The UP Mental Health Wellness (MHW) Program of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) is a set of initiatives in order to address the needs of vulnerable students and promote care in the University. The University is strengthening its Mental Health and Wellness Network to respond to the Mental Health concerns and coping needs of UP students. The network continues to expand by designating College Mental Health Focal Persons per CU who can advocate mental health care in their respective academic units. The designated UPOU Mental Health (MH) Focal Persons are Associate Prof. Lynie Dimasuay from the Faculty of Education (FED), Asst. Prof. Mari Anjeli Crisanto from the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS), and Asst. Prof. Queenie Ridulme and Asst. Prof. Ma’am Ria Valerie Cabanes from the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS). In line with this Program and the creation of the UPOU Mental Health and Wellness (MHW) Referral System Protocol for Students in Need of Assistance, the Office of Student Affairs- Counseling and Guidance Program (OSA-CGP) in coordination with the UPOU MH Focal Persons conducts a series of webinar sessions that will further equip the concerned UPOU faculty and staff on how to communicate with the students and to bridge them to necessary referrals.
The first of the webinar series was the orientation on the UPOU Referral System Protocol for Students in Need of Assistance. It was facilitated by the OSA Director, Ms. Yasele Irene Angela M. Yambao, with the help of the OSA-CGP staff, Ms. Laarnie Reaño, and the UPOU Mental Health (MH) Focal Persons. The orientations were held via Zoom on 15 June 2021 for FMDS, 16 June 2021 for FED and 17 June 2021 for FICS. A total of 57 program chairs, faculty-in-charge, tutors and learner support personnel attended the said orientation sessions.
The Training-Workshop on Netiquettes and Therapeutic Communication Techniques  were facilitated by the very competent Resource Persons, Asst. Prof. Queenie Ridulme and Asst. Prof. Ria Valerie Cabanes, MH Focal Persons of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies.
The next event was the Training-Workshop on Netiquettes and Therapeutic Communication Techniques which were held on 23, 24, 25, & 28 June 2021 for the FED, FICS, FMDS, & Learner Support Staff, respectively and attended by a total of 39 participants. The webinar’s main objective was to orient the UPOU faculty and staff on how to communicate with the students therapeutically, whether face-to-face, through email, or through telephone calls, regarding their academic, personal and psychosocial needs and concerns. The sessions were facilitated by the very competent Resource Persons, Asst. Prof. Queenie Ridulme and Asst. Prof. Ria Valerie Cabanes, MH Focal Persons of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies.
The Webinar on Assessing Student At-Risk (StAR) and Basic Counseling Skills was facilitated by the very able resource person Prof. Eleanor R. Carballo, a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines Manila.
The last in the series of events was the Webinar on Assessing Student At-Risk (StAR) and Basic Counseling Skills. It was held last 8 July 2021 and facilitated by the very able resource person Prof. Eleanor R. Carballo, a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines Manila.
The training equipped the participants with basic counseling skills that can be applied when they encounter students in distress. They were also taught how to identify or assess the students’ case, specifically Students At-Risk (StAR) and some micro skills in the delivery of basic counseling until referral to a mental health professional has been made.
The 31 participants were Program Chairs, Faculty in Charge and Tutors of the three Faculty Offices (FED, FICS, FMDS) and the Learner Support Personnel of various UPOU academic offices.
Sustainable Development Goals
Written by Erlinda Manarin
Edited by Yasele Irene Angela M. Yambao
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