Blog

Written by Mark Storey, MA, Primary Therapist Central to working as a wilderness therapist is how to help to increase a student’s self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in their own ability to achieve a goal. Based on their personal belief system, students will perform in certain ways. Increased self-efficacy can influence the level of …

Makahiki is a holiday season that punctuated the yearly farming cycle in ancient Hawaii. Makahiki was a time of rest and renewal in preparation for the next growing season. Makahiki is similar in timing and purpose to Thanksgiving, Octoberfest, and other harvest celebrations. This week at Pacific Quest, students have been learning about Makahiki and …

Here is a testimonial written by a student, reflecting on her 1 year anniversary since graduating from Pacific Quest. Pacific Quest was hands down one of the most pivotal experiences of my life. I entered PQ as a scared teen who was neck deep in avoidance and believed the prospect of long term recovery to …

Before I went to PQ I was in the darkest and most desperate place I have ever known. I was having intrusive thoughts of suicide serval times every 10 minutes. I had lost all hope and given up. I felt like nothing was real, and that nothing truly mattered in this life anyways, so who …

Last month, Reed’s Bay students harvested 153 pounds of produce.  They enjoyed the fruits of their labor (literally), including eggplant, cabbage, bok choy, purple and green beans, taro, sweet potato, breadfruit, papaya, peppers, basil, and cilantro.  The group plucked oranges, tangerines and kumquats to marinade chicken and tofu, and livened up vegetables and salads with …

PQ Therapist Mark Storey and Family Services Director Mike Sullivan teamed up with Sky’s the Limit Fund to host a community gardening event in San Jose, CA.  Veggielution, a community garden set in reclaimed land under a myriad of freeways, was excited to host the group.   It was a huge success, and a great reminder …

This month Genell Howell, LMHC, CSAC, SEP discusses about a common trait we see with our internalizing students.   The Perfection Pressure Cooker   Many of us strive to be better at our jobs, school or in our home life. We look for ways to improve and succeed. Perfectionists are also looking for success, however, they impose …

Genell is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) with advanced training in mind-body therapies. Somatic Experiencing (SE) is an evidenced-based therapeutic modality that incorporates the body and felt sensations into therapy. SE is particularly effective in treating individuals with trauma symptoms or high levels …

In the following article, PQ Therapist Intern and Program Supervisor Sarah Blechman, describes an outstanding training facilitated at Pacific Quest bi-annually.   The Four Roots of Horticulture Therapy: Ecological, Intentional, Cyclical & Experimental    Over the last two weeks, PQ hosted the bi-annual company-wide horticulture therapy training. Michael McGee, Dara Downs, Sarah Blechman, and Anthony Florig designed …

The Young Adult Transition Association Conference, 2018, set in the beautiful town of Coeur D’alene, Idaho, just convened. Kellyn Smythe and Mike Sullivan from Pacific Quest were among many conference attendees drilling into the conference theme: the impact of technology on young adults. It was inspiring to be immersed in such great thinkers! 21st century …