because Turning Winds is a therapeutic boarding school, all of its activities—even academic classes—are designed to be therapeutic in some way. Sessions with licensed therapists—solo sessions, group sessions, sessions with multiple therapists—are all part of the weekly schedule at Turning Winds. Each resident is assessed in a variety of ways upon enrollment at the Institute, then given a custom treatment plan tailored to their specific needs. Family therapy sessions—both long distance and through on-campus visits—are critical to healing and strengthening each teen as they progress in their tailored-treatment plan that they have made at Turning Winds Academic Institute. 

Most residents spend on average, twelve months at Turning Winds Academic Institute. That seems to be the optimum amount of time: long enough to “reset” themselves, restart their emotional maturation, and to make real gains, but not too long as to hinder their ability to transition back to life.  Each resident participates in the STARS Program which has been developed to assist students through the, Stages of Change Model.  Throughout the process of change, parents are provided with direct feedback which specific details as to their child’s progress.

 Upon “graduating” from Turning Winds Academic Institute, students have access to an advanced aftercare program, in which the whole family has access to a personal therapist, by phone or email for a weekly therapy session for an agreed-upon period of time. After that time has elapsed, teens and their families can still call the school for guidance at any time, in order to preserve the success which they made during their treatment at Turning Winds Academic Institute.