#filipino psychometrician

[psycholojosh]

Doing In-Person Psychotherapy for the First Time

For the past few weeks, I've been keeping busy with working on my hours for practicum. By the end of this year, I need to hit at least 200 hours of psychotherapy (as well as another 200 for assessment work) so that I can proceed to the next and (hopefully) final phase of my grad school: thesis. When I started practicum last semester, I felt really drained by the difficult learning environment, plus having to do a lot of work isolated from the others (literally and figuratively). I took a break from this semester to regain my mental energy I once had for psychotherapy clients.

Over a month ago, the mental health clinic of our school opted to open psychotherapy services onsite for students wtihin campus. Unsurprisingly, a lot of students did sign up for this and are now receiving their therapies in-person with their therapists (which includes trainees like me). I stepped into this same lane once I began opening this option up to my clients as well. One client has been very keen on seeing me in person as they would prefer seeing another person as they process their problems. I happily obliged to fulfill this request given that I too work much better when I'm not distracted by the quips of remote work.

True enough, the difference in experience was night and day. And I would prefer doing onsite therapy because for a couple obvious reasons. On one end, I get to see my clients (and vice versa) for who they present themselves to be. And I mean this not only in the physical way but also in a emotional way. A lot of what I find missing in remote tele-therapy is the ability to read nonverbal cues and other emotional expressions that a camera doesn't capture. I feel more in the flow with the client and get to "dance" with whatever things they throw at me during sessions. There's also the added value of just trying to be present with the client without making extra efforts to reassure them of this fact.

I also had to take time to ready myself and get comfortable with my clients expressing unpleasant or difficult emotions. I noticed that my clients feel safer crying and feeling their feels once we're confined within the same four corners of a safe space. Needless to say, I find delight - not in their suffering - but in the opportunity to create a safe space for them to just be themselves, feelings and all.

I guess the only con of working onsite is the travel and the summer heat. While I'm proud of myself for being on time for my clients' sessions, I can't help but still feel irritated about the "unpleasantries" of Metro Manila traffic, as aggravated by the summer sun. Inasmuch as I want to present myself as professionally (and also aesthetically pleasing way) for my clients, I have to be smart about what to wear and how to bring my belongings with the hassle of public transportation.

So far, my onsite work has made me realize that I could do therapy -- and that it's something I could develop much more once I get my master's degree. What I am looking forward to is when we fully reintegrate both onsite and remote modalities to interventions. But that's a different avenue of learning altogether. What I'm most excited about, actually, is getting to see a lively clinic again. I get to see more clients and clinicians, and feel that same vibrant energy I once felt in my previous job before the pandemic began.

In the meantime, if you ever see me in campus (if we are in the same school, or you just happen to be there), feel free to say hello.

Take care of your mental health, everyone!

[regulatedchaos]

Citons pampatulog song- panalangin while dance

Gusto na nya lagi pabuhat lalo na before sleep 🥺🥺🥹

Tita Jo and I have the same interests in getting Cassie out early

But tito eden says otherwise.

Even tita Jo changed her mind too, sir Francis said he is heavily medicated pa. What do I know? I'm not there. Maybe I should just trust them, it's just 3 more months we survived the first 3.

Hi everyone . I explained this before when cassie came in last year. And i will explain it again.

Its like this. When the doctor prescribes a person 4th generation antibiotics , the person needs to take it for 7 days. But on the 3rd day that person will feel better. The problem with most Filipinos is that they stop taking the meds only followed by a still worse relapse because of many reasons And the prescribed medicine won't work anymore then the doctor will prescribe that person a stronger 5th ? generation antibiotics. Cassie is now on his 3rd month but still on heavy psychiatric medicines. Our goal is to wean him off from those medicines or at least lessen his psychiatric medication. Normally its the nurse and Psychometrician that accompanies clients , I don't do this as Center director but Come February 5. i will personally accompany cassie to the psychiatrist. We will update everyone after this. We are just talking about his medication. Cassie has a lot to work on himself. We will find the reason why he used in the first place. We are getting there already. -Sir Francis

All I was thinking was if help was available online, why not do that so he can return home.

I guess I have to trust sir Francis and this right now is still part of the sacrifice we have to do.

