Charting Directionsfor Counselor Educationinthe Philippines

Charting Directions for
Counselor Education in the Philippines
John Addy S. Garcia

De La Salle University, Philippines
The paper examines the future directions for counselor education in the Philippines by
reviewing the relevant historical development of counseling, the emerging professional
challenges, the changing client needs and work contexts, contemporary perspectives in
understanding the nature of counseling as a discipline, and global trends in counseling.
It identifies specific concerns and recommends directions for reform in counselor
education in the Philippines.
Keywords: counselor education, history of counseling, counseling in the

Philippines
Brief Historical Development of Counseling in the Philippines
The development of counseling as a profession in the Philippines has

been shaped by socio-economic contexts and as well as the historical
development of psychology and counseling as scientific disciplines. The
counseling profession started in the Philippines as part of the educational
and social reform initiated by the colonial rule of the United States of
America. Similar to the development of guidance and counseling in the
United States, the initial development of counseling in the country has been
related to vocational guidance (1913-1934) and the integration of guidance
and counseling services in school (1935-1945) (Salazar-Clemeña, 2002). It
reflects related patterns of development seen in the United States: from the
guidance and mental health movements, to the emergence of student
personnel psychology in educational institutions (Eaves, Erford & Falcon,
2009). During the post-World War II era until the late 60’s, three important
development ushered the initial growth of the counseling profession in the
Philippines: 1) the establishment of counselor education programs in the
country, 2) the formation of professional counseling organizations; and 3)
the offering of guidance and counseling services in local schools (Salazar-
Clemeña, 2002).
Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology (2012), Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 119-141.
© Philippine Association for Counselor Education, Research, and Supervision (PACERS)
ISSN 1655-1702
PHILIPPINE JOURNAL OF COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY
Garcia : Counselor education in the Philippines
During the 70’s until the early 80’s, there was an emphasis on
providing continuing professional development for practitioners. Different
professional organizations offered both general and specialized counselor
training related to the following competencies: counseling, program
development, psychological assessment, research, and career development.
Local practitioners realized the need to enhance their counselor
competencies in order to address the changing needs of diverse set of
clients. In some cases, the professionals had to deal with and they were not
prepared to handle. Thus, counseling organizations provided continuing
professional development to equip and prepare practitioners to handle
client needs. In response to the emerging professional development needs,
several counseling organizations were established catering to different
needs of practitioners. The Philippine Guidance and Personnel Association
(now the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association), the Philippine
Vocational Guidance Association (now the Career Development Association
of the Philippines), and the Philippine Association for Counselor Educators-
Researchers (now the Philippine Association for Counselor Education,
Research, and Supervision) were the pioneering counseling organizations
that regularly offered continuing professional development activities for
guidance counselors (PACERS, 2011; Salazar-Clemeña, 2002; Santamaria &
Watts, 2003). The counseling organizations also provided venues to discuss
issues related to the professional identity and development of Filipino
counselors.
More importantly, the 80’s was also marked by the movement

towards more culturally-sensitive practice of counseling with the influence
of Philippine psychology. Western theories were questioned and validated,
while indigenous formulations of psychological functioning of Filipinos were
also generated by both by local and foreign researchers (e.g., Church, 1987;
Enriquez, 1982, 1994; Lagmay, 1982; Salazar-Clemeña, 1993). There was a
recognition of the need to develop counseling approaches and practices
sensitive to the Philippine context, responsive the needs of Filipino clients,
and consistent with worldviews of Filipinos (Salazar-Clemeña, 1993).
Practitioners and researchers began to emphasize the need for local
counselors to anchor practices on empirical evidence and theoretical
frameworks.
120
The role of counseling professionals in nation building was indirectly

recognized with the enactment of the Philippine Education Act of 1982. The
law recognized access to school guidance and counseling services
(specifically in relation to career guidance) as one of the rights of students
(Section 9.3.). But the law did not specify the functions of guidance
counselors. It only defined the general roles and functions for professional
educators, including guidance counselors, in the school system. Although
not explicitly indicated, counselors form part of the “academic non-teaching
personnel” who possesses relevant academic qualifications and performs
functions directly supportive of teaching (Section 6.c.). As such after the
enactment of the Education Act, schools started to hire more guidance
counselors who primarily performed career and vocational guidance
(Salazar-Clemeña, 2002), but were also assigned teaching and
administrative tasks (some of which are not directly related to guidance and
counseling).
The mid-1980’s was characterized by the emergence and recognition

of mental health issues related to the socio-economic problems of poverty,
unemployment, underemployment, migration due to work, and rapid
growth of the population (Salazar-Clemeña, 2002). Challenged with the
emerging client needs, counseling services were no longer confined within
schools, and limited to school-based career and vocational guidance.
Corporations, organizations, and government agencies began to offer
counseling services related to skills training, career development,
psychological assessment, and job placement (Salazar-Clemeña, 2002;
Santamaria & Watts, 2003). Counselor education program also offered
graduate courses (to a large extent as electives) related to counseling issues
and intervention in a non-school settings (e.g., community or corporate) or
beyond the traditional functions of guidance counselors. Samples courses
included marital and family counseling, career development and counseling,
counseling special populations, and industrial counseling. Although there
was a recognition of the need to offer counseling services to non-school
based clients, the school system remained as the biggest employer of
guidance counselors.
The 1986 EDSA revolution contributed to the resurgence of the civil

society movement (through nongovernment organizations, people’s
organizations or church-based organizations) which promoted human
121
welfare and development (Asian Development Bank, 2007). The People

