COTABATO FOUNDATION COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Doroluman, Arakan, Cotabato

NAME: ANSIL REGINABEL D.

COURSE/SECTION: BSSW2-A

SUBJECT: SWM211 (SOCIAL WORK COUNSELING)

SUBJECT INSTRUCTOR: MAAM ZAIRA ESMERALDA

The History of Social Work Counseling in the Philippines

Pre-Colonial Philippines was much like neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia, and
counseling still shows vestiges of indigenous help-seeking though (a) superstition; (b) reliance
on elders, faith healers, and fortune tellers; and (c) belief in the supernatural (Bulatao , 1992). In
1521 Philippines was rediscovered by Ferdinand Magellan, which began the Spanish
colonization, resulting mainly in religious conquest: 80% off Filipinos are Roman Catholics
(CIA, 2011). The American occupation, from 1898 to 1941 and (and military bases into the
1990s) followed Spanish colonization. From public school to government, the United States has
had a strong influence of the country. (NSO, 2010). The language of instruction in the country is
English, and greater respect is given to anything American over anything Filipino. The United
States has even had a significant impact of counseling because Filipino counselor and
psychologist often trained there (SalazarClemena, 2002).

Counseling as conceived in the United States, began in the Philippines with two colleges
in Manila providing guidance services geared toward identifying professions and employment
opportunities and establishing the first psychological clinic at the University of the Philippines
(Salazar-Clemena, 2002). The growth of guidance and counseling was interrupted by the
Japanese occupation from 1941-1944os to the 1960os was a period of counselor training
(Salazar-Clemena, 2002), as Filipino obtained training and degrees in the United States
established academic counseling programs when they returned to the country. The birth of two
associations most instrumental in the regulation of the profession – the Psychological
Association of the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association - happened at this time.
From the 1970os to 1990os, the movement in counseling was primarily indigenization (e.g.,
Bulatao, 1992; Enriquez, 1977) of assessments, constructs, and theories, focusing on the
differences between the counseling models learned in the United State within the context of the
Philippine culture and the realities of its social issues. The organizations established then were
the Philippines Association for counselor Education, Research, and Supervision and the career
Development Association of the Philippines.

There was monumental growth in the counseling following the American occupation as
the country struggled through political movements, military coups, and citizen-led revolutions to
become an independent republic. The volatile shifts in governance have contributed the power of
the people, for example, when thousands of Filipino demonstrated peacefully against
dictatorship, graft and corruption. This necessity for advocacy and social justice agenda (Tuason,
2008).

Current Status of Counseling in the Philippines

The family is the main unit of Philippine society, and Filipinos value family
belongingness (pagkapamilya; Enriquez 1977). This family orientation is very much part of
counseling because Filipinos would rather go to family members than trust stranger’s help them
solve their problems. Counseling practices that work best involve the family, and family systems
therapies are Dey, Garcia, & Tarroja, 2011). Such as play (Carandang, 2009), art and music for
children. Because pioneer of counseling in the Philippines were trained in the United States
during the 1960os to 1970os and because of the cultural environment, another predominant
model in counseling is client-centered Rogerian therapy, with elements of spiritually. Competent
counselors are sensitive to the extent of people religiosity and respectfully include spiritually in
counseling. The establishment in 2008 of the family and Pastoral Counseling Association of the
Philippines reflects counselor’s responsiveness to the needs of Filipinos by tapping in to the
valuable resource available in people faith and spirituality. Given Filipinos transpersonal
worldview, other forms of therapy may include placing the client in an altered state of
consciousness (U.S.$ 12-$50), it usually lasts longer because Filipinos are not overly concerned
with punctuality (Roces & Roces,1985). It is also common for clients to miss sessions and not be
billed for them. Because of the coast of counseling and the absence of the luxury of time, it is
usually middle- to upper class people who can afford counseling. The impoverished do not
usually seek counseling services, or if they do, it is often from a religious person or a barangay
captain (i. e., leader of the village). Fortunately, nongovernmental organizations and funded
research may also provide counseling to the poor (e.g. Carandang, 1996).

Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004

The most significant development in the Philippine counseling is the guidance and
counseling Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9258). The act was intended to professionalize the
practice of guidance and counseling and to create the Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance
and Counseling , which under the administrative control and supervision of the Professional
Regulatory Commission. Prior to 2004, mental health workers did not need a license to practice
nor was there a regulatory board to ensure adequate training and ethical practice.
 Guidance counselors pioneered regulation for counseling, and psychologist are following
suit through the Philippine Psychology Act of 2009(Republic Act No. 10029), which will
regulate psychology and create professional regulatory board for licensing psychologist
(Kabiling,2010. Although mental health providers have the same mission, hierarchy dictates a
doctoral-level counselor or psychologist has the highest rank, followed by the master’s –level
counselor. Other levels within this hierarchy are determined by where the individual earned her
or his degree: A U.S. –trained counselor has more credibility than a Philippines- trained
practitioner, although this view is slowly changing (Republic Act No.10029. Foreign
Reciprocity).

According to the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, counseling in the Philippines,
similar to how it is defined in the United States, is a “profession that involves the use of an
integrated approach to the development of a well –functioning individual primarily by helping
him/her to utilize his/her potentials to the fullest and plan his/her present and future in
accordance with his/her abilities, interest, and needs” (2004). The functions of a guidance
counselor enumerated in this law are counseling, psychological, testing, learning and study
orientation, research ,placement, referral and group process, and teaching guidance and
counseling courses.

According to Philippine Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz, there are
49 guidance counselor networks with 1,739 members (Department of Labor and Employment,
2011). Twenty-three universities and colleges offer graduate studies in guidance, counseling/
clinical psychology, and counselor education, and a handful of institutes offer degrees in pastoral
counseling. Most programs offer master’s degrees and a few offer doctoral degrees, most of
which follow the practitioner-scientist model. Curricula are determined by individual programs
and are often patterned after courses in the United States, although courses are taught with
extensive applications to the Philippines to make these counseling models and theories relevant
to the Philippine population, as evidenced by applied research in these and dissertations (e.g.,
Nisperos ,1994:Trivino, 2000). The two main differences between training programs in the
Philippines and the United States are the field experiences and supervision. In the Philippines,
because few field placements are available, 100 practicum hours are required for the master’s
degrees and two semesters of internship for the doctoral degree, much less than the 1000 hours
required for a master’s degree in the United States. Moreover, regular weekly individual
supervision is not provided in the Philippines.

Reference:
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