I kinda agree with what he said na he has a lot to work on himself. He's so young and Id like to think that he would return to me as a man and not just a boy anymore. That's what's I'm gonna hold onto nalang

19Jan

[conandaily2022]

Chrystel Mae Correos biography: 13 things about Miss Earth Mindanao-Air 2022

Chrystel Mae Correos is a Filipino psychometrician, visual artist, model and beauty queen. She hails from Carrascal, Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Correos is 5’7″ tall. Here are 13 more things about her: In March 2013, she graduated from Carrascal National High School in Carrascal. In July 2017, she graduated cum laude from Mindanao State University -Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan…

[lemonaint]

I dont really know how to start a blog haha. But okay, lemme just start it with an introduction.

First. 

I am a Filipino and i am not really good in english so... Im more comfortable sharing or writing in Filipino.

Second.

Im a Psychology Graduate. I passed the board exam for psychometrician last 2019. I am currently enrolled in med school, and IM STRUGGLING. Lahat parang bago. Im not used to being classmates with people older than me. I can easily be intimidated. I have social anxiety. But the catch is, we are currently having our class online because of COVID. Im not saying naman that this helped me calm myself naman, I also thaught na Ill be okay since we dont need to socialize, but I was wrong. I cant prevent my self from having panic attacks in between classes. Lagi akong may katabing tubig because drinking helps me calm the f down. Anyways, too much about med stuff na, Ill just share about my med life nalang on my next blogs...

Third.

Im a kpop stan. I started being a fan of kpop year 2012 because of EXO. It was less toxic back then. Im glad that I found out about kpop during that time. Because of this, I became fond of being friends with people online. I have lots of internet friends. I love them so much <3

That’s all for now. I still have to review for our Biochem exam. :)

[tonyomasayeah-blog]

“Let all you do be done in love.”

                                                           - Corinthians 16:14

  (A big thanks to Everyday Morning Sun dose of Vitamin D+ ft. Palm Leaves sponsored by KilidKilid tag Singko Ra Flower Shop and special water from Pardo Church. PS just went to Pardo for a mass only from Guadalupe to where I resided.)

             Put GOD first above anything else. Yo! Sotomayor , Antonio I. a Psychology (Yeah right!) freshman from the University of the Visayas-Main Campus. Why PSYCHOLOGY? I tell you what , that “question” is repeatedly ask by my closest individuals and would probably say that you’re better off getting “this” and “that” course ( I totally am pissed off). Why can’t they be happy for me (Tss drama haha) ? Feelings aside , people don’t really get to see the brighter side of getting a Psychology course , don’t really see how flexible you can be to any existing fields there in, where you can apply the assimilated knowledge of the 4 long years of burning your ass to classroom seats and skipping meals till you reach malnutrition  (Well yeah , exaggeration!). So yeah , I choose psychology as a course for the flexibility it offers in which I appreciate and love at the same time. And I vision myself 10 years from now having an extended name title of a licensed psychometrician or let’s see, where psychology and life brings me!

#ComSkills #ParaSaEkonomiya #TonyoMasayeah

“Pagtumingin ka  . . . may mata ka !” Money bags under my eyes.  (Me drooling over at this pic) Kudos to my dentistry clinic sponsor  (As if , my ass) Omega Dentistry Clinic where smiling opportunity can be done everyday but prevent from doing so, people might mistook you to a crazy (tuliling) guy.

(Have you heard of the women today saying “ Tiis ganda.” that’s literally so meeee. Wearing those lenses for about 5 hours are pure torture to my eyeballs. Fake it till you make it , as everybody say.And a big thanks to pen liquid corrector , you’re a game changer. )

              Find your inner passion , it drives you to life. Doing what you love and what makes you as a person is like breathing the freshest air. It fills the missing puzzle pieces in your life. And as for me , DANCING fills the missing pieces in my life puzzle. Expressing and conveying something through non-verbal interpretation is quite challenging. And I love challenges , you lose or win to every challenges but you gain experiences and life lessons. Winning does not guarantee you as the victor and losing does not guarantee you , defeat. Your passion will really lead you to something big even though you have never ask for it as long as you walk your passion with God as your pedestal.