Power Movement inspired the people to act more responsibly and
contribute more directly to social reform. A number of NGOs started to offer
counseling services to specific populations like families (e.g., Center for
Family Ministries, n.d., established in 1987), street children (e.g., Virlanie
Foundation, n.d., established in 1992); victims of human trafficking and
exploitation (e.g., Visayan Forum, n.d., established 1991); and overseas
Filipino workers (e.g., UGAT Foundation, n.d.). The initiatives of the civil
society expanded the role of counselors and highlighted the need for more
community-based counselors, and counselor education programs for
counselors in non-school settings. There is a huge gap between the need for
community counselors and the ability of educational institutions to train
qualified counselors. Thus, some NGOs (e.g., Center for Family Ministries
and UGAT Foundation) has to offer their own counselor training programs.
To date, majority of existing counselor education programs in the
Philippines still prepare professionals to work for schools (Wong-
Fernandez, 2001). There is a need for local counselor education programs
to offer specialty or, at the very least, specialized training for professionals
interested in nonschool settings. In fact, several Philippine laws mandate
counseling services for specific populations like disabled persons (Magna
Carta for Disabled Persons, 1992), children-in-conflict with the law (Juvenile
Justice and Welfare Act of 2006), victims of human trafficking (Anti-
Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003), and individuals in career transitions
(Public Employment Service Office Act of 1999).
In response to the need expanding demand for counselors, the

professional counseling organizations focused more directly on advocating
for and defining professional counselor identity. Various conferences of the
different professional organization focused on defining the roles and
functions of counselors, and counselor credentialing (see PACERS, 2010). In
the Philippines, credentialing of professionals is done through legislation.
Prior to the enactment the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, there was
no existing counselor credentialing process, including a certification
facilitated by professional organizations (Garcia, 2003). Although
accreditation was also been practiced by private educational institutions
since 1957, it largely highlighted institutional and program accreditation,
and not professional credentialing (Salazar-Clemeña, 1993). To address the
problem, counseling leaders and professional organizations (spearheaded
122
by the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association, Inc.) lobbied for a

law requiring licensure examinations and registration for guidance
counselors. In the Philippines, legislated registration is the most preferred
and widely-recognized manner for professional credentialing and
regulation.
The Guidance and Counseling Act (2004) requires a licensure

examinations for individuals who want to earn the title “guidance
counselors.” The law, in its Section 3 (a), defines guidance counseling as “a
profession that involves the use of an integrated approach to the
development of a well-functioning individual primarily by helping him/her
potentials to the fullest and plan him/her to utilize his/her potentials to the
fullest and plan his/her future in accordance with his/her abilities, interests
and needs. It includes functions such as counseling subjects, particularly
subjects given in the licensure examinations, and other human development
services.” The law also requires a master’s degree in guidance and
counseling as an academic qualification for the licensure examination. It
also stipulated five examination areas, namely: a) philosophical,
psychological, and sociological foundations of guidance; b) counseling
theories, tools and techniques; c) psychological testing; d) organization and
administration of guidance services; and e) group process and program
development. The Implementing Rules and Regulations of the law added
career guidance as an examination area, and integrated program
development with organization and administration of guidance services
(Philippine Guidance and Counseling Associations, 2011).
After the enactment of the law, new professional organizations were

established like the Integrated Professional Counselors of the Philippines
(IPCAP), the Family and Pastoral Counselling Association of the Philippines
and as well as the regional chapters of the Philippine Guidance and
Counseling Association (which has been recognized by government as the
national organization of registered and licensed guidance counselors in the
Philippines). In 2008, the Professional Regulation Commission promoted
continuing professional education (CPE) for all regulated professions, which
included guidance counseling (Professional Regulation Commission, 2008).
Under the existing guidelines, professionals are expected to actively update
their competencies by regularly participating in professional development
activities. Several counseling organizations were accredited by the
123
government as CPE service providers catering to various professional

development needs of counselors. For CPE to be mandatory, it has to be
legislated. Pending before the Philippine Congress are several bills that will
require continuing professional education. House Bills 274 and 2466
propose continuing education for college teachers, which includes guidance
counselors. Senate Bills 3068 and 3084 provide specific guidelines for
continuing profession education for all state-registered and licensed
professionals, which include guidance counselors.
Responding to Challenges, Setting New Directions
The counseling profession faces a number of challenges as it

continues to develop and mature as a field of specialization. Counselors
and counselor educators need to assess as to whether current practices are
still relevant and responsive to the changing needs of clients, the emerging
concerns of the profession, and shifting paradigms in understanding roles
and functions of counselors. The current paper describes common
definitions of counseling, international trends and practices in counselor
education programs, and the emerging issues and concerns related to
counselor education programs in the Philippines, while proposing specific
directions that can be considered by all stakeholders in counselor education.
Defining counseling
Counseling as a profession was adapted in the Philippines largely

