Blog

By Tess Barnes Dunn, Academic Coordinator Recently, I had an opportunity to spend a day working with my new Pacific Quest colleagues in the area of our garden set aside for our Rites of Passage ceremony, known as Huli Ka’e. A rite of passage is an important event that serves to mark the passage from …

By Bridger Jensen, Therapist Each morning, our newly-arrived Nalu and Kuleana adolescent students and staff travel from our sleeping quarters up the mountainside of the great volcano Mauna Kea. The short trip to our day camp is performed in silence to aid in self-reflection. From these historic, rolling hills through which we travel, sugar cane …

By Mike Sullivan, Therapist “Belay on!” shouts Johnny, whose legs are shaking and hands trembling as he prepares to climb his first route of the day at the Hangar 18 rock climbing gym in Los Angeles.  Moments before this, Johnny had pulled me aside and said, “Mike, I wasn’t kidding when I told you and …

By Dr. Britta Zimmer, Medical Director It is time to face a simple fact and reclaim health: Nutritious Food is Medicine It’s easy to get caught up in the complexity of science, research, and the physiology of the human body, therefore I am constantly reminding myself, my patients, and my patients’ parents to get back …

We received this letter from an airline passenger who was seated by a Pacific Quest student who recently completed the program.  It’s a good reminder of how even brief encounters can leave lasting impressions. I was in Hawaii until yesterday and had the profound pleasure of sitting next to one of your recent graduates. Please …

Pacific Quest outdoor therapy program is setting new standards in quality care and integrative whole-person wellness for struggling teens and young adults. Currently, Pacific Quest is the only behavioral healthcare program of its kind with two full time Naturopathic Doctors on staff. Medical Director and Naturopathic Doctor, Britta Zimmer and Maile Green, ND, LAc, RN …

By Matt Armstrong, Recruitment Manager As the Recruiter at Pacific Quest, I speak to potential Program Guide applicants and current staff on a daily basis. I’m often asked a variety of questions from those interested in applying or currently working in this position. As the recruiter, I can’t help but want to spend extra time …

Pacific Quest outdoor therapy program is pleased to announce the hiring of Maile Green, ND, LAc, RN to our innovative wellness team . Dr. Green’s role will allow her to collaborate on a team of mental health and wellness professionals providing life-changing experiences for troubled youth from around the world. Providing the assessment and treatment …

By Hilary Moses, Clinical Director If judgmental communication was a person, its ears were definitely ringing this past week.  Many of the young people I work with tend toward black and white thinking, all or nothing mindsets–and the grey area is a place toward which we try to guide.  I often hear students welcome new …

Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program is pleased to welcome Mark Dunn as a Primary Clinician!  Mark has been helping individuals and their families in therapeutic settings for over twenty five years. In 1997, he became a Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor and joined a specialized team that developed specific clinical services for individuals with substance abuse …