#ComsSkills #CL #TonyoMasayeah

(Photo credits to UV-Toledo Night.  Me: asking how many chickens have been roosted  just so we can have this feathered headdress.PS. I look edgy (Eddgy Sheeran!) at this photo.)

            I am a cultural specialized dancer and also a latin dancer (just few experiences only) (pm me for bookings). Among all kinds of genre why cultural ? Simply because culture makes an individual , group or a society beautifully unique. And in today’s generation where our Filipino culture has been rivaled to the foreign culture that makes us forget who we really are. With all due respect to the other existing culture , it’s best to really know your roots （tapROOT, buROOT , and. tuROOTot). Why looking to something more beautiful and unique where you can find it all here in the Philippines , the Filipino culture.Kaya san ka pa？PINAS na！（Sotomayor, Antonio ibuto sa senado.）

#Comskills #ProudNoypi #TonyoMasayeah

[floruuunstopable]

One of the amazing things that we humans have is the ability to have dreams of a better life, and the ability to establish goals to live out those dreams. Every individual aspires to achieve something. Whether it is a small dream or a big dream, a dream for yourself or for others. However, our desires are changing while we are growing along, and that is normal. We tend to know our priorities, passions, and real dreams as we age.

I remember when I was seven years old, I dreamt of being a superhero because of the influence of "Darna" fighting all the bad guys and helping so many people. And then when I turned nine or ten, I wanted to be a teacher, like my grade three teacher who is very good in teaching Filipino subject. I admire teachers for their patience and kindness to all students and for managing their time well for their work and family. But as I said, our dreams change. I decided I wanted to be a nurse when I was in grade 6. It is for the reason that nurses look so good and neat with their white uniforms and I want to wear those. And also because of their field of work: serving and helping people.

That dream of becoming a nurse lasted until my junior high years. But then when I moved up from junior to senior high, I decided I want to take something inclined with public service that is why I took Humanities and Social Sciences as my strand. So far, so good. I was enjoying the life and learning from the subjects. You may wonder why I took Psycholgy instead of Political Science of Social Studies. Well, my Personal Development teacher in grade 11 is the reason for that. She was so good in teaching her subject that she inspired me to be also a Psychometrician like her and a Psychologist in the future. She made me realize that studying and pursuing Psychology is the best for me. She made me realize that Psychology is the course that I have been looking for all my life. And that was the point in my life that I decided that I am going to be a registered Psychometrician and a registered Psychologist.

Dreams are essential as, withouth them, you will not have the motivation and determination to move forward in life. Some kids aspire to be a pilot, some as dancer, or a mucisian. However, to achieve these dreams, one has to stay attentive and work hard. Your goals provide you the strength to face any obstacles and hardships and motivate you towards achievement.

However big my dream is, having short term goals will always rescue. This is highly important because making hasty decisions will not help you get closer to your dream. Some dreams require time to nurture, some require procedures to follow, without which you cannot achieve your dream. In my case, I need to first save and study hard to achieve my goal. I know that it is still a long journey but with courage faith, I also know that I can do it. Wait for me to be successful folks!

[your-wanderlust-posts]

Biography of Irey Ann Ortiz

Irey Ann Ortiz was born on May 24, 1999 in Davao City, Philippines. Her mother, Jasmin Agalo Marks, was a hardworking woman who used to went on abroad particularly in Kuwait in order to support her studies. Her father, Ronilo Ortiz, was separated by her mother in her early age due to some glitches and misconstructions. During her childhood days, Irey was been raised by her devoutly religious and affectionate grandparents in maternal side, she is an excellent student who always got the throne to be the top one on the class starting from preschool years up to her elementary graduation. In fact, every year of her recognition day, the parents and guardians of her fellow students are amazed by her because she is the student who always got the most number of ribbons, certificates and medals. She is a chosen student to participate into different quiz bee competition, a graceful dancer and member of the cultural and doxology group in competing to other schools, an outstanding first placer of Declamation and Oral Reading Competition Division Category, an artist who tried to joined the Wall Mountain Painting Competition and won the third place, and even had twice tried to be the Ms. GSP representative for their district into a regional camping held on Camp Corazon, Bangkas Heights, Davao City, wherein she is also assigned as the patrol leader.