based on how it was developed and practiced in the United States. How
guidance and counseling is practiced in the Philippines parallels the
practices in the United States primarily because of how it was integrated in
the Philippine educational system during the colonial rule. More so, the
pioneers of guidance and counseling, and as well as counselor education, in
the country were predominantly trained in the United States as well.
Likewise, the counseling theories used in practice and the methodologies
utilized to generate scientific knowledge are predominantly based on works
of practitioners and researchers from the United States. Although there
seems to be a strong Western influence on counseling research and practice,
there are also concrete initiatives to validate, critique, and question Western
concepts, theories, and practices. For instance, some of these initiatives
aimed to: advocate for culturally responsive counseling approaches
124
(Salazar-Clemeña, 1993); validate personality structure (e.g., Church,

Katigbak & Reyes, 1996, 1998); test models of well-being (e.g., Reyes,
2005); evaluate counselor education programs (Wong-Fernandez, 2000);
explore a counselor development model relevant to Filipino counselors
(Mateo, 2011; Reyes, 2001), or school counselors’ beliefs about learning
(Bernardo & Kintanar, 2010), and beliefs on the etiology and treatment of
depression (Kho, Salanga, & Reyes, 2005).
Although there is a common understanding and agreement that

counseling is an important competency, there is still a need for local
practitioners to recognize and agree that counseling is the core construct
that defines the profession as practiced in the Philippines. To accomplish
this, there is a need to distinguish counseling from two closely related
functions, “guidance” and “psychotherapy.” Guidance historically refers to
“helping clients make choices about vocation, lifestyle, and education,” while
psychotherapy refers to alleviating symptoms of associated with a
dysfunctional state using a medical model of sickness (Eaves, Erford &
Fallon, 2009, p. 3). The fundamental difference between counseling and
psychotherapy is that the latter uses a wellness framework and focuses on
improving quality of life rather than treating symptoms. Eaves, Erford and
Fallon (2009) argues that counseling encompasses functions related to both
guidance and psychotherapy. They define counseling as “a proactive,
holistically oriented process for helping persons learn to cope with
problems of living, and for promoting healthy development... This process
involves empowering the client to decide on a feasible goals and to identify,
develop and use personal and environmental resources to attain these
goals” (Eaves, Erford, & Fallon, 2009, p. 4). It may be facilitative,
preventive, remedial, rehabilitative, and/or enhancing (Hershenson, Power
& Waldo as cited in Eaves, Erford & Falcon, 2009). The authors also
highlighted that counseling and psychotherapy as two closely-related
disciplines rather than divergent ones. To a large extent, counseling and
psychotherapy overlap in terms of functions and roles. As such the
definitions forwarded by the professional organizations for counseling and
psychology seem to converged. Eaves, Erford and Falcon(2009) summarized
the commonalities in the definition of counseling by the American
Counseling Association (ACA) and the Division 17 (Counseling Psychology)
of the American Psychological Association (APA), which highlights that:
125
1. “Counseling is a profession that requires graduate education;

necessitates adherence to ethical standards; and encourages
licensure, certification, and organizational membership and
involvement;
2. Counseling is holistic and concerns itself with treating the entire

person, although without stepping outside one’s area of competence;
3. Counseling focuses on relatively healthy functioning individuals who

are experiencing difficulty;
4. Counseling is empirically driven and based on theoretically sound

underpinnings and interventions; and
5. Counseling involves facilitation of change, behaviorally, cognitively,

emotionally” (pp. 5-6).
These contemporary definitions clearly underscore that counseling is the

encompassing construct that defines the profession, and not guidance nor
psychotherapy. Philosophical assumptions, as indicated in the definitions,
clearly define the scope, limitations, roles, and functions associated with a
specific profession. Given contemporary definitions in the scientific
literature, there is a need to evaluate whether the philosophical basis for
“guidance and counseling,” as defined locally, still responds to current
trends and directions of development in the profession.
Philosophical basis of counseling
Another important way of clarifying what constitutes counseling is

to articulate its philosophical basis. As synthesized from existing literature
by Emerson (2010), the philosophical belief system underlying the
profession of counseling is comprised of four elements: 1) developmental
perspective; 2) wellness perspective; 3) prevention, and 4) empowerment:
1. Developmental perspective refers to the assumption that people will

meet and successfully manage challenges that they face as they
progress in their lives. Client issues or concerns are seen as
developmental blocks or delays rather than pathological problems;
126
2. The wellness perspective underscores the nature of counseling as

strength-based (i.e., focusing on client strengths rather than
problems) and holistic (e.g., emotional, behavioral, systemic,
cultural, etc.) view of clients. It is also emphasizes the intention to
help clients grow, develop and reach their own potentials. Thus, for
people to develop they don’t have to be dysfunctional. Everyone can
pursue wellbeing;
3. Counseling is more about helping clients avoid problems and cope

