ABSTRACT

E-counseling has been widely used in different countries

including the Philippines. E-counseling also known as, virtual

counseling, tele-counseling, or cyber-counseling where an

individual can utilize the Internet to consult with a counselor,

to share about their concerns as well as  to gain information

about psychological conditions and treatments, to obtain

counseling, and to share with others in chat rooms or online

support groups. Through maximizing the use of the internet,  

counselors now can provide individuals with face-to-face contact

through the use of video technology. Now that we are experiencing

a Pandemic due to COVID-19, there is an increased need for

counseling. Not only to the students who are now in transition

from face-to-face to online or distance learning but the Filipino

community as a whole which is greatly affected in all aspects of

their daily living. 

This study is a Qualitative Research presented to the Faculty of

Graduate Studies, Masters of Arts in Education Major in Guidance

and Counseling from the University of Nueva Caceres and with

collaboration with Hopeline PH, aims to (1) identify the

challenges and transition faced by school counselors and Crisis

Responders of HOPELINE PH in adapting to the new normal; (2) to

discuss the preparations that have been made by the counselors

and Crisis Responders of HOPELINE PH for them in adapting E-

counseling, (3) give recommendations on how to improve the

services being offered both in educational setting and HOPELINE

PH. As well as to promote their services. This study will be

beneficial to students, parents, teachers’ administrators and

policy makers and the society as a whole, as researchers will

make recommendations based on the experience of the participants.

INTRODUCTION

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease (Covid 19) has created

global health concerns, both in physical and psychological, to
society. The long-term effects of the virus triggers individual
fear and stress-based responses. Since the unfortunate situation,
one of the majorly adapted resolutions worldwide is the
implementation of distance learning at all educational levels.
Distance learning was defined as a learning delivery
modality where learning takes place between the teacher and the
learners who are geographically remote from each other during
instruction. The implementation of this new mode of delivery was
started in the month of August (private schools) and October
(public schools).This quick mandatory “new normal” mode of
learning, left many students especially those who are
underprivileged feel hopeless, depressed and left behind. The
Philippines, being one of the developing countries, undeniably
faces different hurdles especially in receiving a decent
education. Students who were previously only struggling to
maintain their grades have now an additional concern citing lack
of access to gadgets and other resources needed to competently
answer modules as they are left to self-learn in the absence of
classroom teachers and instructors. While most have lost social
outlets as well as the learning environment they were accustomed
to, several reports in social media that most of the students are
being pressured because of the enormous workloads or tasks for
the sake of compliance defeating the purpose of quality
learning. 
In addition students, facing the present challenges of the
pandemic, expressed concern on how this unforeseen experience had
a major impact on their psychosocial adjustment and academic
performance in school. These are just some of the evidence that
students need emotional and mental support to improve the quality
of life they are facing right now. Moreover, the responsibility
of the parents and secondary caregivers find themselves adopting
the new roles being the frontline of education. 
While parental support is important, it is equally important
that students receive additional support at the school level
where they used to spend most of their time. Services including
(1) group and individual counseling, (2)guidance class, (3)career
guidance, (4)testing, (5)personal inventory, and (6)other special
services like students with OFW Parents, gender and development
and students with special needs are the competitive services
being offered to students in most schools of Camarines Sur as
majority of them have a formed Guidance Programs tailored to the
needs of their students.
 
Meanwhile, it’s not just the people in the academe who are
experiencing difficulty but also the people of the Philippines as
a whole. Countries all over the world are doing strict measures
to slow down the spread of the virus and to prevent the
transmission of the disease. The effects of the spread of the
virus have greatly impacted our daily living. Some people lose
their jobs leading to financial crises. Others are afraid of
getting corona or already having it or they were being ostracised
by their families and neighbours for having COVID-19. All of
which affected the mental well-being of many. These issues even
created a much bigger problem, the rise of the suicide cases in
the Philippines. In that being said, the researchers see it
necessary to collaborate with other agencies like Hopeline PH
that also deliver e-counseling. It is a nonprofit ogranzation
that advocates suicide prevention, mental health awareness and
wellness. NGF developed HopelinePH, a national suicide prevention
and emotional crisis intervention hotline group. HopelinePH first
partnered with the DOH and NCMH in 2016 as part of the
government’s campaign to help those dealing with mental health
problems. However, in 2019,the Department of Health(DOH) and
National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) withdrew their
partnership with NGF. For the reason that it is necessary for DOH
to set up its own crisis hotline through the National Center for
Mental Health upon the signing of the Mental Health Act of 2019.
The mental health law was passed in June 2018 and its
implementing rules and regulations were approved in January this
year. Moreover, the DOH said it would continue to support NGF’s
advocacy “to uphold the rights of all Filipinos living with
mental health conditions.”
 