After some beautiful primary years of happiness and gratification, Irey’s life suddenly turned into a wretched. A time where she felt depress and emotionally in need towards the love of her grandparents when she was transferred to another school and ask to stayed at her uncle’s house for the good of her secondary schooling. It took a huge time for her before she had totally overcome the separation that she had endured. 

In 2015, Young Irey’s heart was captivated by a boy named Renmark Daguil who made her fell in love. This boy is also a smart, God-fearing, musician, handsome which seems to look like a japanese and at the same time, a philofelist and philanthropist like her. He leads her more closely to God and they both harmoniously serving God together, Irey as a songleader in the praise and worship team and Renmark as a drummer or a lead guitarist. From then on, Irey’s life was filled with sunshine and rainbows, a kind of immense joy where she had never felt before. 

In June 2016 to 2018, Irey studied her Senior High Years at the University of Immaculate Conception taking the strand of HUMSS or Humanities and Social Sciences in preparation to her dreamed course as a future psychologist. She even continued to excel in school and consistently received a certificates of honor every end of the semester but also tried to experience a peer pressure that creates a big impact into her life. An extrovert, passionate, active and fun loving Irey twisted into an opposite way of being a self-conscious, reserved, shy and completely unconfident. Until she finally enrolled in Davao Doctors College and starts her journey as BS Psychology major. Irey learned how to be a psychologically healthy individual taken from the lesson that she had on her course, specifically in the Theories of Personality. She recovered slowly and starts to be a talkative, curious, imaginative and participative individual again, and of course, she performed better in school too, as one of the dean’s lister in the class.

 In July 30,2019 her mother married Wallace Marks, a US Navy Telecommunication Specialist Officer. Which brings a good fortune towards the life and family of Irey, Wallace treat her as a real like daughter and support her studies as well. In January 23 to 26, 2020, she engaged herself to joined the PAPJA 33rd Annual Convention held in SMX Convetion Center Manila and National University with the themed of; Inclusive Psycholgy: Valuing Diversity and Accommodation Among Filipinos. And on May 2022, Irey, got her awaited diploma and considered to be officially graduate of BS Psychology Major and a month after, she had able to pass the psychometrician board exam. By the year May 27, 2023 she married with Renmark and have a blissful marriage life. She got her first work experienced in the office as HR personnel at Mawab Military Campus where her noble uncle was working as a Master Sargent. Thus, after 2 years of working, Irey continued her profession and took up the medicine course and later became a Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician at the age of 34, she managed her entire life fruitfully and purposefully towards serving other people with special needs and serving in the ministry of God. The couple lived as self-actualized individuals whom successfully reached the highest level of hierarchy of needs by Abraham Maslow, they even established a charity program helping the poor ones and promoting the animal welfare. Along with it, they also built three churches in different rural areas, encouraging and upholding a righteous life with Jesus. To her, God is the source of everything wherein you can truly find unlimited peace, comfort, hope and love. 

[thexwanders]

To all my mutuals and followers.

You can always talk to me.

If you need someone to talk to, I’m here. If you need someone to listen to you, I’m here. If you need someone who can understand what you can’t explain, I’m here. I can make time. I will make time.

I am a graduate of Clinical Psychology, an advocate of LGBTQ and Filipino Psychology and a Licensed Psychometrician.

Let me be of help.

Your story is not yet over;

[mjsm82099]

The Life of Mike Montenegro

Mike Joshua Seguiz Montenegro was born on August 20, 1999, in the heart of the province of Surigao del Sur, the Tandag City. He is the eldest child of Jennifer Seguiz Montenegro, his mother who was a businesswoman in his childhood days and a hardworking public elementary school teacher starting on his teenage years. His father, Joselito Halawig Montenegro was a private employee of a lending company but resigned to start a business in the city on his teenage years as well. When Mike was about two-years old, her sister Janarra Jane passed away due to heart complications one year after she was born. After a year, mother Jennifer gave birth to a healthy baby they named Maria Jamella, the youngest in the family.

