Blog

By Dr. Jason Adams, Therapist I think a good many of us know what Ohana means from the movie “Lilo & Stitch.” Essentially, Ohana means family. Though I am Hawaiian and I often used the word ohana growing up, the words of Lilo from that movie have always stuck with me. “Ohana means family, family …

To understand the great benefits wilderness therapy programs can offer struggling teens and at-risk young adults, it may be helpful to review the “Stages of Change.” The Stages of Change is a model created to track behavioral refinements in people. Known in its clinical form as the Transtheoretical Model, there are six stages to track. …

By Hilary Moses, Therapeutic Program Director Our focus on maintaining a high quality of care is always in motion and is invigorated every Monday morning in a meeting with the field supervisors, the therapeutic program director and the staff supervisor; it also includes a drop in visit from Al, PQ’s RN. During this meeting, the …

By Alicia Goldman Aloha! I am Alicia Goldman, and I am the new Director of Alumni and Family Services at Pacific Quest wilderness therapy program. My role is two-fold…one role being a resource to assist families and bridge the transition from PQ back into the home environment. For many families this can be a fragile …

By Erin Levine, Clinical Admissions Director Fun Fact: Did you know that it takes 2-3 years to grow a single pineapple? The pineapples our students enjoy today were planted by students almost three years ago. This can be a powerful life lesson for our students who are so used to instant gratification. In life, many …

Young adults are just that…young. Treating them like children is inappropriate. Treating them like adults is inappropriate. So the question is: how do we appropriately treat them as the young adults they are? The challenge comes in trying to understand where to place our young adults and children and adults given so many extenuating circumstances. …

In her presentation (see video link), Dr. Brene Brown shares about her process of coming to understand the role of vulnerability and feeling worthy.  Her phenomenological research suggests that shame stems from a place of feeling unworthy, a place of always asking “Am I good enough?”  Dr. Brown asserts that feeling worthy grows from courage, …

Pacific Quest recently held an informational and educational gathering for visiting educational consultants on the Big Island of Hawaii. Educational consultants arrived from the Midwest, East and West Coast, and Southern U.S. to learn about the services Pacific Quest provides for struggling youth.  Our guests were greeted in camp with a welcoming ceremony, drumming circle, …

I am in a conference session on attachment theory.  According to David Wallin, author of Attachment in Psychotherapy, the therapist’s attachment style has important effect the therapeutic relationship and the treatment of clients. In essence, clients can earn a secure attachment through the experience of therapy.  This has important implications for serving clients who have …

Blogging live from the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium in Washington DC… Currently attending a workshop called Buddha’s Brain: Neuroscience by Rick Hanson. The message of the workshop highlights the relationship between mindfulness and brain structure.  Essentially, the neural networks in our brains are quite plastic and can be manipulated by specific mental activities.  By using ones …