Harder than Advertised - Wilderness Therapy Field Guide Summit Achievement Employee Review

* Strong culture of giving and receiving feedback * Very competitive employee benefits compared to similar organizations * Supportive leadership, important with in a field with high burnout * Ethically run program * Client-centered approach to mental health treatment * On the job training and supervision * Unique schedule opportunities

* Working with the population of clients can be exhausting, though Summit does a great job supporting staff and offering training opportunities

The program is very good and there are amazing outcomes that do not leaving students traumatized with the wilderness experience.

Pay is very low and most staff have second jobs. Therapist staff are very mixed and about half are not suited for working in this setting. The major exception to this is the clinical director. Owners are onsite everyday and this leads to an underground culture. The community is very hard to break into due to high turnover. It takes a long time for new staff to become integrated and trusted.