As a young boy with a busy mother as a businesswoman and a father being employed outside of the city who only went home every Friday night, Mike had to go to school and learned all his class lessons on his own unlike any other children with a father and mother surrounding them most of the day. Jealous Mike had no choice but also to understand their situation, only to find comfort outside of their home and being surrounded by the people, the reason why he was distant and never close to his parents. Mike was appreciated by his elementary teachers as one of the most active, cooperative, friendly and honor students in his elementary years. It was on sixth grade that he started engaging to different clubs and organizations ended up as well to be elected as Science Club-Vice President. He got also the chance to confidently participate and compete on a school contest and his first time representing the school to district and cluster levels. Obviously, it was the start of Mike building up his confidence and to be engaged in extra-curricular activities. He graduated with honors in elementary and awarded as well for his extra-curricular endeavor. At a young age, Mike was already a help to his mother in their business and learned one of the most important life’s teachings: trust, autonomy, independence, initiative, hardwork and competence.

His high school years were started by being enrolled to Jacinto P. Elpa National High School, a public high school in town, under Special Program in the Arts Curriculum specialized in Creative Writing. Seventh grade was a realization of him to appreciate life because of the accident of his two classmates claiming unexpectedly the life of the other one which made him remember the death of his sister. His leadership continued by running to become a grade 7 representative, officer to various subject clubs, and by being elected as a class president. The three grading periods for seventh grade were a difficult one for Mike because of not getting into the top 10, afraid of judgment and pressure from his parents, determination and hard work moved him to be placed in the top 10 students at the end of the academic year. It was the start as well of him being drawn into writing because of his specialization, being vocal to his opinions and views when it comes to social issues that eventually led him to have social interest and even started dreaming of becoming a journalist.

The young and free Mike was able to form many friendships and other significant relationships this time. That being said, he experienced identity crisis. He felt that even though he had enormous friendships to hang out with or to cling on, he still struggled to know himself, understand his personality and finding out which groups he belonged to and which he did not. He felt like he was always wearing a mask to conform to certain standards. What contributed the most towards his identity crisis was his gender; he faced discrimination and judgment from his relatives and the people around his neighborhood regarding his sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. During this stage of his life, he also felt guilt towards his parents for completely drowning to extra-curricular activities, making him unable to do well in his academics and hardly balanced and managed his time which eventually made him only being placed consistently on the bottom of the honor roll. On the brighter side, he personally was still thankful for all the extra-curricular activities he participated in because of all the life lessons and teachings that could not be found only on the four corners of a classroom, making him aware of the happenings around his surroundings, participated to various outreach programs, and became a learner of such great mentorships from his coaches and schoolmates.

On the other hand, senior high school was a test for his mental and physical health and also the years of his “first times”. Dreaming of becoming a journalist someday, he chose to enroll in Academic Track under Humanities and Social Sciences strand without hesitation. Mike, this time, realized that his performance in senior high school would matter and greatly affect to the decision he will make for further education such as in college. On his first year in senior high school, Mike worked and studied hard, completely forgotten his physical health resulting to frequent common illnesses. His mental health was at stake as well due to family and peer pressure consistently experiencing stress and anxiety. He took a break in his leadership endeavor to have time in his academics but joined the first-ever radio broadcasting team of the department of his institution under the Filipino category. He named the team “Radyo Tanglaw” which garnered awards from the division level and competed in the regionals on its first year since established. It was Mike’s dream-not-achieved way back in junior high school to be one on the radio broadcasting team and carry the name of his school to some levels. All hard work paid off as he ended the academic year being on the top 4 of the honor roll.

On his last year in senior high school, his love to journalism and radio broadcasting made him decided to take up Mass Communication which actually agreed by his parents. His love to leadership as well continued by being elected as a president of the student council. He was able to attend different leadership conferences, seminars, and events representing the organization around the city and region. He participated on the first-ever International Youth Camp last 2017 at Butuan City, a gathering attended by all international youth leaders from Asia and student council presidents in high school around the Philippines. He still participated on radio broadcasting and defended its crown on the division level, making them represented Tandag City division for the second time in the regionals. His last year in high school was filled with good memories by being a student-leader-and-journalist with the best people in his life. He appreciated life’s beauties this time: the friendships, determination, social interest and responsibility, guidance, fidelity, discipline and sportsmanship. He graduated senior high school as with honors and awarded for his extra-curricular endeavor and service in the student council.