with problems, but it emphasizes prevention and preventive care. It
utilizes educational tools to help clients prevent and manage
potential psychological, emotional, and relational problems; and
4. Counseling is about helping clients learn how to gain control of their

lives by giving them tools to gain more awareness of external
influences in their lives, understand their personal contexts, and
solve their problems independently.
The definition, as culled by Emerson (2010) from contemporary

counseling literature, clearly underscore the philosophical basis for
counseling. The definition is succinct and informative, and can help clarify
the rationale for the ongoing revision of guidelines for counselor education
programs and the proposed amendments of the Guidance and Counseling
Act (2004). The definition reflects how the contemporary functions of the
counselor revolves around “counseling,” and less on “guidance.” The
proposed CHED guidelines for counseling education programs are consistent
with current definition in the literature. The guidelines propose
“counseling” as the core discipline reflected in the degree name, in lieu of
“guidance and counseling.” In a way, the guidelines suggest that
“counseling” is the discipline, while “guidance and counseling” is a specialty,
which in other countries is equivalent to school counseling. As such, policy
makers and regulatory bodies (from both government and professional
organization) need to recognize and adopt “counseling” as the construct that
defines the discipline and not “guidance and counseling.” The changes
should be immediately reflected in the pertinent laws, guidelines, and
policies that govern the profession.
127
The Guidance and Counseling Act’s (2004) definition of guidance and

counseling remains problematic as well. It uses “guidance and counseling”
to refer to the discipline of counseling, which is inconsistent with
contemporary scientific literature. “Guidance” historically referred to the
educational and vocational functions in counseling. But through time, the
profession has developed to take more mental health related functions and
less of the guidance related tasks. Unfortunately, the law seems to be quite
strongly anchored on the “guidance” functions, which is limited to school
settings, and extends the work of “guidance counselors” to non-school
settings. When the law was initially implemented, it has caused so much
confusion among practitioners particularly those in non-school settings. As
such, there is a need to review whether the competency areas stipulated by
the law are actually relevant to counselors across settings. More so, the law
should also recognize contemporary scientific literature in defining the
profession so that it becomes more responsive to needs of the professionals
and clients, and cognizant of how the profession has evolved through time.
Standards for Counselor Education Programs
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) monitor and regulates

the quality of tertiary education in the Philippines. The CHED regularly
formulates policies and guidelines that govern the content, delivery,
assessment, and other pertinent requirements for offering undergraduate
and graduate degree programs. Under the existing CHED guidelines,
guidance and counseling is still indicated as a major area of specialization
for a graduate degree in education (as in M.A. in Education, major in
guidance and counseling) rather than a separate discipline (Communication
on Higher Education Policies and Standards for Graduate Programs for
Teachers and Other Education Professionals, 2007 or C.MO. 53, Series of
2007). However, recent working drafts of the proposed guidelines define
guidance and counseling as separate area of specialization distinct from the
graduate teacher education programs (Commission on Higher Education
Proposed Policies and Guidelines for Graduate Programs in Counseling,
2011). On the other hand, the undergraduate degree related to counseling
that used to be a “Bachelor in Secondary Education, major in Guidance and
Counseling” has been dropped as an area of specialization for secondary
education after the teacher education program guidelines were revised
(Commission on Higher Education Revised Policies and Standards for
128
Undergraduate Teacher Education Curriculum, 2004). So basically, policies

and guidelines for counselor education program in the Philippines remains
to be clearly defined and drafted to address the needed changes related to
the limitations of the law on guidance and counseling, and emerging
directions in counselor education locally and internationally. Additionally,
there is a need to finalize the structure and core content of a counselor
education program that is responsive to local contexts and aligned with
international trends and standards (Hoskins & Thompson, 2009). The
subsequent sections provides a brief comparison of the local and
international standards in terms of content.
Table 1 summarizes the core knowledge areas highlighted in the

Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, the existing (CMO 53, CHED, 2007)
and proposed CHED guidelines for counseling programs and the
International Registry of Counsellor Education Programs (IRCEP). The table
shows that the proposed CHED guidelines is more aligned with the
provisions of the Guidance and Counseling Act, compared with the existing
guidelines (CMO 53, CHED, 2007) on graduate programs in teacher
education (which includes counselor education programs). The proposed
guidelines specifies the subject areas for counseling and requires a
practicum. Whereas, the existing guidelines does not define the counseling
subjects and only provides categories for the different subject areas, viz.,
core, major, cognates/electives, integrating courses or thesis. More so,
practicum is just optional. It can be taken as one of the integrating courses
in lieu of the action research.
In comparison with international standards (viz., International

Registry for Counselling Programs, n.d.), the proposed guidelines seem to be
aligned with a number of standards related to counseling skills, theories and
techniques, supervised field practice, and research and assessment. IRCEP
standards related to human development, ethical principles, societal norms,
diversity and differences, and professional identity do not have specific
equivalent in the proposed guidelines. But these IRCEP content areas can be
integrated, or at the least, highlight in several course in the proposed CHED
guidelines. Policymakers can consider aligning the local guidelines for the
specific courses with the international standards like IRCEP, to make
counselor education programs in the country more responsive to current
global trends and practices (cf., Hoskins & Thompson, 2009).
129
Table 1.
Comparison of Core Knowledge Areas
R.A. 9258 CMO 53, Series of Proposed IRCEP

