- Mike Sladden, Director, Camp Pathfinder

"Chris Thurber is energetic, upbeat, honest, humorous, and relates well to the teacher experience.  As a educator currently working in schools, Chris quickly gained credibility from our faculty. Their response to his presentation on maintaining professional boundaries was overwhelmingly positive; it was immediately evident that he truly understands the psychology of parents and students in today’s society.  Chris’s presentation was particularly successful since he took the time to learn about our school and our teachers and tailored the presentation accordingly." 

- Jennifer Gargano, Assistant Head, The Harker School

"Dr. Chris Thurber's presentation was far and away our most well-received professional development program.  He interspersed research with personal stories, making each moment of the program relevant to all in the audience. Participants walked away with clear guidelines to consider in their daily interactions with students.  Both faculty and staff members remarked how Chris was one of the best presenters we have had in a long time."

- Scott Smith, Assistant Head, Fessenden School

"Without a doubt, Chris's workshop was well-received by all faculty, ranging from lower school core teachers to 9th grade dorm heads.  Frankly, it was the most positive feedback we received about an in-service day in many years.  Drawing on his personal and professional experiences, Chris's easy going style encouraged our faculty to open up and reveal their worries and challenges in a way that benefitted our entire group. His stimulating sessions helped to energize and empower faculty as the headed back into the trenches.  I highly recommend Chris Thurber! 

- Mark A. Devey, Head of School, Indian Mountain School

"Dear Chris, Thank you for spending a day with us this past week.  You presented the materail on Preserving Professional Teacher-Student Boundaries so very well.  I appreciate the thought you've put into developing it.  Your workshop was by far the most earnest and intellectually stimulating presentation that I've experienced at Brooks."

- The Reverend Bob Flanagan, Brooks School

"Many faculty have come up to me and expressed very positive reactions to your presentation, including: "one of the best we have ever had...a vital topic well presented" and "very informative...Chris was well spoken and made a potentially awkward presentation engaging, appropriately serious, and humorous at times" and "one of the best presenters we have had in my now 10 years at WMA.  His pace and sense of timing was excellent, and it was obvious that he understood our school."

- Donald Kelly, Dean of Faculty, Wilbraham & Monson Academy

"Dear Chris, I really enjoyed your workshop on preserving professional teacher-student boundaries.  The other faculty and I found your perspective as a mental health professional who works at an independent school extremely helpful.  Thank you!"

- Kate B. Jones, MSW, LCSW, Director of Counseling, Lake Forest Academy

"Through a natural infusion of humor, wisdom, and personal stories, Chris engaged the staff in a very genuine, personal way from the moment he arrived at Congressional Day Camp.  The staff and the campers felt comfortable speaking with Chris as he walked around the camp and observed by participating in our activities.  Thank you, Chris, for the time you spent with our administrative team at the end of your visit. Your candid observations and questions challenged us in a positive way. You left us all with tangible points of departure for future discussions and directions in which to explore and grow.

- Jennafer Curran, Director, Congressional Day Camp

"Thanks, Chris, for our workshop today.  It was VERY well received.  You were lively, the nuances and complexities of a fascinating topic were heard, and folks felt it was a more than worthwhile morning--actually important.  Thank you!  You helped get our faculty off on the right foot, and that gets the year off on the right foot, kids and parents all.

- Jay S. Stroud, Headmaster, Tabor Academy

"When Chris speaks, my staff listens.  His work with my staff adds a degree of professionalism that inspires my staff the entire summer!  When we open staff training with Chris, the counselors suddenly realize that this is not just about the fun and games, but also about their role as youth development professionals.  Chris instills a high degree of pride in the work we all do and makes our job as camp directors easier.  A great day of training with Chris means a great summer to follow."

- Susan Hooks, Director, Riverview Camp for Girls

"We have invited Chris Thurber to work with our staff for the past 8 years and will continue to have him back for many summers to come.  He instills the confidence, knowledge and practicality in our staff that is imperative when caring for children. Chris's techniques are down to earth, easily applied, and thought-provoking. The feedback from our staff each summer reflects the positive environment Chris creates. Our staff encourages us to invite him back each summer, recognizing the great impact he has on their camp experiences, as well as the experiences of the campers. As the directors, we know that our staff orientation would not be as powerful without Chris's input.