After graduation, Mike’s plans on taking up Mass Communication was disagreed by his parents on the verge of college admission resulting to depression and suicidal ideation. He was forced to choose a program that would take board examination right after graduation and so ended up on psychology program introduced by his friends. Mike enrolled to the said program of the University of Mindanao with a saddened heart. He was not able to adjust easily knowing that psychology program was never on his choices and felt left behind because of only having little knowledge about it. After first semester in the said university, he transferred to Davao Doctors College, Inc. where he was able to adjust and cope up easily on the academics and foreign environment; embraced, appreciated and eventually fell in love on psychology through his seniors, friends and mentors. He was able to gradually know himself and accept his gender identity on this stage. Despite of difficulties, he graduated and passed the Psychometrician Licensure Exam last 2022. He immediately went for a two-year graduate program and became a psychologist by passing the Psychologist Licensure Exam last 2024.

Mike engaged himself to politics right after his masters. He worked as a city councilor who made municipal laws and ordinances that worked on the best interests and welfare of the constituents. He authored municipal laws and ordinances concerning for the protection of mental health of its people, protection from harm and discrimination basing on the person’s sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, creation of livelihood programs, sustainability of eco-tourism and others. He also became a volunteer to a non-governmental organization protecting the rights and welfare of the LGBTQ˖ community for decades.

Through his knowledge and understanding on psychology, he was able to apply it in the field of politics and governance who pressed in on the impacts of it as a policy-maker and a government official. He authored a book entitled “The Psychology in Leadership” which mainly talks about his real story of life as a student-leader on his high school and college years and how he became a leader in the society; applied psychology, introduced his personal approaches and effective strategies recommended for young aspirants who want to be in the field of leadership and politics and governance, ready to be in the service of Filipinos.

He is married to Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, a Thai actor, a year after the approval of same-sex marriage in the country. Mike and Metawin were both living happily with their two corgis in a mansion located in Mike’s hometown.

[psycholojosh]

Therapy Jukebox: 'What Was I Made For?' - Billie Eilish (#1)

I kinda promised my therapist that I would do something for self-care. There's a lot of things I can do, but the one that I found most resonant with my emotional journey is listening to music. I actually made a playlist on Spotify of songs that remind of or play in my mind when I'm in therapy.

I told myself I'll try to look for one song that I can connect the insights I picked up. And the first song comes from Billie Eilish's hit song from the Barbie (2023) movie.

In my first few sessions, I found myself weeping a lot over pains and joys that my therapist and I would talk about. I've gone through a lot of pains since 2022 that led me to a bit of soul-searching and healing. And nothing really communicated how I felt but this song.

I don't wanna get too nerdy but it did remind me of a form of therapy that I learned to love. It liked asking deep-seated questions about one's life and it often makes one feel very uncomfortable. And like what Billie sung, it was unsettling to be in a state of limbo about who you are and what you are made for. When life shakes the ground you're standing, you owe it to yourself to ask the fundamental question, "What was I made for?"

And this is why this remarkable song was the first in the playlist. I had a couple others on the first two sessions, but this highlights where I am in my journey.

Here's to remembering how to be happy. ❤️‍🩹

[iskolohista-blog]

The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Psychological Society proudly Congratulates all the Passers of the Board Licensure Examination for Psychometricians & Psychologists 2017!

The Board Licensure Examination for Psychologists and Psychometricians (BLEPP) is the official Licensure Examination for Filipino Psychologists and Psychometricians that is administered by the Professional Regulation Commission through the Professional Regulatory Board of Psychology (PRBP) by virtue of RA 10029 or the Philippine Psychology Act of 2009

As mandated in RA 10029 the Board Examination for Psychometrician covers:

Industrial Psychology

Psychological Assessment

Abnormal Psychology

Theories of Personality

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board of Psychology released results of BLEPP 2017 last November 7, four (4) working days after the examination. PRC administered the Psychometrician Licensure Examination in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, Legaspi, Lucena, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga on October 29 and 30, 2017.

As announced, 4,957 out of 8,701 passed the exams.

