Each time she stepped away from the pole, she returned without even taking a breath. Start … stop … start … stop. Participants on the ground shouted up words of encouragement: "You can do it! Just take a step … look at the goal … don't look down … you just need to …"
I don't think she could even hear them. And her face;
it looked different, distant … in pain.
I just didn't know what to do, how to help her
or whether she was in any real danger?
When she finally came down, all she
could talk about was her failure.
All I could think of was my own.
The Element of Choice©
An experiential journey into the incredible complexity of choice
Have you ever … had great expectations for the individuals and groups you lead on challenge courses and other aerial / risk-based social learning experiences?
Have you ever … seen a participant struggle, get really emotional and stuck at height? And then report that they “failed” or drift away from the group in silence and sadness?
Have you ever … wondered what you did wrong or could have done more effectively to make their experience a success?
Can you imagine … providing an experience in which each participant makes responsible choices for themself and leaves the experience feeling proud and successful?
Can you imagine … having a time-tested process you know works and that leaves participants surprised at the depth and profound positive outcomes of their experience?
I want to tell you … that this process is available for you to implement in your program.
The challenge course and other aerial risk-based, social learning experiences are promoted as exciting opportunities for adventure and growth. However, the experiences we all love so much do not resonate with everyone.
“The Element of Choice” is
a remarkable workshop generated from 46 years of fieldwork and now validated by
scholarly research conducted for a Master's Degree in Experiential Education.
This newly expanded and evolved workshop explores the incredible complexity of choice in risk-based, social learning experiences and provides a
time tested approach to teaching choice as a curriculum to develop learner: agency, increased self-efficacy and a stronger internal locus of control.
The workshop provides a narrowly focused history of our field, explores our collective beliefs about the Comfort Zone and describes how risk-based, social learning experiences can create misadventures.
Content includes research on: stress, trauma, breath, cognitive dissonance, clinical psychology, cognitive science, Social Cognitive Theory, Reality Therapy and other highly informative perspectives.
You will receive two jam-packed days of training and a copy of my new book Agency, Challenge, Choice, and Control.
The training will provide the experience and the book will provide the clinical and practical foundations you need to provide the right adventure for everyone attending your program.
The workshop experience can then be replicated in your own programs with your thorough and thoughtful preparation.
Join us for a workshop like no other. I am excited to support your journey.
Trainer: Tom Leahy
Duration: 2 days ▪ 8 am – 6 pm
Workshop Fee: $425 (does not include meals or lodging)
Early Bird: $325 (with 30-day advanced purchase)
"Opens your mind to higher level thinking and self-reflection." —J.B., Missouri
"I see application everywhere … not just on a challenge course. I can empower others to consider their own choices and decisions." —S.L., Washington
"I will honor the importance of choice and the various stages a group goes through to achieve individual choice." —B.B., Missouri
"A challenge course offers more than just a physical challenge." —L.L., Oregon