2007 Guidelines
Philosophical, Core courses (9 units) Core courses (9 Standard V
Psychological, and Research Methods units) Domain A
Sociological Statistics Research Methods (Counselling Skills
Foundations of One (1) course that Statistics and Practice)
Guidance may depend on Philosophical, Communication/
the student’s Psychological Counselling Skills
Counseling theories, major and Sociological Theories and
tools and Foundations of Techniques
techniques; Major courses (15 Guidance Human Development
units) Supervised Field
Psychological testing Major courses (18 Practice
Cognates/Electives (6 units)
Organization and units) Counseling Domain B
Administration of Theories, Tools, (Understanding
Guidance Thesis (thesis track) and Techniques the Social Context
Services; and Psychological and Norms of
Program Integrating courses Assessment Working as a
Development (non-thesis track) Group Process and Counsellor)
(6 units) Program Ethical Principles
Group Process At least one of the Development Societal Norms
integrating Organization and Diversity and
Career Guidance courses should Administration Differences
require an action of Guidance Professional Identity
research or Services Research and
practicum Career Counseling Assessment
Cognates/Electives
(6 units)
Specialized topics
in counseling
Practicum
Thesis or Special
Project
130
Emerging concerns and challenges for counselor education

in the Philippines
The subsequent sections discusses the concerns and challenges for

counselor education related to: the great demand for counselors and
counseling paraprofessionals, the Philippine K to 12 education reform,
employment and employability in a dynamic job market, mental health
services in disaster situations, and the counseling supervision and
supervised field practice.
Great demands for counselors and counseling paraprofessionals
There is a great demand for mental health professionals (to a large

extent for school counselors) in the Philippines, especially among schools
and colleges. To date, there is roughly around 2,000 licensed guidance
counselors but there are more than 45,964 elementary schools, 12,950 high
schools (Department of Education, 2011), and 1,714 universities and college
(Commission on Higher Education, 2005) that need to be served by
counselors. Government statistics indicate that there are about 1.6 million
kindergarten pupils, 14.1 million elementary pupils, 6.9 million high school
students, and 2.4 million college students (Commission on Higher Education,
2005; Department of Education, 2011). Roughly, the ratio of counselors to
students across levels is 1:12,500. But the demand for counselors is not
limited within the educational sector, there is also a growing demand for
more mental health professionals in public employment service offices,
pastoral and family centers, rehabilitation centers, NGO’s, and even among
corporations. Counselor educators should exert concerted effort to recruit
more individuals into the counseling programs and to produce more
professionals that are qualified. Likewise, training programs for counseling
paraprofessionals should also be immediately established, regularly
conducted, and extensively promoted to help mitigate the demand. The
initiative to recruit more counseling professionals will be greatly facilitated
if two pending bills in the Congress gets approved into a law. But
unfortunately, Senate Bill 503 and House Bill 2645, which aims to provide
government support for the recruitment, hiring, and training of mental
health professional (school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and
mental health personnel) in the elementary and high schools, are still
pending in both houses of Congress.
131
K to 12 Education Reform and School Counseling
The government is currently implementing the K to 12 educational

reform to replace the existing 10 year basic education program in the
country. Under the K to 12 program, the public school system will have one
year in kindergarter, six years in elementary, four years in junior high
school, and two more senior high school (Luistro, 2011). The final two
years in high school includes assigning students into one of three possible
specialization tracks: academic, technical-vocational, and sports and arts
(Luistro, 2011). After high school, graduates will have the option either to
work after high school or pursue a college degree. The role of the
counselors is critical in facilitating the successful transition of students from
school to work – one of the key goals of the reform. Given the current
changes in the educational system, school counseling related courses should
be reviewed so that counseling competencies relevant to the K to 12
curriculum should be higlighted or enhanced. For instance, counselors
should be prepared to address client concerns and needs that may emerge
as students go through different grade levels. Transitions across levels (e.g.,
K to elementary, elementary to junior high school, junior to senior high
school, senior high school to post-secondary options) can bring about
adjustment concerns and problems.
Counselor educators need to rethink the approach used and the

content covered in the courses directly relevant to school counseling.
Responsive school counselor education programs prepare professionals
ready and able to function effectively in the school system. For instance,
courses in theories and techniques of counseling should provide learning
opportunities (including supervised field practice) directly related and
contextualized to counseling children and adolescents, and not just a
seminar-type review of the different approaches. Likewise, courses related
to guidance programs may need to emphasize competencies relevant to
curriculum development and evaluation, to compliment skills in organizing
and administering an array of guidance-related services. Program
development should not only cover the basic competencies in developing
and evaluating programs, but should also highlight theoretical models for
program design and evaluation relevant to school counseling and consistent
with the K to 12 curriculum (e.g., evidence-based school counseling). Lastly,
132
in lieu of career guidance, counselor education programs should offer career

