Blog

By Kelly Weld, Therapist Being a counselor at an intervention program is a challenging and rewarding task. When students arrive they are lost and desperate, their families are in crisis, and it is our job to help re-align the system in a relatively short period of time. The process feels first like a roller-coaster (with …

By Lindsey Baldwin, Therapist One of the best parts of my job as a therapist at Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program is being a part of the Rites of Passage story council on Thursday mornings. On these mornings, students return from a two-day ceremony and share their experience with a group of peers.  My role …

By Pacific Quest Get some Z’s. Forty winks. Out like a light. Slept like a log. Conked out. Deep sleep. Are you tired, yet? Sleep is an absolute human need. Thank goodness. Thank goodness we were programmed from the start to require a restful period in the day otherwise life can feel like go-go-go all …

By Kelly Egan, Young Adult Program Director Aloha! Or in Thai it would be Sawadhee Ka! It’s so true that Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program is about adventure and journey – both the interior and exterior kind. Every day I’m part of someone’s journey here: our staff, a young adult student, and certainly my own. …

Wilderness Therapy programs are residential treatment facilities for troubled youth or wayward teenagers with an array of emotional and behavioral upsets. Depending on the program, problem teens live for weeks or even months learning about themselves through both the wilderness element and therapeutic sessions of these programs. While the therapeutic atmosphere offers daily opportunity for …

By Martha Bouchard, Program Director What feeds a community? There are the rote answers: food, water, shelter. But let’s assume your basic needs are being met. What comes next? For me, it is being part of a community that allows space for people to learn, grow and change. One of my greatest joys in working …

By Rene Fay, HR Recruiter Recently, Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program held a four day hiring seminar with fourteen applicants and three facilitators in the Bay Area.  The goal of the event was to move beyond basic phone interviews and create a more interactive interview process, offering prospective staff a hands-on experience of what life …

By Rob Jarrett, Admissions Director Every call starts this way, but soon the details come out. It is mostly moms and dads who call, but sometimes its aunts, grandfathers, or friends of the family. They all have a sad story to share about a child that they care deeply about, but can’t seem to help.  …

By Pacific Quest The mind-body connection is a simple way of describing how the human body responds to the way a person thinks, acts or feels. In other words there are ways in which our bodies react to the activities of our minds. When emotional health is compromised (from a stressful event or an accumulation …

By Tom De Trolio, Outing Supervisor Recently, the Ohana took an adventure to Honomalino Bay which lies 2,000ft down the scenic 5 mile road leading to Miloli’i, one of the last ancient fishing villages to rely on fishing as a way of life. From the town of Miloli’i, the group hiked about a half mile …