Aloha Friends!
We are humbled and grateful to be celebrating Pacific Quest’s 15th year with you. To honor our roots, we wanted to reflect on our story through the lens of our Stages of Growth – Nalu, Kuleana, and Ohana, and to speak to our own rite of passage. We are proud to share where we have been, how we have found success, and aspects that continue to put us on the clinical frontier in Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare.
Nalu: Reflection
The first stage of growth, Nalu, is perhaps the most powerful right now on this 15th anniversary. We look back to our humble beginnings; clearing one piece of choked land, a few students in a tent, a few dedicated and exhausted staff. The particular steps were simple – clearing, tilling, sowing, and yet the vision was grand. The goal was to create a safe and healing outdoor therapeutic program that encourages students to seek internal change through rites of passage. We quickly learned that caring for and honoring the land was our path. Students would heal the land and themselves simultaneously, and this would start the process of lasting transformation and connection to something greater.
Kuleana: Personal Responsibility
Kuleana is about recognizing one’s personal responsibility in the world, and anchoring positive and valuable tools. An early lesson in our process of growth was that of flexibility. Just as plants must not remain rigid in the wind, one of our core tenants is remaining flexible and adapting. From the transitions our students experience between the stages of growth to the physical moves and program shifts over the years, we know that this is key to success. We thrive on being one of the most progressive programs of our kind, and we welcome challenges as opportunities for growth. Adapting the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and leading in Integrative Psychiatry and have been important steps, and even in year fifteen we continue to welcome change and we are thrilled for new chapters.
Ohana: Family
Ohana is what we are most grateful for along this journey. We want to express gratitude for the families and professionals who have trusted Pacific Quest over the years, for the Pacific Quest family of staff, and importantly for the ohana of the island- the culture, history, people and the land of Hawaii Island. We are humbled and strengthened by countless stories of struggle, transformation and success from our current and alumni students and families. We are thankful for the positive, caring staff over the years, and the challenging work they do. This island and its power continue to be awe-inspiring.
With our clinical prowess, our impeccable safety record, leading integrative psychiatric team and continued desire to evolve, we have developed into a leader in the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare field. Throughout our fifteen years, PQ has sought to provide the best care in this field, and we will continue to strive to be an industry leader into the future. We are thankful for the support of each and every one who has had a hand in making Pacific Quest who we are today.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Your PQ Ohana