 Given the relevant implications of this study, the
researchers aim to know how the guidance counselors in Camarines
Sur adapt to the changes with regards to expanding the guidance
services through E-counseling in the time of pandemic. Moreover,
in order to support and promote E-counseling in the Philippines.
The researcher will also perform a study to one of the suicide
prevention and crisis support desk in the country specifically,
HOPELINE PH.  
The researchers aim to (1) identify the challenges and
transition faced by school counselors and Crisis Responders of
HOPELINE PH in adapting to the new normal; (2) to discuss the
preparations that have been made by the counselors and Crisis
Responders of HOPELINE PH for them in adapting E-counseling, (3)
give recommendations on how to improve the services being offered
both in educational setting and HOPELINE PH. As well as to
promote their services. 
 

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study employed qualitative research design to

understand the experiences, transitions and adjustments of the
counselors and crisis responders of Hopeline PH as well as to
give innovative recommendations with regards to E-counseling in
the time of Coronavirus and improvements of other Guidance
Services.

Materials

The data was acquired from the respondents through a survey

questionnaire, also, via Google Form and focus group interview.
The data gathered was tabulated and analyzed qualitatively. This
is to elaborate and discuss the experiences, challenges, and
recommendations among the Guidance Counselors and with the
representative of HOPELINE PH. 

Data Gathering & Strategies 

The process started with a focus group interview conducted

among the Guidance Counselors in Naga City, Camarines Sur and
with the representative of the chosen organization. The
researchers informed the participants from Camarines Sur (Private
& Public) through a formal letter given via Google Form allowing
the researcher to conduct an interview to the respected Guidance
Counselors and Crisis Responder. 

The researchers inquired about the experiences, challenges,

transitions and recommendations with regards to e-counseling. 
The respondents were assured that strict confidentiality was
observed. As for the Guidance Counselors, upon reading and
signing the informed consent form, participants completed a
structured interview questionnaire that consisted of ten (10)
open ended questions. The participants were asked to answer the
questions in a paragraph form. 

Respondents 

Guidance Counselors

Participant demographics were obtained through a google form

survey administered prior to the interviews or surveys.
Demographics included: gender, number of years as a guidance
counselor, school or institution connected and their department.
Participant identification was kept confidential as they were
identified as: Counselor 1, Counselor 2, Counselor 3, Counselor
4, Counselor 5, Counselor 6, Counselor 7, Counselor 8, Counselor
9, Counselor 10, Counselor 11, Counselor 12, Counselor 13,
Counselor 14 and Counselor 15. Descriptive information includes
the following:

Counselor #1: The first counselor was a guidance

counselor for almost 6 years.(3 years as a Registered
Guidance Counselor and 3 years as an Associate  Guidance
Counselor) He is currently assigned in the College
Department in their University.

Counselor #2: The second counselor is a female

registered guidance counselor. She was practicing this
profession for almost 20 years.

Counselor #3: The third counselor was a guidance

counselor for 2 years. She was a counselor from a public
school in Camarines Sur.

Counselor #4: The fourth counselor was a guidance

counselor from the Junior High School Department. She was
already 3 years in service.

Counselor #5: The fifth counselor was an elementary

guidance counselor from one of the private schools in Naga
City. She has been practicing this profession for almost 4
years.

Counselor #6: The sixth counselor was a guidance

counselor for 6 years. She was currently a counselor
assigned in the College Department in their University.

Counselor #7: The seventh counselor was a guidance

counselor assigned in the Senior High Department in their
University. He was already 2 years in service as a
counselor.

