Letter to Staff at Summit – written 2023 Dear Guide, Similar to my goodbye letter I have no clue where the hell to start. So I’ll start with my word: impact: the effect or influence of one person, thing, or action, on another. A medium to measure impact one has made on others ceases to […]
One of the most common things to come up during the admissions process for a therapeutic program like Summit Achievement is “what happens next?” Even before enrollment, both parents and students are rightfully concerned about where the student will go after graduation. Does my child get to come home? What if that’s not the right […]
The mental health crisis in our country has reached new heights. Teenagers and young adults are among those most heavily impacted. Rates of anxiety in young people are growing, and we know from research that diagnoses like anxiety, depression, ADHD and learning differences are often co-occurring. For many of those struggling, talk-therapy – whether that’s […]
I was lucky enough to be a student of Summit Achievement in 2004. Looking back, this was one of my most important experiences to shape who I am today. I was 14 and had difficulty coping with all of my family and school changes, along with creating healthy relationships. Summit allowed me an opportunity to […]
It was 5 AM when the LOD (Leader of The Day), watch went off. My teammates were all sleeping, as were the guides. I woke up my guide, Whitney, who maybe was hoping I would sleep in. We packed day bags and headed up South Bald Face, almost running, so we could get to the […]
The following Summit Blog Post is the lightly edited transcripts of the Autism and Neurodiversity Podcast hosted by Jason and Debbie Grygla. This episode is with Nichol Ernst, our executive director, in which he talks about how Summit Achievement works with young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Non-Verbal Learning Disorders. To listen to this episode titled click “Safe […]
by Will White, DA, LCSW, MLADC CSW, MLADC Over 25 years ago, I was part of the team that started Summit Achievement, the country’s first hybrid model wilderness therapy program. Before joining Summit, I practiced as a licensed mental health professional in various organizations, including an outpatient mental health clinic, boarding school, hospital, public […]
In this video Nichol Ernst, LCSW, Executive Director, Co-Owner of Summit Achievement reviews the value of our model. Watch the video or scroll below for a summary. We are an owner-operated residential treatment program with a wilderness component that has been continuously operating since 1996. Here is a link for more about our history. Our community of […]
By Mike DeLuca, LCSW Since the days of vision quests in the wild by First Nation youth, or much later in the 1960s when the Colorado Outward Bound School first started using wilderness to foster resiliency, character, and compassion in American youth, humans have sought out wild places for catalysts for change and transformation. Why does […]
By Mike DelucaLCSW, Therapist – Summit Achievement Ever since I entered the “helping profession” I have heard the mantra “You can’t adequately care for others if you haven’t cared for yourself.” I remember learning this mantra when I was 15 years old while training for my first job as a lifeguard. It made sense to me […]