Blog

By: Darcy Ottey Meaningful, intentional rites of passage have been a critical part of raising healthy adults for tens of thousands of years, and are no less relevant today. At Pacific Quest, rites of passage have been part of our program since our very first client. The speaker in this TEDx Talk, Darcy Ottey, helped …

Check out the previous blog post on the history and benefits of turmeric, something we grow plenty of at PQ! Below is the recipe mentioned in that post. Perfect for a warm and healthy alternative this time of year! Golden Milk Recipe Yield: 2 cups Active Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Ingredients 1 cup …

Turmeric – a distinctly earthy, orange-golden spice is often overlooked in many kitchens, but proves to be a great culinary addition with a fantastic and bright presentation. For over 5,000 years, this plant has been cultivated and harvested in tropical Asian countries as well as its homeland, India, where it is considered auspicious and holy. …

By: Teresa Bertoncin, LPCC, LMFT, Primary Therapist Pacific Quest is excited to announce that a cohort of 13 of its clinical staff recently attended EMDR training with Dr. Roger Solomon, a Senior Faculty Member of the EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Institute, as they work to join PQ therapists already certified in the practice …

By: Dr. John Souza, Jr Primary Therapist At 7:30 pm on a Monday evening, the movie theater in Hilo, Hawai’i was nearly filled to capacity as over 100 souls gathered to screen the documentary film Embrace: One Women’s Journey to Inspire EveryBODY. Of those souls, nearly 40 were from Pacific Quest and included young adult …

By: Andrea Sussel, MSS, LCSW Primary Therapist Nine members of the Pacific Quest team completed a 10-month long experiential art and sandplay therapy training lead by PQ Clinical Director, Dr. Lorraine Freedle. Sandplay is a non-verbal, depth-oriented, multi-sensory therapy wherein students use symbols and sand to express and work through their inner experiences. Sandplay rooms …

By: Sharon Findlay, MS Admissions and Communications Manager Pacific Quest is excited to announce that our students now have the opportunity to complete seven academic courses for a total of four (4) high school credits! Most recently, we have incorporated an elective credit with the addition of a Psychology Course. This additional course provides our …

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: Robert Trout, MA Primary Therapist I cannot tell you how many times over the last decade that I have worked in wilderness and outdoor behavioral health programming I have heard the statement made by families, young adults, and teens that “this is not real”. ‘This’ being the setting of being outdoors and outside for …

By Mike Sullivan, MA, LMHC I dawned my running shoes and am back running the single lane jungle roads of Hilo, Hawaii. Having just spent the last week in La Jolla, California at a professional conference, I have a lot to reflect on. I do some of my best thinking while running. I traveled to …