How It Works
EVERY QUEST CAMP
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Uses the successful Quest Camp Therapeutic System developed by Dr. Field and refined during the over 30 years that Quest Camp has existed. This system has been proven to significantly reduce the global impairment of the treated campers’ psychological disabilities in five separate studies.The principles of the Quest system derive from Dr. Field’s clinical training and his successful private practice that has provided therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and families for over 30 years.
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Quest is a Natural Environment: Unlike a traditional therapy setting in an office, Quest’s naturalistic environment makes it easier for counselors and mental health professionals to observe and address problematic behaviors and for campers to understand these problems as they occur and learn new skills for change. Especially for children with processing deficits, Quest model of verbally explaining how behavior is perceived improves their understanding and facilitates change.
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Quest Campers Feel Accepted and Become Open to Change: Children can only progress when they feel safe to make changes. Quest provides opportunities for children to improve problematic behaviors and self-esteem by creating an atmosphere where campers feel respected and accepted. From the first interaction at camp, the Quest program has been developed to allow campers to take the risk to listen to staff direction, try new positive behaviors, handle failure, and develop positive relationships with other campers and staff. The Quest System empowers children to make positive changes on their own by understanding their personal challenges and developing methods of improvement.
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Individualized Treatment: Based on parental input and an individual screening assessment by Quest professionals, each camper receives an individualized treatment plan that helps address the most consequential problematic behaviors. The campers understand what they must work on by identifying and understanding specific behavioral “goals.” During each hour of the day, campers receive specific staff feedback about the positive and negative aspects of their behavior. Campers are awarded “points” each hour based on their effort. As a camper progresses, higher points require increased effort, developing greater success. Combining a cognitive-behavioral therapy approach and specially developed neurocognitive strategies, Quest’s small group therapy sessions further facilitate the individualized goals of each camper.
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Quest is Fun!: While the therapeutic side of Quest has been proven to successfully address problematic behaviors and help campers develop appropriate social skills, perhaps the most important aspect about Quest is that our campers have fun! Quest campers participate in daily sports, games, art, hikes, nature activities, music, and “Fabulous Fridays.” We have found that Quest is a safe place for children to learn how to participate in a variety of activities. From learning to improve athletic skills to taking leadership roles as a team “captain” to developing their creative sides, Quest campers develop skills that are reproduced at school, in sports leagues, and among their peers.
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Quest is Safe: We understand that parents want to be assured of the highest safety and quality standards. Quest is committed to protecting your child and providing a quality atmosphere for growth. We follow strict American Camp Association standards, enforce effective policies to keep campers safe, and hire only quality and well-trained staff. While we no longer seek ACA accreditation, we maintain the high standards of safety, quality and staffing.