By Darcy Ottey, Rite of Passage Supervisor We sit in a circle long into the darkening night, not far from South Point, Hawaii, the southernmost tip of the United States. One by one, each person shares the story of what brought them here, and with this story, the intent that they have been meditating on, …
Blog
Mālama Honua World Wide Voyage
Pacific Quest outdoor therapy program, recently celebrated the launching of the “Hōkūleʻa” and “Hikianalia” voyaging canoes on their Mālama Honua World Wide Voyage (WWV). Pacific Quest’s very own Kalani Kahalioumi will be one of the voyaging crew for the Capetown to Panama leg of the worldwide voyage. The mission of the WWV is to “navigate …
Judgemental Communication
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 Welcomes Mark Dunn
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 …
Lessons From the Field
Ben joined the Pacific Quest team in November of 2011. His experience, skill, and genuine enthusiasm for working with young adults made him a trusted leader when Pacific Quest opened our new young adult program at Reeds Bay. Ben is currently earning his Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, and will be …
Yvette Hinojosa Joins the Clinical Team
Pacific Quest is pleased to welcome Yvette Hinojosa as a Primary Clinician! Yvette has extensive experience serving children, adolescents, young adults and families. Her experience has provided her with a unique perspective on health and wellness that has evolved into a holistic approach acknowledging the whole person. Yvette graduated from the University of California at …
Raising the Bar
By JD Daubs, Admissions Director I’ve had the opportunity to work in our industry for 10 years and have seen wilderness programs adapt, change and respond to the growing therapeutic and clinical needs of students and families. In my opinion, there’s not a better treatment option for families that have exhausted most or even at …
Doing Less With Less
By Raylene Moses, HR Manager It took one or two gray hairs to learn this principle: Doing more with less is the swiftest and most reliable path to failure. Yes, I said it: failure. On the surface and for the short term, it looks, at least on a spreadsheet, that doing more with less is …
Hawaii Ranks #1 Fifth Year in a Row
Recent results of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index ranked Hawaii as the number one state for overall well-being. The categories that were considered in the index include emotional health, life evaluation, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and basic access to necessities. The Aloha State has ranked number one for five consecutive years!
Staff Vision Fast
By Darcy Ottey, Rite of Passage Supervisor We sit in a circle long into the darkening night, not far from South Point, Hawaii, the southernmost tip of the United States. One by one, each person shares the story of what brought them here, and with this story, the intent that they have been meditating on, …
Adolescents Visit Manuka State Park
Recently, a group of the adolescent students had the opportunity to explore the rare and fascinating, two-mile loop trail at Manuka State Park. Manuka is a Natural Area Reserve, and one of the nineteen different reserves within the statewide Natural Area Reserves System. The Big Island of Hawaii island has eight reserves to call its …