Pacific Quest is celebrating its nine year anniversary as one of the premier Outdoor Therapy programs for adolescents and young adults in the world. We are forging a new direction for mental health services by integrating naturopathic medicine, horticultural therapy, rites-of-passage, and best practices in clinical psychology and family therapy.
Pacific Quest was founded in 2004 by Mike and Suzanne McKinney and Chris Kaiser in an effort to provide a different approach to traditional wilderness therapy programs for troubled teens. The founders had a vision to create a controlled and safe outdoor environment where students could experience, practice and develop new ideas and skills to improve their quality of life. After building a rural campus on seven acres of pristine farmland, they quickly discovered how organic gardening and traditional Hawaiian sustainable agriculture provided the focus, metaphors and congruency to support the foundation for the Pacific Quest program. We are a powerful team of professionals with a unique sense of place that inspires struggling teens and young adults to realize their full potential, offering young people and their families hope, unconditional support, and a chance for a new life.
In 2011, Pacific Quest was named the Big Island’s top small business by the Small Business Administration and was recognized for job creation, growth in annual revenue, innovation, staying power and contributions to the community. Noted for our respectful approach, creative programming, clinical expertise and inspiring setting, Pacific Quest outdoor therapy program provides a perfect fit for adolescents and young adults in need of mental health services and independent living skills.