Counselor #8: She was a counselor from one of the State

Universities in Camarines Sur. She was already a Registered
Guidance Counselor.

Counselor #9: The ninth counselor was a female guidance

counselor from Camarines Sur. She has been practicing this
profession for 6 months.

Counselor #10: The tenth counselor was a guidance

counselor for almost 12 years. (1 year in public and 11
years in private schools) She is currently assigned to the
Senior High School Department.

Counselor #11: The eleventh counselor was already 1 and

1/2 months serving as a guidance counselor in their school.
He was a male counselor from Camarines Sur.

Counselor #12: She was a counselor from one of the

State Universities in Camarines Sur. She was already 5 years
in service and assigned to the College Department in their
University.

Counselor #13: She was a guidance counselor for 13

years. She was a Registered Guidance Counselor from one of
the Universities in Naga City.

Counselor #14: The fourteenth counselor was a counselor

from one of the Universities in Naga City. She has been
practicing this profession for almost 3 years.

Counselor #15: The fifteenth counselor was a 24 years

old guidance counselor from one of the Universities in Naga
City. She was already a Registered Guidance Counselor. 
 Counselor #16: The sixteenth counselor was a counselor
for 9 years from one of the public schools in Naga City. She
was assigned to BED students.  

Counselor #17: The seventeenth counselor was a

counselor assigned in the college department. He was from
one of the Universities in Naga City. 

Counselor #18: The eighteenth counselor was a counselor

for 4 years for JHS students from one of the public schools
in Naga City. 

Counselor #19: The nineteenth counselor was a counselor

for 4 years from one of the public schools in Camarines sur.
She was already a Registered Guidance Counselor. 

Counselor #20: The last counselor was from one of the

Universities in Naga city. She was assigned to the SHS
department.

The Interview was consists of ten (10) open ended question

that was guided by these research questions:

(1) How do the guidance counselors of the selected

schools adapt to the changes with regards to expanding the
guidance services?

(2) What preparations have been made with regards to

online counseling?

(3) What are the counselors’ recommendations in terms

of delivering the guidance services to their students in
this trying time?

HOPELINE PH

In collaboration with Hopeline PH, the researchers conducted

an interview with one of the Crisis Responders of the
organization who chooses to keep their identity hidden. 

“Maweng”(not her real name),Female, 33, currently residing

in Naga city who has worked for Hopeline PH, our chosen partner
organization since 2018, told the researchers in the recent
interview on April 22, 2021 about the history and background of
the organization, their experiences as a Crisis Responders and
gave recommendation for the improvements of the services offered
in their organization and E-counseling. 
 This interview aims to know the history, advocacy,
challenges and services being offered in the organization as well
as to give recommendations for the betterment of HOPELINE PH and
E-counseling. 

Data Analysis 

Thematic analysis was used in analysing the data. The

researchers closely examine the data to identify common themes,
topics, ideas and patterns of meaning that come up repeatedly.
The following steps or process were conducted in the study. These
include familiarization, coding, generating and defining themes.
According to Nowell (2017),  it is mentioned that thematic
analysis is appropriate in a qualitative method. It  can be used
when working in research teams and analyzing large qualitative
data sets. The step-by-step approach provides a detailed
description and pragmatic approach to conduct a thematic
analysis.

RESULTS

In this part of the paper, the  researchers will be

presenting the results after scrutinizing the interview tool sent
via Google Documents to the participants.

The researchers gathered twenty (20) participants working in

Guidance Offices in schools both private and public in Camarines
Sur. On the first part of the interview material the researchers
made, the sex assigned to the participants was asked as part of
the demographic profile.
 Figure 1
Sex

In the figure shown above, 80% of the respondents are female

and the remaining 20% of the 20 respondents are male.
      Figure 2

Years of Service 

The figure shown above shows the years of service the

participants have been working in the educational guidance field.
The responses include 2 responses under 0 to 1 year, 7 responses
in 1 to 2 years, 3 responses in 2 to 3 years, 0 response in 3 to
4 years and 8 responses in 4 years or more.