counseling and highlight counseling competencies and not just skills in
facilitating psychoeducation interventions. Counselor-trainees should be
educated about empirically-supported and culturally-sensitive career
counseling approaches relevant to facilitating student competencies across
the different year levels. Although specific suggestions were forwarded,
nevertheless, the account presented in this section is brief and inexhaustive.
A forum among counselor educators on best practices in teaching school
counseling courses can facilitate a more thorough and critical discussion
how counselor education programs can respond to the challenges of the K to
12 curriculum.
Employment and Employability in the Ever-Changing Job Market
Government labor statistics indicate (as of October 2011) that there

are 38.53 million employed Filipinos distributed in the following sectors:
agriculture (12.85 million), industry (5.60 million), and services (20.08
million) (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). Close to 14 million out of 38.53
employed Filipinos are classified as laborers and unskilled workers.
Professionals totaled 1.7 million only. Around 21 million are salary
earners; 11 million are self-employed; 1.5 million employed in family owned
businesses/farms; and 4.7 million are unpaid family workers.
Furthermore, unemployment rate is at 6.4% (with the National

Capital Region posting highest unemployment rate at 10.4%) (Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 2011). Out of 2.6 million unemployed Filipinos, 1.6 million
are males; 1.3 million are between 15-24 years old; and 1.13 million are
either undergraduates (597,000) or graduates (535,000).
Average daily wage is at 320.59 pesos (3% increase compared to last

year), while the average increase in consumer price index is at 4.8% (Bureau
of Labor Statistics, 2011). Although the average work hours is at 40.9, there
are 23. 8 million Filipinos working more 40 hours per week (of which 8.5
million are working for 49 or more hours).
The employment situation is further complicated by the mismatch

between college enrollment and job demands. Specific degree programs are
oversubscribed. That is, there are so many universities offering the degree
133
programs than necessary, and that there is large enrollment in specific

degree programs more than what the labor market demands. Thus, the
government declared a moratorium for offering new degree programs in
specific areas in order to abate the deterioration of graduate quality and
improve the employment prospects of college graduates (Commission on
Higher Education, 2010). The degree programs included in the moratorium
are: business administration, nursing, teacher education, hotel and
restaurant management, and information technology (Commission on
Higher Education, 2010). On the other hand, the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE) identified several industries that offer good
employment opportunities, which include: agribusiness; cyberbusiness;
health, wellness, and medical tourism; hotel and restaurant; mining;
construction; banking and finance; manufacturing; real estate; wholesale
and retail; emerging industries (creative industry, diversified/strategic
farming and fishing; power and utilities; renewable energy) (Bureau of
Labor Employment, 2010).
Counselor education programs should prepare professionals

competent in addressing career development needs of clients, while
contributing to the mitigation of employment-related problems. Career
counseling and development should be made available to all clients across
developmental stages – from new graduates to active retirees. The training
of counselors on career counseling should emphasize competencies on
designing, implementing, and evaluating sound career development
interventions to address career needs related to school-to-work transition,
education and job mismatch, and finding employment and maintaining
employability in a dynamic labor market. Graduate courses on career
counseling should prepare counselors to assist clients not only in identifying
interests and aptitude, but in getting into in-demand and hard-to-fill jobs as
well. Supervised field practices should also be integrated in course on
career counseling to immerse counselor-trainees in the local context and
contemporary career development concerns of Filipino clients.
Responding to the need for mental health services in disaster situations
Natural and human-induced disasters batter the Philippines

regularly. The country sits on both the typhoon and the Pacific seismic
belts, making it prone to typhoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, fires,
134
and flashfloods (Philippine Red Cross, n.d.) Just recently, the country was
devastated by a 6.7 magnitude earthquake in Central Visayas, Typhoon
Sendong, and the floods in the Mindanao River Basin (USAID, 2012;
Vervaeck & Daniell, 2012).
On the other hand, in some areas in the country which are targets of
terrorist attacks and armed conflict, communities barely receive
psychosocial support to help them cope with displacement and trauma. The
United Nations reports that Filipino are significantly victimized during
armed conflicts (Office of the Representative of the Secretary General for
Children and Armed Conflict, 2011). They are recruited and used both the
rebel and government troops. Some are maimed, tortured, and raped.
Schools are targets of explosion, and classes are disrupted whenever the
military use schools as barracks. Teachers are also increasingly being
targeted as well.
There is a growing need for psychosocial interventions to help

communities prepare for, recover, and cope with disasters. As such,
counselors need to be prepared to actively and systematically contribute to
community- and school-based mental health interventions related to grief
and trauma work related to natural and human-induced disasters.
Counselor education programs should include courses and community
engagement activities that equip trainees with the necessary competencies
to facilitate interventions pertinent to trauma and grief counseling,
psychological first aid, and self-care for disaster survivors, volunteers, and
workers.
Counseling services beyond the schools
With the emerging needs for counseling services beyond the schools,
there is a need to create counselor education programs that respond to the
needs of underserved sectors as well. The counselor education programs
should emphasize developing core competencies that will prepare
professional to work in different settings, but at the same time, provide
opportunities to learn specialized knowledge and skills as well. Some of the
work settings that need more counselors now include: rehabilitation,
community, pastoral and family centers; public employment services offices;
and human resource development departments (Asian Development Bank,
135
2007; Bureau of Labor Employment, 2010; Santamaria & Watts, 2003). In

