Anson McNulty, Operations Director and Co-owner, and Andrew Farris, Program Director at Summit Achievement, will be presenting on decision-making at the Wilderness Therapy Symposium in Park City, Utah on August 23, 2019. The title of their presentation is "Trips & Tricks: How mental shortcuts can help or hurt us in decision-making." This presentation is a must-see experience for field guides and program directors as well as anyone working in the wilderness therapy field.
Their presentation will discuss how the mind works in decision-making. During the workshop, Anson and Andrew will discuss heuristics, cognitive biases and how the brain filters sensory information. Heuristics can be either mental shortcuts that ease the cognitive load of decision-making or quick ways to accidentally create more substantial problems. They will investigate cognitive biases like recency, resource, choice anchoring, and other influences to see how these play into the choices we make. They will explore how the brain is filtering our sensory experience and how that impacts decisions.
Anson McNulty earned his bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Recreation Administration from Unity College. He is certified as a Wilderness First Responder and a CPR Instructor. Anson has been working with troubled teens in the wilderness and residential settings since 2000 and is dedicated to helping struggling teens find their way via experiential therapy. Anson has worked at Summit Achievement since 2002 and became a co-owner of Summit Achievement in 2018.
Andrew Farris graduated from Green Mountain College with a bachelor’s degree in Adventure Recreation. He is a Leave No Trace Master Educator. Before joining the Summit team, Andrew taught environmental education to elementary students and adventure education to college and corporate groups. Andrew has worked at Summit since 2009.
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.