Testimonials

Marran Linsky

Rick Mades

Jennifer Deasy

Jennifer Deasy
Assistant Director, YMCA Camp Coniston
http://www.coniston.org

George & Paula DeTellis

Chanie Wilhelm

"Our camp really benefited from ExpertOnlineTraining.com’s services this past summer. Our staff was better prepared and well-equipped to deal with many different situations that arose during camp. We really feel that it made a big difference in our staff's professionalism and overall responsibility. Thank you!"

Jonathan Polster

"Hey Dr. Thurber! I was utterly impressed with Expert Online Training. I continued to show your videos and discuss your philosophies throughout the entire summer, and I witnessed first-hand the effect your work had upon our staff, especially with helping homesick children. On behalf of the entire staff at Camps Firebird and Roosevelt, thank you for all you share with the world."

Drew Glicker

"I just wanted to thank you for the quality and information in the videos you worked on. My initial reaction when we were instructed to watch the videos was skeptical; I was doubtful that I could learn much from a video that I did not already know from experience. After watching them so far, however, and completing the quizzes, I have found there is a great deal to learn and discover about counseling. Your integration of engaging strategies and effective resolutions was quite helpful. The homesickness training especially, an issue I have personally encountered and seen time and again among fellow campers, was particularly informative. Again, thank you for your work, and I can't wait to finish the training!"

Drew Glicker
Counselor, Frost Valley
http://www.frostvalley.org

Aaron Wells

"Dear Dr. Thurber, I am a new camp counselor at Camp Rockmont, and I have been watching your video modules as part of my pre-arrival training. I wanted to say thank you for your work and for all the details you placed in these videos. I think they really helped me figure out exactly the kind of counselor I want to be this summer! Keep up the good work."

Sarah Horner Fish

"Just watched your new modules and we really like them! We're excited to share them with our staff this spring and we're fully confident that our new and returning staff will be that much better equipped when they get to camp, thanks to all the training you provide on EOT. It's wonderful to think about the ripple effect of your training on our staff and then on all the children they work and play with!"

Jennifer Wesling

We were excited to share Chris' expertise with our nearly 200 camp life staff. The videos from Leadership Essentials proved to be a powerful and critical component of both Interlochen's web-based pre-arrival training and our on-site pre-camp training. Feedback from our counseling staff was positive, describing the videos as "on target" and "a great supplement to staff discussions." Using the Director Dashboard to manage and track specific content for our population was simple and effective. Chris and his team were helpful and gracious in all our interactions and we look forward to again using Leadership Essentials this summer.

Jennifer Wesling
Dean of Students, Interlochen Arts Camp
http://camp.interlochen.org

Glenn Breazeale

"As Directors of a Christian camp, we believe that the most important job we have is hiring and training our counselors. They create Alpine each summer for our campers. We want outstanding, high caliber, fun Christian college young men and we want to equip them with the best professional training in the country. That is why we have relied on Chris Thurber for a number of years at our Staff Training. Having experienced his energetic, positive, practical seminars in person, it was a no brainer for us to sign on with Expert Online Training.

Hopefully, the young men we hire sign on because they are pumped about camp, ready to serve boys and have a profound positive impact on boys' lives. What EOT did was allow them to think about how they were going to accomplish this before they even arrived at camp. I believe it gave our staff a huge leg up during Staff Training and we will definitely be using EOT again."

Bobby Wiseman

"I must say that Leadership Essentials was a very productive and positive step forward for our staff. Our staff immediately applied many of the tools they learned from the video training modules. Many commented on the essential application of the homesickness prevention strategies. As both a camp director and cabin counselor I must commend your team on a timely, relevant, and appropriate presentation of various youth development subjects. Our staff was much better equipped to handle a variety of challenges and situations as a direct result of this training and supplementary information such as quizzes and handouts. I would recommend this program to any camp or youth development organization!"

Bobby Wiseman
Director, Camp Hemotion
www.hemofoundation.org/calendarevents/camphemotion.html

Shana Funk

"DECA and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) are collaborating on this very exciting project [to subscribe to Leadership Essentials] and I believe it will be such an asset to all participating diabetes camps. Thanks for the amazing things you do for all camps and the kids we serve. I look forward to having our American Diabetes Assocation staff use your online counselor training program."

Gary Forster

"They've got Dr. Phil, we've got Dr. Chris! – (Thurber that is.) Chris has always wanted staff at his YMCA camp to have a head-start on training while their enthusiasm is really high...before they even get to camp. And he's sharing the result with other camps as a subscription service that lets you pick which online video training modules you want to require your staff to view before camp starts. The service even gives you a real-time roster of each of your staff members' progress! The range of topics includes things you need to cover but usually don't have the expertise. The presenters are a who's who of popular conference speakers; but filming them in the outdoors and including "real life" camp footage (that would make anyone eager for camp to start) should make the lessons "stick". Chris has a similar setup [called Medical Essentials] for camp nurses and doctors, too."

Gary Forster
Gary Forster, LLC
www.garyforster.com

Lorne Abramson

"Diabetes camps help people affected by diabetes lead healthier, happier, and more productive lives through good diabetes management. The Diabetes Education and Camping Association (DECA) provides leadership and education to better enable diabetes camps to fulfill this purpose. We are very excited to partner with Dr. Chris Thurber and the American Diabetes Association, in bringing Leadership Essentials to the staff of diabetes camps. This will reinforce our staff training programs by increasing the skill set of camp staff. Inevitably, this initiative will better the experience of children with diabetes."