The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila ranked as 4th Top Performing School with the passing rate of 85.52%

Six Iskolohistas made it to the Top 10:

Top 5

ANFERNEE KARL RICAMORA CUENCA (83.60)

GEMYR FAYE VALENTON SAPITANAN (83.60)

RAISA MAURICE MARCELINO SIGNO (83.60)

Top 7 SCANLEY JAMES LEDDA CERRILLO (83.20)

MITOS VILLAGRACIA VEGA (83.20)

Top 9 BEA CAMILLE FABIAN BINAY (82.80)

.........................................................................................................

CONGRATULATIONS BATCH 2017! WE, YOUR PSY-SOC FAMILY ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU!

sources: 

https://goo.gl/fwPKV6

https://goo.gl/RR1DVh

to see the full list of BLEPP 2017 passers, visit:

https://goo.gl/SYfuMD

[psycholojosh]

Hello po, I am currently a student majoring in a field that has little to no overlaps with psychology (I am currently in an IT-related program and I am planning to take an MS in Computer Science). So here’s the thing: I want to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology sometime after getting a career in data science because I want to do social computing. Would you advise this or, rather, would I even be granted admission given that I have a very different academic background? Thank you po!

Hey there! 👋🏽 I'm not the best person to ask about the relevance of social computing in the field of psychology, but I can imagine there are avenues that psychology touches on it. My guess is Social Psychology, Personality Psychology, and Cyberpsychology are the subfields that would be interested in this.

However, I think I can speak to how grad school applications work. The keyword I would use is "alignment." How aligned are your past OR current experiences (doesn't have to be both) with the field you want to get into? Regardless if you came from a different background both academically and experientially, anybody can be accepted into a graduate school of their choice. But your chances of admission become higher when you show both interest and sense of direction with what you'll do with your postgraduate degrees. This can be seen through the application requirements (i.e., application essays, letter of intent, interview, etc.).

So, it might be very helpful for you to look at your experiences and check in with what I mentioned. If you think that it's not quite enough yet (or even if you have zero experiences), then I recommend taking steps to make it more aligned to be more likely to get in.

I hope this helps! Good luck! 😊

[psycholojosh]

It was my first time in Cinema '76 last night. I went with my closest friends from grad school. We watched Past Lives (2022) and it was pretty okay. The characters, plot, and setting was nothing pretentions and very relatable. I'd say it's a very light watch for those who are going through a lot of "what-ifs" especially in their relationships.

[psycholojosh]

I think this has been the best my body has ever felt.

Still not at the goal that I want, but I've been liking my progress even with a slow pace. I've been managing my self-expectations about reaching the body that I want because I have to accept that finishing my master's and doing jobs will take up the time. But I've always been purposeful about my fitness and health. I just have to keep this steady course.

[psycholojosh]

New Rows to Neuro

I wanted to write about a recent life and career development for me. A couple months back, my professor in grad school called me up and invited me to be part of their team in a reputable hospital in San Juan City, Metro Manila. (I'm sure the city gives the name of the hospital away.) They were putting up a memory clinic for geriatric and adult patients with dementia, neurocognitive issues, and other psychological concerns. At first, I was hesitant because I thought they needed a full-time psychometrician. But after some talks with my prof and the hospital admin, they said that I can set my commitment terms.

Throughout the conversation, I couldn't help but reflect on how much effort I've put into exploring my field since I started working. Not to toot my own horn but my prof explicitly requested for my help since I had some experience doing neuropsychological assessments before the pandemic started. I'm not gonna lie, it's a challenging niche of psychology. But I love it anyway. In the past, I did pediatric neuropsychological assessments (with psychologists, of course). And that's even me not being fully committed into this niche, but wide-eyed enough to explore what's in store for me. Lo and behold, I enjoyed it very much. I've always shown up for the job and took every task at heart.

I eventually accepted the offer and clarified my boundaries and limits with my full-time job with this one. Everything checked out. It took a while for them to formally get back to me and get me signed to start training officially and render services. Just last weekend, I've begun my training with two supervising psychologists (one of them, my prof). I felt excited about psychology once again because I knew that assessments seem to be something I can do excellently for the sake of helping people. I really want to do good with this job, especially for the patients.

