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Sunday, December 03, 2006

1st member of the PRB in Guidance & Counseling

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It is with great joy to announce that Malacanang has appointed the first member of the Professional Regulatory Board in Guidance & Counseling in the person on Dr. Luz Guzman. Dr. Guzman has taken her oath last Nov. 16, 2006, and is currently doing her orientation as she takes on the job so crucial for professionalization of Counseling in the Philippines. Congratulations, Dr. Guzman.

There obviously are implications to this, including her being the first to be given the license as Counselor, hence becoming the first professional Counselor in the country. The next in line would be of course the appointment of two more members to complete the Board. Maybe it's time for us Counselors to read again RA 9258 and see for ourselves the implications of this appointment. Let's hope that the next members be appointed and the next steps be done so that the professionalization of Guidance & Counseling go its full swing as intended by the law. ALL THE BEST, DR. GUZMAN. May God be with you as you serve the country, especially the Guidance & Counseling/Counseling Psychology field which needs to bloom more healthily in the Philippines so that we can be of help in the development of mental health.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

PCAP now IPCAP

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Those in the pic are (starting from the male in the left front): Cesar Cong, Dr. Linda Bubod (both of Philippine Association of Christian Counselors), Dr. Chit Salonga of CEU, PGCA PRO, Dr. Rose Llanes, PGCA President, Fr. Bernardo Collera, SVD, PACERS President, Dr. Perlie Polestico, PGCA, and Sr. Alegria, SPC, PGCA.

Professional Counselors Association of the Philippines (PCAP) has been given a new name, adding the word "Integrated" at the beginning. Hence, PCAP is now identified as Integrated Professional Counselors Association of the Philippines or IPCAP. Herein is one pic from one of our activities, particularly the meeting we just finished at Door of Hope Counseling Center in Makati today Saturday Dec. 2, 2006.

So far, we have now the IRR, Standards of Professional Practice of Quality Counseling, and the Counselors' Code of Ethics ratified by one body of counselors in Vigan as reported by PGCA President Dr. Rose Llanes. Other ratifications will take place as scheduled in order to give us these guiding posts of our lives as professional counselors. One of these days I shall be posting the next meetings for ratification.

This day, in our IPCAP Meeting, we deliberated on the Constitution of the IPCAP. We shall be continuing this task in our next meeting on Jan. 16, 2007 at Alliance Graduate School, where we met last time in Oct. 28, 2006. For more information, you may contact me through the email or through the cell phone number I have posted in my earlier blog a few minutes ago. God bless

PCAP Is Born

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I wrote the following article and submitted it as requested for the PGCA (Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association) newsletter which was published and given to the participants during the Midyear Convention held in Davao last Sept. 2006. Have a nice reading!

After many tries (like many couples do), finally an organization that aims to integrate all Guidance-related associations is born! With the able leadership of PGCA President Dr. Rosa Maria Llanes and some PGCA Board members together with representatives from seven guidance-related organizations, with the motivating presence of Dr. Letty Asuzano, the first integration meeting took place last February 4, 2006 at the Assumption College in Makati City to thresh out this integration mandated by Article III, Section 21 of The Counseling Act of 2004 (Republic Act 9258), and further affirmed in Rule 32 of the RA 9258’s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). There and then, PCAP became its name: the Professional Counselors Association of the Philippines. Since then, monthly meetings have been held mostly in Assumption College, Makati. The latest meeting was held last Sept. 19, 2006 in Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City. The next meeting is scheduled on Oct. 28, 2006 in Mary Ridge (RGS), Tagaytay City. The current officers, while taking on the nature of a “steering committee” are the following: Chairperson – Dr. Rosa Maria Llanes (PGCA President), Secretary – Fr. Bernardo R. Collera, SVD (PACERS President 2006), Treasurer – Dr. Conchita Salonga (PGCA PRO), and PRO – Ms. Maria Lourdes Chavez (PGCA Secretary). All participating organizations contributed P2,000 to fund the succeeding activities of this organization. PGCA, the current APO (Accredited Professional Organization) for all Guidance Counselors for the next three years hopes PCAP will truly integrate all registered, hence professional, counselors into this organization.

In a position paper by former PGCA President Dr. Leticia PeƱano-Ho, attempts at establishment of a federation of guidance associations have failed to produce concrete results. But with RA 9258 finally signed by President GMA in March 2004, concerted efforts by the seven guidance-related associations led to the formation of the PCAP. Among its activities include: the submission to the President of the Philippines all nominees to comprise the first Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance and Counseling (PRBGC); the formulation of the Code of Ethics, the Standards of Professional Practice of Guidance & Counseling, and the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for RA 9258. Two focused group discussions (FGD) on the Code of Ethics, the Standards, and the IRR have been conducted by PCAP. FEU sponsored the first FGD last Aug. 26, 2006 while Adamson University hosted the second FGD last Oct 2, 2006. These three documents shall assist the new PRBGC as it implements its tasks. The Constitution and By-Laws of PCAP are next to be formulated, starting on Oct. 28, 2006 in Tagaytay.

The organizations and persons that came and continually support the organization of the PCAP include the following: PGCA – Dr. Rosa Maria Llanes, Dr. Chit Salonga, Ms. Julie Basco, Dr. Tess Castillo, and Ms. Malou Chavez; PACERS (Philippine Association for Counselor Education, Research & Supervision) – Dr. Julian Montano, Fr. Bernardo Collera, SVD, Dr. Susan Eslanislao; PACC (Philippine Association of Christian Counselors) – Ms. Jane Lee, Dr. Linda Bubod, Ms. Joy Laverinto; GCP (Guidance Circle of the Philippines) – Dr. Leticia Asuzano, Ms. Belen Mandin; CDAP (Career Development of the Philippines) – Dr. Chit Umali, Ms. Cecilia Regaya, Sr. Alegria Avellaneda, SPC; PAPSHP (Philippine Association of Psycho-Social Helpers) – Dr. Priscila Dizon. IOTA PHI represented by Dr. Leticia Rebillon backed out from PCAP on its second meeting in March since they are few in their Honor Society, and are PGCA members as well. PCAP has adopted a policy of inclusion, i.e., all other SEC-registered guidance-related organizations are welcome to this promising federation that may yet lead to the growth and development of the practice of Guidance and Counseling, also known as Counseling Psychology. For more information, please contact any of the following:
Dr. Rose Llanes (09178460590, rosellanes29@yahoo.com ), Ms. Malou Chavez (09174324440, mchavez@mc.edu.ph ), Dr. Chit Salonga (0927-7367175, chsalonga_pap@yahoo.com ), or Fr. Bernardo Collera, SVD (09196236605, berngu721@yahoo.com ).

By: Fr. Bernardo R. Collera, SVD
PCAP Secretary
PACERS 2006 President