Figure 3

Department 
 As shown in figure 3, most of the respondents are assigned
to the College department with 40% percent, 25% percent are in
the Senior High School department, Junior High has 20% and the
Elementary department has 15%.

Figure 3

Eligibility

The researchers asked the respondents practicing as guidance

counselors in their respective schools whether or not they are
already licensed, 45% of them answered “Yes” while the remaining
55% answered “No”.

The second part was an interview tool shown below with the
respective responses of the participants:

 Summary of the Results 

The presented interview was guided by three main questions.

The researchers classified the interview tool to these said
questions to identify the theme of the responses. The first
question was “What preparations have been made with regards to
online counseling?”.The second question was “What are the
challenges and transitions faced by school counselors and crisis
responders of HOPELINE PH in adapting the new normal? ”The third
and last base question was “What are their recommendations on how
to improve their services?”. 

Table 1. Preparations of the guidance counselors and crisis

responders in adapting E-Counseling 

Responses Theme

Start to conceptualize the delivery of services

Familiarize the digital technologies use in E-

counseling & attended trainings Technical
Guidance services mode of communication are done
through phone calls etc 

Understanding of the situation and proper mindset Psychological

More trust in the Lord to assist clients with Spiritual

confidence

Table 1 shows the preparations of the guidance counselors

and crisis responder in adapting E-counseling. Some of the
respondents quickly adapted the e-counseling by using mobile
phones and texting their students to reach out since distance
learning was implemented where administrators provide load
allowance and other technical needs to support their employees.
Some of them also attended training for several sessions.
According to Liesbeth (2020), the “new normal” of lockdown has
forced clinical psychologists to adapt their practice. Online
therapy is not new; E-therapy started in the 1990s as the
Internet became increasingly common. E-counseling has been widely
used in different countries including the Philippines. Online
therapy, also known as e-therapy, e-counseling, teletherapy, or
cyber-counseling, involves providing mental health services and
support over the internet. This can be conducted through sending
email, text messaging, video conferencing, online chat,
messaging, or internet phone (VeryWell Mind, 2020). The worldwide
experience of COVID-19 made a significant demand for counseling
especially students who are now in transition from face-to-face
to online or distance learning which can cause various emotional
blues. As counselors play an important role to support clients’
emotional and academic well-being, counselors are best positioned
to help wrestle with this pandemic given the range of services
they can offer. Yet, due to the sudden shift of situations, most
schools have prioritized digitizing their curriculum leaving
important services to support both their teachers and students
behind. 

Table 2. Challenges and transitions faced by school counselors

and crisis responders

Responses Theme

Insufficient number of guidance counselors

specifically RGC and crisis responder

Lack of trainings Lack of Manpower

and Resources
Unavailability of resources

Lack of support from the government, Absence of support

administrators and other agencies.

Clients or students are unaware of the Lack of awareness 

services being offered by e-counseling

Table 2 shows the challenges and transition faced by school

counselors and crisis responders in providing the E-Counseling.
This includes the lack of manpower and resources, absence of
support and lack of awareness of services being offered both in
educational setting and Hopeline PH. Most of the respondents
answered that they experienced a lack of support from the
government, administrator and other agencies. Also, some
counselors felt displaced because the heads of the government &
administrators saw no value in keeping them employed during the
height of the pandemic. As a result they faced significant
pandemic-related barriers in delivering the necessary support and
services to their clients.
Table 3. Recommendations on how to improve services

Responses Theme

Administrators should give sufficient support on Support 

accessing materials, policies, programs and
training with regards to e-counseling

A need for cooperation from the staffs of the Build

organization/institution connections 

Advertise/publicize the services of e-counseling Promote

E-counseling should be part of the standard Adaptation

guidance services. 

