Blog

We love to spread around good news when it comes back to us at PQ.  This month a father of an alumni student reached out to share about his experience attending a speech his daughter gave at school.  Below is the father’s description of the speech and the alumni PQ student’s speech in written form.  …

I heard an interesting news segment on NPR today that I thought I would share.  Scientists are experimenting with using neurofeedback as a therapy for ADHD- something the speaker referred to as “meditation on steriods.”  The feedback is simple, as the aim is condition the brain to remain focused through a reward system. An individual …

A client recently brought a very interesting New York time article to my attention, entitled Depression’s Upside.  The article considers the evolutionary significance of depression and suggests that depression has positive impacts on people. A plaguing (but important) element of depression is rumination.  While many people’s experience of rumination is negative, Scientists Andrews and Thomson …

Photo by Clark Little While Pacific Quest’s students were nestled in the hills high in Kau and well out of any tsunami danger zones (roughly 1500 feet in elevation), coastal regions in Hawaii today were on high alert.  As many followed the news on their computers and televisions many Hawaii residents were forced to evacuate …

An article detailing PQ’s “nurturing, supportive, green therapy” approach to helping struggling teens was recently published.  The article can be found in the Orange County Register, a local newspaper. Mark Agosto is leading PQ’s outreach in the area.  As a father and active community member, Mark is dedicated to the improving the welfare of the …

For many Pacific Quest students, the chance to grow and learn are best continued separate from their home environment. Students enroll in programs and schools around the country and the world. One of these special places is the Southern France Youth Institute in Villeseque sur Corbieres, France. In October, I visited this wonderful school as …

Announcing the seventh annual Psychology for the Other seminar hosted by the  Seattle University psychology department.  The seminar focuses on the philosophies of Emmanuel Levinas and the application to psychology, and more specifically psychotherapy.  Emmanuel Levinas was a French philosopher who studied under phenomenologists Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger.  Levinas lived from 1906-1995 and was …

Here is an excerpt from the initial letter we received from guides Joseph LaZenka and Petra Lentz regarding the PQ staff vision quest.  We are planning a seven day program that focuses on a three day fast and solo experience. The letter sent chills up my spine, as I am faced with “the call.”  Expect …

Pacific Quest therapists Mary Beth Coffman, LCSW and Hilary Moses, LCSW presented a “dry run” of the experiential workshop they are offering at the 7th annual Wilderness Symposium in Boulder, CO.  The presentation was intriguing. Mary Beth and Hilary addressed the importance of utilizing many sources in weekly treatment planning, including the staff that interact …

Pacific Quest received good reviews from Lon Woodbury, an independent educational consultant.  Check out the Visit Report that Lon has published on his website! Lon has visited many therapeutic schools and programs, and is the source of a wealth of information. Visit the Woodbury Reports for more information.