order to abate this emerging concern, counselor educators must
continuously pursue advanced specialized trainings to help prepare
counselor-trainees to work across settings. Likewise, counselor education
institutions can consider offering advanced training for counseling
specialties based on the strengths and thrust of their counselor education
programs.
Intensifying counseling supervision and supervised field practice
The existing law governing the profession and as well as the

guidelines for counselor education programs do not explicitly underscore, or
even recognize, counseling supervision as a core competency. The Guidance
and Counseling Act (2004) does not require supervised
practicum/internship as a requirement for licensure examinations. Neither
does the existing CHED guidelines (i.e., CMO No. 53, Series of 2007; CMO No.
36, Series of 1998) require a counseling supervision course and supervised
practical experiences. As indicated in the 2007 CHED guideline, practicum
can be one of the two integrating courses that can be taken by those in the
non-thesis track. Practicum is not even an option for those in the thesis
program. But in the proposed CHED guidelines, practicum is considered
now as a required course. Although currently there are several programs
requiring supervised practical training, there is still no existing system for
accrediting practicum sites and for assessing the quality of supervision.
These issues and concerns can be significantly addressed through a national
accreditation of counselor education programs, which can be jointly pursued
by professional organizations and counselor education institutions. These
concerns had been raised and advocated before, particularly by the
Philippine Association for Counselor Education, Research, and Supervision
(PACERS) (Wong-Fernandez, 2000, 2001), but there is a little evidence to
indicate that the advocacy had been translated into action.
The availability of qualified counseling supervisors is one important

prerequisite to effectiveness of supervised practical training. Policy makers
preparing the revisions on the guidelines for counselor education program
should consider counseling supervision as one of the core competencies in
the doctoral program. The master’s level training should be designed to
136
prepare professional counselors, while a doctoral degree should highlight

counselor education and supervision (CACREP, 2009).
Conclusion
Reforms in counselor education program should be anchored on

contemporary conceptual definitions and understanding of counseling as a
discipline, the emerging needs of clients, local work contexts, the changing
professional identity of counselors, and the expanding demands of
counseling work. Counseling as a profession constantly evolves as it keep
up with ever-changing nature of client characteristics, needs, and social
contexts. Historically, the counseling profession was established to respond
to societal problems and will continue to remain so. Thus, current reforms
in counselor education programs in the Philippines should not just focus on
establishing standards and enhancing professional competencies, but
should also assert the role of counselors in nation building. Responsive
counseling practice is not just about ethical professionalism. It is also, to a
large extent, about social responsibility – changing individual client lives in
order to change communities.
References
American Counseling Association. ACA Milestones. Retrieved from

http://www.counseling.org/AboutUs/OurHistory/TP/Milestones/CT2.aspx
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, 12th Congress of the Philippines, Republic Act 9208 (2003).
Asian Development Bank. (2007). ADB Civil Society Briefs: Overview of NGOs and civil
society. Retrived from http://www.adb.org/Documents/Reports/Civil-Society-
Briefs/PHI/CSB-PHI.pdf
Batas Pambansa Bilang 232 (September 11, 1982 ). An act providing for the establishment
and maintainance of an integrated system of education.
Bernardo, A.B.I., & Kintanar, N.S.M. (2010). Exploring Filipino school counselors’ beliefs
about learning. Philippine Counseling Psychology, 12, 1-12.
Bureau of Labor Employment. (2010). Project JobsFit: Summary of Findings and

Recommendations. Retrieved from
http://www.ble.dole.gov.ph/pjf/FinalReport.pdf
137
Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics. Current Labor Statitics.

http://www.bles.dole.gov.ph/PUBLICATIONS/Current%20Labor%20Statistics/HT
ML/data%20highlights.html
Church, A.T. (1987). Personality research in a non-Western culture: The Philippines.

Psychological Bulletin, 102 (2), 272-292.
Church, A.T., Katigbak, M.S., & Reyes, J.A.S. (1996). Toward a taxonomy of trait adjectives in
Filipino: comparing personality lexicons across cultures. European Journal of
Personality, 10, 3-24.
Church, A.T., Katigbak, M.S., & Reyes, J.A.S. (1998). Further exploration of Filipino personality
structure using the lexical approach: Do the Big-Five or Big-Seven dimensions
emerge? European Journal of Personality, 12, 249-269.
Commission on Higher Education Revised Policies and Standards for Undergraduate Teacher
Education Curriculum, C.MO. 30 (2004).
Commission on Higher Education. (2005). Higher education statistical bulletin.