Table 3 shows the recommendations on how to improve their

services both in educational setting and HOPELINE PH. These
include the increase of funding, to build connections, promote
their services and the adaptation of the e-counseling. Most
respondents recommended e-counseling as part of the standard
guidance services to deliver among the students even when things
return back to normal. They cited that since todays’ generation
finds comfort in using technology, e-counseling can be a great
way to reach out to them, especially those students who are shy
and find difficulty expressing themselves through face to face
conversations. Another suggestion is for administrators to give
sufficient support on accessible materials, policies, programs
and training with regards to e-counseling so that counselors
would be equipped with necessary skills they need in this new
service. They also included the need for cooperation from other
employees of the organization or institution for them to properly
deliver their services. In addition, some of the respondents
recommend promoting their services. 
 Hopeline Philippines is a 24/7 phone-based suicide
counseling service originally set up by the Natasha Goulbourn
Foundation (NGF) in 2012 (Inquirer, 2019).  The NGF’s mission is
to promote an exemplary mind and body health care, especially
addressing the issues of depression – including to the extent
possible, its management and/or treatment; and to bring together
support groups, organization and institutions to make different
modalities of mental health care services accessible to the
disadvantaged/marginalized groups in the society.  NGF was named
after Goulbourn’s daughter who committed suicide after suffering
from severe depression. Setting up the confidential crisis
helpline in 2012 was part of its nine-year-old mental health
campaign and an offshoot of the initial helplines that NGF
started in 2009 for overseas Filipino workers and their families
in partnership with Globe Telecom (Inquirer, 2019).  

Discussion

E-counseling Among the Guidance Counselors in Naga City and

Camarines Sur

Our findings suggest that the transition from face-to-face

counseling to e-counseling left the counselors with a lot of
uncertainties with regards to their role and limited their
ability to deliver counseling and other guidance services.
Nordstorm (2020), the CEO of Online Therapy, also agreed that
people are generally more anxious because of the coronavirus due
to the fact that his company has seen a more than 30 % increase
in new clients compared to the week before the spread of the said
virus.  Although school counselors have worked diligently and
creatively to continue supporting students, these growing
concerns have raised questions about counselors' unique
professional experiences during remote schooling. Aside from the
students who are greatly affected during this pandemic,
counselors are also facing their own battle. Thompson (2016) said
in his study entitled: “Expanding support beyond the virtual
classroom”, counselors were extremely worried about the future of
their roles, over 50% felt their job was vulnerable due to budget
cuts. This was especially true in urban districts, 64% of
counselors in urban schools felt their jobs were vulnerable
compared to 51% and 50% of counselors in suburban and rural
schools, respectively. One of their respondents stated, “It has
been very difficult trying to work from home, while homeschooling
my children, and taking care of a baby. Our household was full of
stress and anxiety”.

However, despite all the challenges and adjustments,

counselors did their very best to expand their services and
maintain the support that their students need. They continue to
carry out their responsibilities and get creative in the process.
Moreover, to show their commitment and support to the students,
Guidance counselors who participated in this study offer the
following suggestions:
(a) Clear plan for counseling and guidance services should be
established. Counselors suggest that structured time for meeting
the students or family members of the students should be created,
enabling them to form queries regarding the concerns of the
students especially in this time of pandemic. Providers must take
special care in the planning and development stages of online
services. In particular, (Lindsay 2020) suggested that service
users be meaningfully involved during the research and
development stages of online program development to ensure the
program is accessible and relevant to their needs. On the other
hand, like many online services online counselling is often
touted as being more convenient for both clients and
practitioners. This is especially true in the context of
asynchronous online counselling, which does not require adherence
to a strict appointment schedule and can be completed at a
convenient time and place for the client and the counsellor.
Furthermore, the distance afforded by online environments
increases feelings of safety while decreasing feelings of
vulnerability, leading some clients to disclose more intense
personal information, more frequently, and sooner than in face-
to-face sessions. This can also be beneficial to clients using
online communication to compliment in-person sessions, because
they can disclose difficult or shameful information, without
having to verbalize these or be witness to their counsellor’s
initial response. 

