Archive
An Open Letter to the People who have Emailed Me Recently (March 2, 2019)
Dear Sender(s),
Greetings and I hope that this reaches you well. I know that you have probably emailed me with the intention of conducting a survey, interview, or maybe even to discuss matters pertaining to your practicum or internship.
Now, I understand that it is the 21st century and electronic mail is an acceptable medium to convey your request. However, simply sending a generic message (which, at times, I’ve also noticed is carbon copied to several of your other prospects) or–worse yet–a forwarded message with neither a subject line nor email body can be, well, quite unappealing.
Sender, always remember that when you send these kinds of requests to professionals, you are also trying to make a good first impression with the hope that it may lead to your desired request. Sending emails in the manner that I have described earlier simply shows me that you think very little of my time–our time. Read more…
Rewriting the Lexicon (February 16, 2019)
I will periodically update this post as more “key” words come to my attention.
In a therapeutic setting, I have heard the following words–not often, but often enough–uttered by patients:
I will try…
or
I can’t do…
or
It’s so hard… or It’s so difficult…
Now there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the words “try,” “can’t,” “hard,” or “difficult” but if one hopes to facilitate a certain degree of change in their lives, I feel that how they view or present their situation is equally important. Proverbial change starts from within–a journey that instantaneously begins with the redefinition of one’s lexicon.
Master Yoda was right
During Luke Skywalker failed attempt to lift his X-Wing from the murky swamps of Dagobah, Yoda told a beleaguered Luke, “Do…or do not. There is no try.”
Whenever someone says that they will “try,” I find the odds of them fulfilling the given task–whatever it may be–dropping dramatically. “Try” has become to go-to word to bridge a difficult conversation into a far more comfortable. The easiness of this transition has to stop and the one way to do is would be to remove the word entirely from your lexicon.
The same can be said for the words “can’t,” “hard,” and “difficult.” How would you know that you “can’t” do a specific task or that it is “hard” or “difficult” if you haven’t done it consistently yet?
We define consistently as engaging in the said activity regularly over a period of 60 days.
Make that change
If you want to make some changes in your own life but need some assistance, you can schedule an appointment with me.
I’d be more than happy to help.
Active Imagination (January 23, 2019)
An image of Antiquity. (Taken from Page 11, Panel 4 of the upcoming Issue #4 of Lindol [2019])
Have you ever found yourself in a situation wherein you needed to hastily jot down notes and were—to a certain degree—confident with your output?[i] Only to realize that when you revisited them, you could no longer make out what you wrote down?
This was the challenge of this particular post. So I am hoping for the best.
Active Imagination
During one of our recent Jung Certification Program classes, my classmates and I had the opportunity to try out a Jungian intervention called Active Imagination (AI). The process involved guiding the participant into a meditative state wherein their unconscious would somehow “reveal” to them possible dreams, feelings, images, or objects of significance. Once the unconscious narrative presented itself, the participant is then instructed to engage it in a dialogue.
Ideally, one who is immersed in such a process should also be mindful to not consciously control the narrative; rather let the possible dream, feelings, images, or objects of interest come organically.
This then sets the stage for this question: How would I know if the narrative developed organically or that I just put it there? Read more…
Talk on “Bullying Interventions: Children & Adolescents” in CEFAM
Bullying Interventions: Children & Adolescents
Subbed as a guest professor today in Dr. Ma. Teresa Gustilo-Villasor’s The Center for Family Ministries (CEFAM) class on Counseling Children and Adolescents while she is out of town.
Our topic was on “Bullying Interventions: Children and Adolescents.”
The class was held on January 8, 2013 at 2-4:30 PM in the Ground Floor Seminar Room, Spiritual-Pastoral Center, Ateneo de Manila University Campus, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.
Click here for the handouts.
Career Talk at DLSU
“Life is not linear. There will be detours along the way.” – Michael J. Fox | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future (2010)
An invitation by De La Salle University-Manila (DLSU) Professor Marybeth Nave to give a career talk to her Personal Effectiveness 2 (PERSEF2) class the other week has allowed me the opportunity to reflect on a number lessons and challenges that I have learned in my academic/professional journey.
So far, it’s been an interesting ride and one that I look forward to sharing with the PERSEF2 students.
The career talk is set for June 21, 2012 at 11 AM in the DLSU-Manila Brother Miguel Hall 206.
Psychtunities: A career talk with BS Psychology students of the Makati Medical Center College of Nursing
Challenges and Psychtunities.
The Makati Medical Center College of Nursing (MMCCN) has invited me to give an inspirational message to their freshmen BS Psychology students during their Orientation Program on June 16, 2012 (8:00-10:00 AM) at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) Auditorium.
Entitled “Psychtunities,” I will be sharing with students some pointers on how they can best navigate through academic challenges and future career opportunities. I will also be discussing the critical importance of certification and licensure in Philippine Psychology.
