Family Link Philippines did touch base with a former ally in Department of Education’s Division Guidance and Counseling Coordinator Ms. Mercuria Ganaden as it conducted nine mental health education seminars in different Quezon City schools for the summer of 2009. The first venue was at San Vicente Elementary School last March 14 (with participants from Pinyahan, Krus na Ligas and Malaya Elementary School). This was made possible with the cooperation of Ms. Mirasol Timbang of San Vicente Elementary School and their gracious principal, Mrs. Emely M. Pelobello. Others that followed suit were Diosdado P. Macapagal School, Betty Go Belmonte School and Ponciano Bernardo Elementary School.
Even in the south, lecturers had their hands full last summer break doing the rounds in Colegio dela Immaculada Concepcion which has branches in Mandaue and Bogo,Cebu.
There were some changes that have been in place top. Anxiety disorders, a milder form of mental illness, have been included in addition to the severe mental illnesses that were discussed in the seminar, namely: depression, manic depressive disorder (or now termed as bipolar disorder) and schizophrenia. Schools used to inquire regarding the Family Link seminar but were held back with its two-day schedule. To address such concern, the nine modules that were spread over two-day sessions were compressed into five modules given in just one day in this order:
Mental Illness and Medications
• Substance Addiction Anger and Stress Management Crisis and Recovery
Moving Forward
However, the Family Link seminars which are regularly held at Metro Psych Facility (both in Pasig and in Cebu) and given to families and recovering patients have retained the old format with nine topics and are still scheduled for two days to allot more time for discussion and questions.
The teams of Family Link lecturers have also traveled to Laguna College of Business and Arts; Batangas (in cooperation with the Philippine Mental Health Association, Lipa Chapter); Jocson College in Angeles City, Pampanga; Benguet (in coordination with Provincial Social Welfare
and Development Officer Juana Bannawe) and Bacolod. Noteworthy were Bacolod-based psychiatrists Drs. Gauzon, Gayares, Escandelor, Francia and Luzuriaga who joined in giving the lectures in their area for the continuing advocacy to ease the social stigma on patients
recovering from psychiatric illness and substance abuse and to promote emotional wellness through anger and stress management.