(b)Acknowledge Counselors’ Input. Some schools provided modules

to the counselors without assessing first or consulting the
issues faced by the counselors and students. In seeking creative
solutions to promote e-counseling, it would be better if the
counselors are involved in the planning itself and conducting
Needs Assessment to their students would be a great help in
implementing innovative services. This has also shown in a study
entitled “Expanding support beyond the virtual classroom”
authored by Savitz-Romer et al., (2020). In their research,
school counselors appreciated regular, ongoing communication from
school and district staff, while communication from state leaders
varied. Unfortunately, counselor input was rarely solicited
regarding how to structure virtual counseling practices or on how
to integrate time into students’ schedules for support services.
As a matter of fact, only about 60% of counselors received
communication from either their schools or districts at least
once a week. However, nearly 22% of counselors reported receiving
no communication from their state or regional hub since COVID-
related school closures began. 
(c) Lastly, training, resources and support should be provided
for the counselors. It is important to train the counselors
before implementing e-counseling. As we have discussed in this
study, although both face-to-face and e-counseling shows positive
results, we can not deny the fact that there are also differences
in conducting e-counseling and counselors should be prepared and
ready before proceeding to such treatment. A number of counselors
and counselor educators have emphasized that in order for
clinicians to serve their clients effectively they must present
an awareness of online counseling (Jung et al., 2010). Yet, in
order for higher education programs to meet student demand.
MacKeogh & Fox (2009) state that instructors should quicken the
use of technology in instruction. In a study conducted by Michi
Fu and Alice Cheng, published in American Psychological
Association, entitled: “Meeting the Mental Health Needs of
Today’s College Student: Reinventing Services Through Stepped
Care 2.0” This article outlines an online treatment model
(Stepped Care 2.0). The article proposes an innovation to the
traditional face-to-face counseling approach in delivering
services in order to better meet the needs and preferences of
student mental health needs. The proposed model has the potential
to balance demand and resources and to more effectively implement
today’s technologies when thinking about future care. Therefore,
E-counseling requires a skill set that extends beyond general
graduate behavioral health training programs. It is crucial for
both clinicians and clients to be familiar with the various types
of online treatments (Fenichel, 2010). To fulfill a training need
in online counseling modalities, university settings and national
organizations are quickly organizing formalized training
opportunities as full courses, continuing education credits, and
seminars. According to Cartreine et al. (2010), to provide more
rigorous training opportunities, they recommend that universities
should offer online counseling as a specialty track with an
emphasis in evidence based treatments.

Despite the different guidance services of schools and

universities globally, it is  found that approximately 70% of
university students who could benefit from mental health
counseling did not utilize available services  (Lustig et al.,
2006). There are several reasons why some people hesitate to seek
face-to-face counseling, one of these is the stigma associated in
seeking mental health support especially in Asian countries
(Eisenberg et al., 2007). Eisenberg et al. (2007), found in their
study that Asians are not comfortable with traditional counseling
compared to those from western societies.
 Most Filipinos all over the world have general reluctance
and unfavorable response in seeking mental health professionals
despite the high rates of psychological distress. Preferably,
they try to seek help from their close family and friends. In the
recent study entitled Filipino Help-Seeking Mental Health
Problems and Associated Barriers and Facilitators: A Systematic
Review, Martinez, et al(2020) cited barriers supporting this
issue including financial constraints, inaccessibility of
services, immigration status, lack of health insurance, language
difficulty, experience of discrimination and lack of
acculturation to host culture. Given the impact of such cultural
barriers, qualities inherent in online counseling such as
relative anonymity and physical distance could be an efficient
option for many who would otherwise remain untreated. Including
E-counseling to the standard guidance services being offered can
make a significant impact in decreasing the underserved target
clients. Moreover, the on-going transition from face-to-face to
virtual is an opportunity to improve E-counseling service and
provide ample preparations to cater the needs of the counselors
both in skill and technical aspect.

For future studies in relation to this paper, the

researchers suggest exploring the preferences of students with
regards to the type of counseling services they prefer (face-to-
face or virtual) to further expound the findings in this study.

HOPELINE PH

Our findings suggest that the absence of funds have caused

the organization to reduce employees from the organization. In
addition, despite the diligent work of the crisis responder to
provide support to their clients. The delivery of counseling and
services was also affected.  In a recent study of Lestari, (2021)
he mentioned that a lot of people nowadays are experiencing
multiple stressors with mental health crises, due to this
pandemic. When this is not addressed, it causes mental health
damage in individuals or the communities. He emphasizes that
hotline assistance and online counseling services are significant
today in order to increase the priority in supporting mental
health. He concluded, the influence of the stakeholders and
governments are the key role increasing the priority in
supporting mental health.

