Summit Achievement was the subject of a segment featured on The Today Show in early May. The video highlights the effectiveness of wilderness therapy in treating adolescent anxiety. The piece titled “Outdoor Therapy Program provides healing for anxious teens“ profiled four adolescent clients through the therapeutic process. The segment was released on The Today Show website in May and is available through this link.
The process of having The Today Show film at Summit Achievement began last year and included months of dialogue to ensure the confidentiality and ethical consideration of the clients involved in the segment. After Summit was assured of the confidentiality and consent of clients, The Today Show producer and cameraperson came to campus in early February. The Today Show Team spent three days on the Summit Achievement campus, interviewing clients, staff, and clinicians on campus and on a wilderness expedition. Originally slated to be on a morning broadcast in April of The Today Show, the piece was released on the website after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Summit Achievement co-founder Will White, who was featured in the segment, shared, “It was a great piece, for it focused on the clients who shared their remarkable stories of transformation through wilderness therapy and highlighted the effectiveness of Summit Achievement’s model of treatment. I want to thank all the staff and clients at Summit who did a great job of sharing their stories from the field.”
About Summit Achievement
Summit Achievement is, and always has been, guided by positive reinforcement and the power of choice. Our outcome-focused program employs effective therapeutic and educational principles. Through the process of engaging therapy, classroom academics and exciting wilderness expeditions, students experience the therapeutic benefits of outdoor adventure-based activities while learning to manage the demands of a more traditional environment. As an intentionally small, owner-operated wilderness therapy program, we serve adolescent boys and girls, ages 13-20, from around the world.