PSYCHOLOGY CORNER

COUNSELING PERSPECTIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES

AMY L. CHAVES

Feb. 16, 2000

(Based from the book COUNSELING IN PERSPECTIVE:

THEORY, PROCESS, SKILLS

BY:  LILY ROSQUETA-ROSALES)

CONTEXT:

            From the historical perspective, many forces have shaped the Filipino individual to what he is now, ranging from the different cultures which have dictated his biological, sociological and attitudinal make-up to the political and technological changes brought about by a search for meaning and destiny.

            Who are the Filipinos from the counseling perspective?  Filipinos are said to be contemplative, sensitive and sometimes irrational.  They are family and group-oriented, identifying love with loyalty.  The Filipino client has a holistic self-perception and tends to be reticent about his problems.  Although the counselor must be cognizant of the socio-cultural aspect of his client,  he must not forget that his client is first a human being.

            What precisely is psychotherapy?  From its proto meaning, psychotherapy means “to tend the soul”.  It is a form of treating mental disorders based on verbal and non-verbal communication.  It is an informal help guided by theory and process.  Both counseling and psychotherapy are relationships which aim to produce constructive behavioral and personality change.  Both are after the spiritual healing and solace of the client’s soul.  The main distinction is that psychotherapy, unlike counseling, occurs in high intensity cases.  The depth of treatment in psychotherapy is longer and more extensive than what is found in counseling.

            Some mental disorders prominent among Filipino clients which need the skills of psychotherapist are:  disorders in perception and thinking, disturbances of consciousness, orientation,  affectivity, attention and memory.  Based from the data culled by the author, Lily Rosqueta-Rosales,  disturbances of consciousness ranked first, followed respectively by disorders of affectivity, perception, orientation and thinking. Analysis of the data indicated that the mental illnesses were traced to three contributing factors: single parenthood, lonely childhood and stresses and strains in early adolescence.  All mental health clients were deprived of the parent structure of a mother and father living together.

            What are the dynamics of counseling?  First, counseling is a relationship, a communion, which includes physical and emotional dimensions.  The physical dimensions involve the counseling climate such as place, time and comfort.  The emotional dimension refers to the genuineness, acceptance and empathic understanding that the counselor offers to the counselee.  The counselor understands the client as a total person.  Their relationship is a sharing of life based on trust.  Spontaneous warmth and affection, professional knowledge of techniques of counseling are vital  to counseling.  Non-directiveness or non-intrusiveness is also important as well as compassion, competence, emotional maturity, perseverance and kindness. Even silence, which is that “precious psychological moment” must be availed by the client and the counselor must know when to give this for it is an indispensable part of counseling.  Silence is necessary “to wash away filth and to facilitate the entry of peace of mind, joy, faith, hope, compassion and love.

          Counseling also gives direct services in the  school—from the students, teachers, staff and administrators could benefit from the counselor, in whatever situation that needs his skills and expertise.  The counselor can also make linkages with the community especially during crises and other social problems in the area.

            What are the psychodynamics for counselors?  Psychodynamics is sometimes called the science of mental energy by clinicians.  Conflicts coming from strong unconscious forces will ultimately seek expression in the client.  It is therefore necessary that psychological homeostasis be maintained by the counselor and the counselee.  This includes the counselor’s way of thinking about his client and about himself in the interpersonal world between them.  The body, mind and soul of the client must not be separated to bring about the harmony in the client as a person.

            What is the counselor’s response to social forces?  Outreach and cooperation is one essential response followed by “superior” counseling.  Another response is to change counselor orientation from that of being a practitioner to that of counselor-educators.  In addition, the counselor can evaluate counseling activities to ascertain their effectiveness.  Counselors can also work for policies to help people cope with current problems and concerns through professional organizations.  The counselor is asked to focus on the teen-agers or youth sector as well as the elderly or senior citizens in our country.

EXPERIENCE:

            My experience in counseling is limited only to some of my closest friends.  I do not yet have the competence to counsel just anybody.  Lately, my experience in counseling pertains to a friend, an American who grew up in the States but who has a Filipina mother and  married a Filipina stewardess.  When I met him for the first time I already sensed intense, deep-seated feelings bordering on passions.  When I got to know him better, I found out that his wife has been having an affair and that he caught her thrice in bed with different men each time.  They have been separated for 9 years and yet the pain of betrayal, of loss, of shame and of self-pity are still evident in the way he talks and even in his non-verbal communication.

            What I did first was to listen and then to ask question (Socratic method) that would initiate the surfacing of deep-seated feelings which may have been buried in the debris of blame and pain.  For one month we would talk about his wife, their relationship—it was all about the past.  I found out that it is difficult for him to think of the future so I concentrated my effort in the tremendous possibilities that is still available for him.  After a while, I experienced counter-transference—I am feeling his feelings, I am thinking his thoughts.  On the other hand, he has grown dependent on me in the emotional level that I began to realize that we are affecting each other negatively.  So I made an effort to distance myself emotionally and even physically from him so I could look at our relationship objectively.  I slowly stopped talking to him, giving excuses such as I’m too busy or I have to visit my terminally ill half-brother.  I guess it was better that way because I don’t know how to deal with his complex feelings and my feelings of pity towards him.  Fortunately, when we sometimes see each other now, we are still friends.

REFLECTION:

            When I look back at my clumsy but honest intention to help my married-but-separated-friend I realize that there is really a need to study Psychology because there are a lot of people, perhaps including myself, who need help in the healing of the soul.  I have to be competent and skilled before I could counsel or treat an individual because no matter how good or noble my intentions are, I would never be able to help an individual unless I learn first the basics  in counseling or therapy.  It is not enough to know the Socratic method because it is only applied to philosophy and to analytical thinking.  Most of the problems among humans may never be completely understood in the rational level.  Some  problems have to be approached in some other levels.  Thus, I recognize the importance and necessity of studying the various techniques in counseling vis-à-vis the different theories in counseling  and  more so in psychotherapy.

ACTION:

            My plan is to be counselor if not a therapist because I want to help people.  My being a teacher is a good background because already, in my 23 years of teaching, I have amassed great skill in understanding students and people in a non-verbal way.  What I need to do however is to augment my present skill with theoretical foundation and techniques in how to deal with clients in an effective, appropriate way.   

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