Allen McBride

"Leadership Essentials lets professionals who specialize in key areas of staff training be in an infinite number of places at once--at far less expense than having them all actually come to your site. And the features of the Director Dashboard, empower me to hold staff accountable for completing the modules, keep records of their successful completion, and document the training for insurance, licensing, and accreditation purposes.

The number of topics covered is already extensive - and will only grow as time goes on. When you evaluate your options for staff education and consider quality, effectiveness and cost, there's no better choice out there than Leadership Essentials. We know summer camp is good for kids--and Leadership Essentials helps camps help kids."

Allen McBride
Director, Camp Mac
www.campmac.com

Barbara Boukater

"When attending camp conferences we highlight the speakers who are a "must attend." Dr. Chris Thurber is among a small, elite group who fits that category. Because we cannot bring our entire camp staff to a conference, I was thrilled to see that we could bring Chris' teaching to camp! I am excited to offer Expert Online Training to my returning staff as well as to my new staff. Even though we could share many of these messages ourselves, having the pertinent education come from a new voice carries an even greater impact, particularly for returning staff."

Shelley and David Tager

"We were very pleased with our decision to purchase Leadership Essentials. Feedback from staff about Leadership Essentials was extremely positive. Every staff member arrived for orientation with a much clearer idea of what we expected from them...and the video training modules gave us a common language and skill set to use throughout the summer. Bottom line: Our staff were ready for their counseling and leadership responsibilities right from opening day. Thank you, Chris. We're renewing our subscription!"

Mitchell Parker

"I was very happy that we used Leadership Essentials as part of our Staff pre-camp training requirements. It not only helped provide the key training principles that a camp staff member needs, it also allowed me to monitor the use of the tool which gave me a preview of the individual incentive of my staff before they arrived at camp. It will continue to be part of our pre-camp training and I would highly recommend it for any resident camp."

Weston Outlaw

"Leadership Essentials became a well known entity at Culver Summer Schools & Camps this summer. We asked all 380 staff members to login to LE prior to arriving at camp and most completed the entire program. We loved being able to print the certificate of completion for staff to add to their personnel portfolio.

The staff told us that the videos were informative, a good reminder of issues, and related to real camp situations that college-age men and women may not know how to handle yet. One staff member commented: 'Have to admit, I thought the training videos were going to be awful. I was TOTALLY wrong--they rock!'"

Daniel Zenkel

"Leadership Essentials represents a great leap forward for all day and resident summer camps. By providing online video training modules, Chris has put our industry at the cutting edge of staff training. The video modules are concise, engaging and well produced. Thank you, Chris."

Gene Clark

"Chris works at camp with children and staff most of the summer, so I know the material in Leadership Essentials is field-tested, practical, and effective. This guy walks the walk. I also love how the video training modules combine Chris's expertise as a psychologist, parent, and camp professional with just the right touch of humor. I can think of no better way to prepare any day or resident camp staff for the job ahead."

Gretchen Vaughn

"Leadership Essentials is phenomenal. What an upgrade from DVD-based training! The videos will be a huge hit with today's generation of staff. Having staff participate in these modules throughout the spring will get them thinking about camp way ahead of time. I think it will also have the benefit of retaining staff between hire and arrival.

Using online training also shows that a camp is truly professional and forward-thinking. The videos are top-notch and the site is clean and easy to navigate. I also love the feature of being able to upload the camp's own documents. What a difference between Chris's site and nearly all staff manuals (and as a standards visitor, I've seen a lot of them)."

Gretchen Vaughn
Life & Leadership Coach for Camp Professionals
www.outofthemountains.com

Steve Ehrhardt

"Chris, your short, topical videos—combined with matching handouts and online quizzes—allow us to monitor, evaluate, and help our staff prepare for the summer and gain confidence working with kids. With your innovative product, our staff will come to camp more prepared than ever and I thank you for this. By monitoring the quiz results, we will also be able to gauge which subjects need additional emphasis during our inservice training."

Brent Klaus

"At International Gymnastics Camp, we require all of our staff to complete the Leadership Essentials online training. Our staff's response has been extremely positive and they tell us it demonstrates the camp's dedication to their knowledge and preparation for the upcoming summer. We have found this training to be especially helpful with our international staff because it provides them with a cultural vision of American summer camp and allows them to arrive at camp with more confidence in the journey ahead.

Leadership Essentials is a key tool in our staff's education because before they arrive for pre-camp training, Leadership Essentials has set the tone for the important role each staff member will play as a youth development professional. Above all, we know that Leadership Essentials facilitates a smooth transition from the outside world to the high expectations of camp life."

Brent Klaus
Director, International Gymnastics Camp
www.internationalgymnastics.com

Pam Cobb Heuberger

"Chris, I have looked over your Leadership Essentials videos and loved them. You've done great work in getting these done. They are fun, to the point, and most importantly helpful. I know that my staff will enjoy our subscription."

Karen Rosenbaum

"With more and more mandated staff training, and less and less time to accomplish it prior to camp, this series is a godsend! The videos are well-produced, authentic, succinct, with relevant and appropriate content. I love the manageability and online convenience -- for me and for my staff."

Rob Hammond

"Chris has been providing in-person staff training workshops at Camp Laney for 10 years. This year, I was excited to jump-start his in-person training with Leadership Essentials. I know that the strategic addition of Chris's online video training modules will allow our leadership team (and Chris himself) to teach my staff more advanced skills during staff training week. So far, the video training modules are also getting all my staff--especially my first-year counselors--psyched for camp."

Jason Sebell

"Chris, I have to tell you that I am so very impressed with Leadership Essentials. Every vignette was well crafted and well acted, and should speak to any serious camp counselor. Congratulations on taking staff training into the next century! We're signing up!"