Quest learning

Quest’s Approach to Mental Health

Innovative mental health programs

Quest has assisted over 125,000 people living with grief, depression, exhaustion, anxiety, bipolar, loss, despair, PTSD, chronic pain, cancer or life-inhibiting illness through our innovative workshops and residential programs delivered by experienced and highly skilled professionals.

Excellent Outcomes

Quest takes a whole-person and recovery-orientated approach based on the latest understanding of neuroplasticity and epigenetics and we provide trauma informed care in all our programs. Our excellent outcomes, (via Kessler 10 plus PTSD 6 evaluation tools), are tracked quarterly for a year.

Participants achieve a 30% improvement in quantified mental wellbeing 4 weeks after attending a program and this figure significantly increases as participants utilise the education, evidence-based tools and skills for physical and mental health, wellbeing and resilience.

Strengths-based approach

Quest utilises a Strengths Based Approach including:

  • Narrative Therapy
  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
  • Neuro Linguistic Programming
  • Conflict resolution
  • Communication skills
  • Emotional regulation strategies
  • Solution Focused Brief Therapy
  • Self-help techniques

Participants are educated on research into neuroplasticity, epigenetics, meditation, mindfulness and healthy lifestyle factors including nutrition, sleep and exercise.

Professional Team

Quest’s program facilitators, counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists, mental health social worker and support team members hold accreditation, qualification and extensive experience in the following modalities:

  • Cancer counselling
  • Clinical neuro-psychotherapy
  • Cognitive behaviour therapy
  • Dialectical behaviour therapy
  • Diaphragmatic breathing techniques
  • Emotional regulation strategies
  • Family counselling
  • Gestalt therapy
  • Holistic psychology
  • Humanistic therapy
  • Integrative psychology
  • Narrative therapy
  • Neurobiological psycho-education
  • Neurolinguistic programming
  • Nutrition and naturopathy
  • Psychodynamic psychotherapy
  • Relationship counselling
  • Resource therapy
  • Self-help techniques
  • Solution focused brief therapy
  • Somatic psychotherapy
  • Trauma focussed therapy
  • Transactional analysis
  • Yoga therapy

Wellbeing for Health Professionals

As a health professional it’s not a luxury to take care of your physical health and wellbeing, it needs to be the foundation of your practice. Quest for Life runs a wellbeing program specifically for health professionals – Peace in Practice.

See our Health Professional Wellbeing Checklist (for questions to ask yourself to help you make the most of your career and life.

Also see a special Webinar for the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine – Assisting People Living with Trauma: Petrea King with Simon Matthews

Grounds and Accommodation

  • 9 acres of tranquil gardens surround the Quest for Life Centre
  • We provide spacious twin-share or single ensuited accommodation
  • Our chef accommodates most diets and uses fresh vegetables from our gardens when possible. We’re renowned for our healthy and delicious food!
  • Quest is situated 5 minutes from the train station, medical clinics, pharmacy and other shops. Quest staff meet people at Bundanoon station

NDIS, DVA and Worker’s Compensation Funding

Our programs can be written into a NDIS recipient’s NDIS Plan. As a NDIS provider, eligible people can claim costs of a program.

On your referral, DVA funds eligible veterans to attend our Moving Beyond Trauma program. Due to our exceptional outcomes, Worker’s Comp Insurers pay for employees impacted by PTSD, workplace accidents or bullying to attend Quest’s programs.

Please be in touch if you have any questions re the suitability of your patient attending a residential program with us at Quest.

Associations

As a Board Member for the Quest for Life Foundation I elected to sit in on a program. All my impressions of Quest, its objectives and program content were exceeded. Staff were warm and empathic; daily programs wonderfully and richly constituted with superb facilitation. Most participants were dealing with enormities and many stated at the beginning that they felt ‘broken’. Yet at the end of the week the most common descriptor offered was that they felt ‘joyous’. I judged this reflected both program content and a set of extension factors which joined people together and facilitated a sense of hope and mastery. I haven’t previously observed such a distinct phenomenon as it affected so many attendees. I judge that Petrea and her staff have created and shaped programs marked by style and content, are innovative and pluralistic, and which touch people’s souls. As a Board member it was a privilege to observe and further sharpens my commitment to Quest.

Professor Gordon Parker AO

Scientia Professor, School of Psychiatry UNSW