By: Alumni Parent My daughter spent three and a half months on the Big Island in your program and I will be forever grateful for all that she gained from being part of your program. I am writing this review in the hopes that other parents can gain a sense of hope. My daughter started …
By: Brian Konik, Ph.D. Primary Therapist As I look forward to working with a new group of students this summer at Pacific Quest, I am reminded of what a unique opportunity the gardens provide when designing individualized interventions. I feel very fortunate that, after spending over 20 or so years researching and designing interventions for individuals …
We are thankful to the entire Pacific Quest team who have chosen to help others in such a meaningful way. Our son graduated the program and has entered a new and healthier chapter in his life. While we know our son’s journey will continue to have ups and downs, it is nice to know he …
By: Anthony Florig, BSBA Purchasing and Farm Manager Almost all of the gardens at Pacific Quest are built from the ground up, and also down, by the hands and hearts of all the students and staff that find their way to the Big Island of Hawaii. I would like to share a story about the …
Tim Mullins, MA, LCPC has joined the PQ Clinical Team and brings over ten years of experience in the outdoor therapeutic industry. He offers a wealth of personal and professional experience and has the unique ability to balance clinical insight with his sense of humor, a perfect match for working with young people. Becoming a therapist …
Pacific Quest is pleased and excited to announce the completion of an eighteen month training and certification process with The ChildTrauma Academy. Pacific Quest is now site certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, or NMT, which is a “developmentally-informed, biologically-respectful approach to working with at-risk children.” NMT is an approach to clinical practice …
By: Theresa Hasting, LMHC Therapist Working in the garden alongside students and seeing the benefits it yields students (and, of course, myself) has left me asking “How do we integrate additional evidence based treatments with our practice of Horticultural Therapy?” The garden offers so many options for regulating the nervous system and calming the mind …
By: Denise Westman, Outreach Director, and Erin Marcus, Clinical Admissions Director Pacific Quest’s Clinical Director, Dr. Lorraine Freedle, was a keynote speaker at the National Sandplay Therapists of America (STA) Conference in June. With over 200 doctors, clinicians and consultants in attendance, Dr. Freedle shared her expertise and passion for both Sandplay Therapy and the …
By: Jeremy Nunnelley, LPC, NCC Primary Therapist On the continuum of communication styles, there are passivity, aggression, and assertiveness. While passivity leads to issues not being known and a lack of support, aggression leads to conflict and the degradation of relationships. In both of these cases, the person who is trying to communicate is left …
By: Jenny Stulck, MS, LPCA Primary Therapist In my early twenties, I fulfilled a dream of mine and became a raft guide on the New and Gauley rivers of West Virginia. Last month the areas surrounding those rivers have been severely flooded. On social media I watched as friends in West Virginia posted photos of people …