- Brad and Kathryn Finkelstein, Campus Kids Connecticut 

"Chris, thank you for a fabulous keynote at ASSCSI.  What a treat for everyone involved!  There was quite a wonderful buzz after the workshop.  You gave us such good information and you were entertaining as well.  Your shared wisdom will make a difference in the lives of the students counseled by our participants.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

- Debra Shaver, Director of Admissions, Smith College 

"Typically wary of an in-servce at the opening of the school year, the faculty at St. George's were quickly won over by Dr. Thurber's high energy, apt examples, and creative use of video clips.  Thank you so much!"

- Dr. Cheryl Jenkins, Director of Counseling & Health Education, St. George's School

"Dr. Thurber presented at our third Advanced Topics Seminar and received rave reviews for the information and strategies he shared with the group. He worked with the participants to identify how their programs differed from each other and drew out essential common issues. The participants left the two-day workshop with tools and strategies they can use right now. One participant commented on the post-seminar survey, 'I can't think of any way to improve it. Dr. Thurber was excellent and should be a regular guest.'"

- Elizabeth D. Johnson, Senior Consultant, Dare Mighty Things

"At Camps Kenwood & Evergreen, we refer to Chris Thurber as the "Counselor's Counselor." His expertise in youth development and his vast camp experience are incredible assets to our community.  Each summer, we ask Chris to spend several days with us, speaking with staff members and campers alike. He is an incredible additional support to staff who are working with challenging campers and a wonderful resource for our kids, offering support and advice. When we are faced with a difficult issue-such as whether a camper should be asked to leave camp before the term is completed-I always look to Chris for objective expert advice. He is also a wonderful resource for our community of parents and has conducted seminars for them to help prepare their children for a great camper experience. I sleep better at night knowing that Chris is part of our camp community."

- Scott Brody, Director, Camps Kenwood & Evergreen

"Chris has worked with our supervisory staff team for the past six years and the resulting benefits for our camp operation have been extraordinary! Chris provided information, based upon research and experience, related to a range of concerns that we had regarding trends in youth behaviors-sexual aggression, cutting, eating disorders, aggressive behavior, the influence of the online lifestyle-to name a few. The resulting guidelines and policies that we established, along with changes in our supervisory staff training and the orientation of our full staff, have enabled us to be a better camp... offering campers and staff a great camp experience!"

- Jani Brokaw Williams, Director, Campus Kids Minisink

"Chris has been an integral part our staff training for twelve years running. Each winter, Chris and the camp directors discuss the current staff population and together develop training that is relevant to both the age group and Arcadia's mission. We make sure Chris covers his specialty, homesickness, as well as a variety of topics such as team building, dynamic leadership, supporting all campers, transitioning from camper to counselor, asking for help, and even Internet socializing. Chris's training is interactive, interesting, fun, thought provoking and human--a wonderful enrichment program for all camp leaders."

- Louise Fritts Johnson, Director, Camp Arcadia

"Who better to give invaluable advice on working with youth than Chris? He is a true professional: always prepared, prompt, positive, energetic, flexible, consistent and courteous. Chris has tremendous academic credentials, as well as clout within ACA, but in our staff's eyes-and in mine-his most important credential is that he also works at a camp, practicing what he preaches. Chris has a unique way of communicating with all staffing levels and making sense of complex information about child development and leadership. He has always been accommodating and receptive in tailoring his workshops to meet our staff training needs. The tools Chris gives our staff are priceless and certainly our camping program has reached higher standards since we have been working with Chris."

- Scott Hilary, Camp Manager, Dorothy P. Flint 4H Camp

"Chris Thurber's expertise about kids in the camp environment is a highlight of staff orientation; his knowledge and insights around the phenomenon of homesickness are an invaluable part of our staff training. In fact, everyone at camp--from the counselors to our leadership team--draws on his advice throughout the summer. Chris's style is approachable, and he is a true advocate for the camp experience who works hard to give staff the tools they need to do their job well."

- Marla Coleman, ACA President Emerita, Coleman Camps

"Chris, I've heard nothing but positive comments from faculty members following your workshop on Monday.  Thank you so much for taking the time to come all this way.  Your presentation was perfect (and that's saying something--as you know, boarding school teachers, especially teachers who've been in the profession for many years, can be a skeptical audience!). 

A couple of things stand out to me as making the workshop particularly successful.  One is the fact that you are a boarding school teacher yourself, and able to "speak the language."  Another is the fact that while you included examples of times when teachers violated sexual boundaries with students, you didn't focus on those.  Instead you provided a number of examples of more nuanced boundary violations, then invited the audience to discern those violations for themselves.  You also have a wonderful and very engaging way of connecting with your audience.  The workshop was informative, authentic, and thought-provoking. I know our faculty will continue to discuss the cases you presented and the ones you left with us."

- Nancy Starmer, Head of School, George School