Troy, MT – Turning Winds Residential Treatment Center for Teens recognizes National Mental Health Month with an awareness of the importance of service for teens for healing. Turning Winds will sponsor a service trip to Morocco, where clients can see life from another perspective on their road to recovery.
“We will be working out of a school run by the government,” said Owen Baisden, Turning Winds COO, who researched and assessed the Morocco destination before the May trip to avoid any surprises. “We’ll be participating in a construction project, teaching English, and other activities.”
For most youth, mental health distress is episodic, not permanent, according to youth.gov, one of the sponsors of National Mental Health Month. It states that most teens can successfully navigate the challenges that come from experiencing a mental health disorder with treatment, peer and professional support and services, and a strong family and social support network. Turning Winds provides several aspects of this healing to teens.
The focus of helping others on a service trip offers a new viewpoint to the students. They experience the lives of those who are less fortunate, and it brings them full cycle in the healing process of giving back.
On the Moroccan trip, the group will be living in a more urban environment than the Turning Winds trips have been in the past. Last fall, the participants traveled to a remote village in Guatemala that had never had assistance from visitors outside their local area. The group built a new water station, engaged with the local children, and were completely immersed in the foreign culture, with foods, clean-up, and lifestyle activities.
It will be a similar involvement in North Africa in the capital, Rabat. “Morocco is interesting in several ways. It’s a remarkably distinct mixture of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. All these cultures colliding makes it a very fascinating country to serve,” said Baisden.
Turning Winds has organized a dozen service trips for clients to experience growth. “Life in the United States can be quite different from what the rest of the world experiences,” adds Baisden.
Turning Winds partners with Global Brigades to organize the trips. Global Brigades provides a driver, translator, security, and medical professionals.
Founded in 2002, Turning Winds is recognized as a leader in providing exceptional teen mental health treatment along with a supportive academic experience. Its vision is to restore hope in the teens they work with. Turning Winds is accredited by The Joint Commission, Cognia, the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and is a TRICARE provider. Situated in a peaceful clearing hewn from Montana’s deep and pristine northern woodlands, Turning Winds offers young people the time, care, and environment with which to develop the self-agency essential to leading a free, healthy, and meaningful life. For more information, visit Turningwinds.com.
Mental Health Month was established in 1949 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives, and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Mental health is essential for a person’s overall health. Prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can recover from mental disorders and live full and productive lives.
