Nature

Tom Jameson Joins Pacific Quest’s Clinical Team

Tom received his Bachelor of Science in English Literature from Radford University in 2003 and his Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Western Carolina University in 2012. Tom is a National Board Certified Counselor. Prior to joining the Pacific Quest clinical team, Tom was a Primary Therapist at Chrysalis School Montana. From

Quieting the Chaos: Encouraging Mindfulness in Adolescents

  Tom Jameson, MS, NCC PQ Therapist Many of the students who come to PQ present with anxiety, depression, impulsivity, emotional regulation issues, and may have difficulty distinguishing between thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness practices teach students to begin to slow down their busy minds, see the difference between thoughts and emotions, and pause before reacting

Horticultural Therapy’s Unique Ability to Foster Healing

June is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month, and here at Pacific Quest, we offer horticultural therapy as a form a therapy for clients who may be struggling with trauma and/or PTSD. Horticultural therapy has long been used to help people with these conditions. In the 1940s and 1950s, American war veterans — many of

PQ to Present at Wilderness Therapy Symposium

The “Dirty Work” of Transformation: Horticultural Therapy & Rites of Passage Presentation to be held Saturday, August 29 in Park City, Utah at the OBH Wilderness Therapy Symposium PQ’s Horticultural Therapy Director, Travis Slagle and Adolescent Field Manager, Clementine Wilson invite you to join them as they present: The “Dirty Work” of Transformation: Horticultural Therapy

Malama I Ka ‘Aina: A Community Service Project

By Lauren Meyer – Assistant Program Supervisor This past Friday, a few of our Malama students took a break from camp to set out into the community of Na’alehu with a purpose. With a trunk full of tools, and smiles on our faces, we took off down the road to a neighbor’s house. In this house lives

Hawaii: A Prodigal Paradise to a Gardener

By Erin Gustin, PsyD Students come to Pacific Quest from various parts of the country. Some have never traveled to the warmer, more tropical parts of the world. The plants, weather, and culture of Hawaii are unfamiliar and sometimes shocking to them. Working in a garden is likely something they have not felt like doing

Southern California Alumni Events – Coming Soon!

    ALUMNI BEACH CLEAN UP Date: Saturday, February 13th Time: 9:00 am- 12:00 pm Location: Torrey Pines State Beach Activity: Beach cleanup hosted by Surfrider Foundation What to bring: Clothes suitable for weather This is a great opportunity to join forces in promoting healthy oceans and giving back to the community.  After all, we

Pacific Quest Alumni Join Surfrider Foundation In Beach Cleanup

By Mike Sullivan, Alumni & Family Services Director Pacific Quest alumni gathered at Torrey Pines State Beach this past Saturday to reconnect and contribute to a larger effort at protecting our ocean ecosystem.  Together with volunteers from the Surfrider Foundation, we combed the beach in hunt of marine debris littering the shores and posing environmental threats.

The Mango Twins from O’ahu

Last year my wife and I visited the town where my Portuguese ancestors first lived and worked on the sugarcane plantations– Waimea, Hawai’i, on the island of O’ahu. There we discovered a fruiting mango tree with the most succulent mangoes. My wife suggested I bring a seed home to plant. At first I rebuffed the suggestion. But, with a little cajoling, I was soon toting home one of the seeds for planting on the Big Island of Hawai’i. From that moment I began to feel a sense of connection with the seed; it was both the symbolism of the seed as a part of my Portuguese heritage and also my worry about whether or not I could actually grow a tree from a seed I found in the wild.

Gardening in LA: Alumni find solace and camaraderie in service project

By: Mike Sullivan, MA, LMHC Alumni and Family Services Director Approaching Wattles Farm from Hollywood Boulevard is surreal.  A short walk from the iconic walk of fame in the heart of Hollywood, one navigates speeding sports cars, stoplights (which apparently aren’t enforced), and screaming police sirens to find the gate encircling the margins of Wattles