History & Philosophy
History of Pacific Quest
In the late 1990s, PQ’s founders discovered the personal and professional satisfaction of working with teens in outdoor therapy. In 2003, they relocated their families to the Big Island and started developing a new and integrative program. They envisioned a nurturing and safe outdoor environment—a space for teens and young adults to experience, practice, and build new ideas and skills through a strengths- and community-based approach.
Today, we’ve realized that vision with over three thousand families from all over the world.
This approach has attracted a community of experienced professionals with a passion for innovative, evidence-based modalities and highly individualized treatment experiences.
Our Mission
Pacific Quest Cultivates Change in our residents, families, employees and community.
Our Core Focus
We disrupt cycles of internalized stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and other mental health challenges. By equipping our students with the tools they need to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives; we’re cultivating change and promoting sustainable growth.
Diversity & Inclusion
PQ was founded on the belief that the mental, emotional and physical health of every individual is an essential path to realizing their own purpose and healing themselves and their community. It is in the growth and transformation of the self that a person can then begin to change the culture of the community around them. PQ was founded purposefully in a place that offers a deep connection to culture so that our staff, participants, families, and colleagues can recognize the importance of it, and the idea that we can learn from other communities. The Rites of Passage model, deep in our roots, teaches the importance of our diverse lives and communities, and our capacity to change and grow. Our treatment model promotes connection and acceptance as young people begin to understand themselves and open their hearts and minds to the world outside their own needs. Working on the land, the view becomes wider, we see the bigger picture of trauma, healing, and growth.
It is our belief that change happens every day, not just in one moment. We must live what we want to see in the world. We embrace and honor adversity, change, and progress. Pacific Quest is a place where ALL people—regardless of race, religion, or gender—have an opportunity to grow and learn. We have and will always examine our practices in sustainability and diversity.