 Although HOPELINE PH was already operating and providing

mental health support for several years among the Filipinos.
Their services should also be publicized in the Philippines.
Acharibasam et.al, (2018) stated the need to expand mental health
care through the use of technology or other electronic devices or
applications. This was an important way of reaching out more
people in order to achieve high quality mental health services.

According to the report of Ralf Rivas on Rappler, the latest

data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that
suicide incidents rose by 25.7% in 2020. Despite the alarming
spike of the said incident, suicide hotlines in the country is
unknown to public. Our study suggests the following:

Promote the Organization and its services

To effectively deliver an organization’s services one

should make sure that their intentions are clearly known and
presented to the public. According to a Development Specialist,
Dr. Saumya Arora, despite the good cause NGOs work for, there is
a stranglehold of the government or state on their functions,
especially their finances. This is primarily to ensure that the
funds are actually being used for the genuine purposes. Even the
donors keep an eye on the usage of funds. Thus spending on
functions like ‘marketing’, ‘communication’ are seldom considered
in line with the ‘objects’ of an NGO, considering the opportunity
costs. However, the point to note here is that NGOs are also
working in a ‘market’, they are exposed to the various market
related factors and externalities. They need mechanisms to
sustain themselves, and many of the organizational and marketing
principles hold good in case of NGOs too.

It is important to learn the fundamental business principles too,

in order to understand their applicability in non-profit context.
Nonprofits need to reach out to donors to raise funds for their
cause, build linkages and networks to sustain their functions and
grow. No matter how helpful one’s advocacy is, if there is a lack
of awareness about it, it can not help anyone. 

Collaborate

One of the rising industries in the Philippines are the

BPO companies. Meanwhile, there is a shortage of manpower among
the Crisis Responders. One solution that the researchers devised
is the collaboration of crisis responders to the BPO companies
that will cater the needs of emotionally disturbed people. This
will ease the concerns about unattended calls and inaccessible
help line.

Innovate
 Upon interviewing one of the crisis responders of HOPELINE
PH, it was raised during the interview about the concern in low
funding of the organization due to the withdrawal of partnership
by the Department of Health and the need to expand their
connections with other agencies with the same advocacies. Taking
this into account, the researchers see it essential for the
organization to innovate coherent ways in order to accumulate
funds that will support the goals of the organization. When the
costs of an NGO's core activities exceed the inflow of grants and
donations, it is forced to either reduce the quantity and/or
quality of its work, or to find new sources of funds to cover the
difference. Reaching out to new donors with innovative fund-
raising approaches is usually the first step. Redesigning program
activities to include cost recovery components, whereby the
beneficiaries or clients of the NGO pay part of program costs, is
a second approach. A third alternative is for the NGO to make
money through commercial ventures (Hayssen Et. al., 2001). This
will help the organization to be more systematic, functional and
responsive to the needs of their consumers. 

Adapt: Guidance and Counseling & Hopeline PH

Guidance and Counseling and Hopeline Ph are both for the well-
being of an individual. Both sectors promote overall wellness and
educate people and give light to the importance of mental health.
With this being said, the researchers recommend to the former to
adapt the ways of Hopeline PH in delivering their services to
reach more students. By utilizing other means and channels in
counseling, this will lead to a progressive and contemporary
approach to the said field. As this world is constantly shifting
there is a need to adapt to the new normal and to not be boxed in
the traditional practices. 

References:

Savitz-Romer, M. et al. (2020). Expanding support beyond the

virtual classroom: Lessons and recommendations from school
counselors during the COVID-19 crisis. Research Harvard Graduate
School of Education & Boston College Lynch School of Education
and Human Development.

Mallen, MJ. (2005). Online counseling: Dynamics of Process and

assessment. Research Iowa State University Capstones.(link)

Currie, N. (2010). Virtual Counseling for Students Enrolled in

Online Educational Programs. Research Wichita State University.
(link)

Khan, A. (2010). VIRTUAL MENTORING: A Quantitative Study To

Measure The Effectiveness Of Virtual Mentoring Versus Face-To-
Face Mentoring. Research Capella University.