I'll maybe write more about this as I undergo training and eventually start doing the assessments myself. Until then, I just wanna thank the universe for this opportunity! It means a lot after everything I'm going through this year. ✨

[psycholojosh]

The Unwritten Part of Clinical Psych Training

Almost over two months ago, I went out spontaneously with my two good friends in MA - Mikka (she/her) and Magsi (he/him). We drove up to Antipolo one night and ate dinner with booze at Padi's Point while enjoying the lovely view overlooking Metro Manila under a clear night sky. It was spectacular! The last time we all got together in-person was before the pandemic. Since then, we just had online Zoom calls and our Telegram group chat. But, there we were in the flesh, happy to be in each other's company once again.

A significant part of one of our conversations was -- of course -- how we were all doing in our master's journey. Magsi, since the pandemic, had finally switched full-time in studying, whereas Mikka and I still had to work for a living. But all the same, we all felt like we were in the climax of our clinical training: Learning several tough pills to swallow.

The biggest 'pill' we talked about was about us. Part of the journey to become a psychologist is to do a lot of introspection and deep diving to get to know who you are as a person, before anything else. We have to know our strengths and weaknesses, and how we can improve ourselves in managing them. Paraphrasing Lori Gottlieb (a US-based psychotherapist and author), the essence of being a therapist is to lead clients in embracing vulnerability and accountability. And the amazing and scary part here is that there is no class for that -- at least, not in technicality. In fact, all classes integrate some form of reflective practice that makes us ask the difficult questions about ourselves. One of mine thus far, for example, was a question of my worth and intellect. While I did pride myself to be a nerd at best, I've had professors who taught me how to criticize that part of me and see when it serves its purpose and when it doesn't. I had many difficult conversations with myself, my loved ones, and even my professors about this. And ever since these discussions, I've noticed changes in the way I think, speak, act, or even feel.

But it goes without saying: Scrutinizing yourself is very painful. Sometimes, it can be emotionally excruciating because, well... we are our own worst therapists. We could be so harsh on ourselves that we forget that the real challenge is to not to devalue our dignity but to understand it in a realistic point of view. It's like you're breaking yourself into a million pieces to find the gems and coals underneath only to put everything back together. The good, bad, or neutral pieces of ourselves are what makes us humans after all. And to tell you the truth, I sincerely think I have only scratched the surface a couple centimeters.

There is courage in knowing things that you realize you dislike about yourself. In the past months being a working student, while juggling many responsibilities in my personal life and relationships, I found that I had so many emotional dysregulation, a lot of anxiety, and a lot of perfectionism. It wasn't healthy, to say the least. The sad part about all this, for me, is that I haven't had the time to seek professional help or guidance to sort things out. While I do think I can still manage, it would've been ideal for me to resume (yes, I've had cycles already before) my therapy.

But that takes a lot of courage too. When you subject yourself to the vulnerability that one feels when one wishes to change, it can get very uncomfortable. I can't remember how many times I've shed tears in my therapy sessions since 2016. But what I've discovered in those heartfelt moments is that I was opportunities for emotional growth and understanding. I can't really say I've perfectly mastered such a "skill", but I think I'm getting there albeit slowly.

When we hashed out these points, Magsi, Mikka, and I had this very satisfied look on our faces -- maybe because of the booze. It wasn't until Mikka's remark that everything sunk in. She said, "Ang hirap, ano? Nasa punto na tayo na tayo na yung nagbabago."

She was right. Kami na yung nagbabago.

But in our comforting smiles and sighs, we knew that we had our personal journeys at that point.

If there's any advice I could give to anyone out there -- regardless if you're in my field or not -- is that to embrace change and growth means to get uncomfortable. To transform is to bravely face the truth that you may leave behind some things that you found to be valuable to you, to discover what else must be carried in your personal journey towards growth. I know these sound so profound, but that's nonetheless true.

I think the magic about that conversation was that we were all sharing that sense of humanity. The three of us (and our friends and classmates) are figuring things out -- especially as "adults", whatever that means. The unspoken part about our road towards becoming clinical psychologists is that we are, after all, our first client. We are our first therapy. We are our first difficulty. But we can also be our first continuing success.

And I think that's something worth pushing forward for.