Retrieved from
http://202.57.63.198/chedwww/index.php/eng/Information/Statistics
Commission on Higher Education Policies and Standards for Graduate Programs for Teachers
and Other Education Professionals , C.MO. 53 (2007).
Commission on Higher Education, Moratorium on the opening of all undergraduate and

graduate programs in Business Administration, Nursing, Teacher Education, Hotel
and Restaurant Management and Information Technology Education Effective
School Year 2011-2012, C.M.O. 32 (2010).
Commission on Higher Education Proposed Policies and Guidelines for Graduate Programs in
Counseling (Proposed September 25, 2011).
Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Program. (2009). 2009 Standards.
Retrieved from
http://www.cacrep.org/doc/2009%20Standards%20with%20cover.pdf
Department of Education. (2011). Fact sheet. Retrieved from

http://www.deped.gov.ph/factsandfigures/default.asp
Eaves, S.H., Erford, B.T., & Fallon M.K. (2009). Becoming a Professional Counselor:
Philosophical, historical, and future consideration. In Erford, B.T. (Ed.), Orientation
to the counseling profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional foundations
(pp. 3-23). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc
Education Act of 1982, Batas Pambansa Bilang 232 (1982).
138
Emerson, C.H. (2010). Counselor professional identity: construction and validation of the
professional counselor identity measure. Unpublished doctoral dissertation.
Greensboro: University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Enriquez, V.G. (1982). Sikolohiyang Pilipino: Perspektibo at direksyon. In R. Pe-Pua (Ed.).

Filipino psychology: Theory, method, and application (pp. 5-21). Quezon City,
Philippines: Philippine Psychology Research and Training House.
Enriquez, V.G. (1994). From colonial to liberation psychology: The Philippine experience.
Manila, Philippines: De La Salle University Press.
Family and Pastoral Counselling Association of the Philippines. (n.d.). History. Retrieved
from http://www.fpcap.org/about-us
Garcia, J.A.S. (2003). Professionalizing counseling in the Philippines. Philippine Journal of

Counseling Psychology, 5, 68-80.
Guidance and Counseling Act, 12th Congress of the Philippines, Republic Act 9258 (2004).
H.B. 274, 15th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines (2011).
Hoskins, W. J., & Thompson, H. C. (2009, March). Promoting international counseling identity:
The role of collaboration, research, and training. Paper based on a program
presented at the American Counseling Association Annual Conference and
Exposition, Charlotte, NC.
International Registry of Counsellor Education Program. (n.d.). The IRCEP Standards.

Retrieved from http://www.ircep.org/doc/IRCEP%20Standards.pdf
Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, 13th Congress of the Philippines, Republic Act 9344 (2006).
Kho, R.M.T., Salanga, M.G.C., & Reyes, J.A.S. (2005). Filipino students’ and counselors’ beliefs
on the etiology and treatment of depression. Philippine Counseling Psychology, 8, 32-
46.
Lagmay, L. (1982). Philippine culture-personality research. In R. Pe-Pua (Ed.). Filipino

psychology: Theory, method, and application (pp. 240-250). Quezon City,
Philippines: Philippine Psychology Research and Training House.
Luistro, A. A. (2011, January). K to 12 basic education program. Paper presented during the
Catholic Education Association of the Philippines-National Basic Education
Ccommission (CEAP-NBEC) Basic Education Summit, Quezon City, Philippines.
139
Magna Carta for the Disabled Persons, 8th Congress of the Philippines, Republic Act 7277
(1992).
Mateo, N. J. (2011). In search of a Filipino counselor development model: A preliminary

analysis. Philippine Counseling Psychology, 13, 76-95.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. (NDRRMC). (2012, February).
NDRRMC Update: Displacement due to armed conflict in Cotabato. Retrieved from
http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=437
Office of the Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict. (2011,
April). Developments in the Philippines. Retrieved from
http://www.un.org/children/conflict/english/philippines.html
Philippine Association for Counselor Education, Research, and Supervision (PACERS).

History. Retrieved from http://www.pacers.org.ph/about/history/
Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association. Licensure updates: The Philippine

Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004. Retrieved from http://www.pgca.org.ph
Philippine Red Cross. (n.d.). Disaster management services. Retrieved from

http://www.redcross.org.ph/dms
Portal, E. L., Suck, A. T., & Hinkle, J.S. (2010). Counseling in Mexico: History, current identity,
and future trends. Counseling in Malaysia: History, current status, and future trends.
Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 33-37.
Professional Regulation Commission. Attendance to the continuing professional education

(CPE) courses offered by CPE Council and PRC accredited CPE providers as a
requirement for all professionals to be in good standing and globally competitive,
Resolution No. 2008-465 (2008).
Public Employment Service Office Act, 11th Congress of the Philipines, Republic Act 8759
(1999).
Reyes, J.A.S. (2001). Counseling supervision: Expectations, actual experiences, and

preferences of counselor trainees. Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology, 4, 85-
118.
Reyes, J.A.S. (2005). Conceptualizing the happy Filipino: Implicit theories of counselors and
students. Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology, 7, 99-113.
S. 503, 15th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines (2010)
140
Salazar-Clemeña, R. (1987). The status graduate counseling programs in Metro Manila, Part I:
Program characteristics. Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1, 70-96.
Salazar-Clemeña, R. (1993). Counseling psychology in the Philippines: Research and practice

(2nd ed.). Manila, Philippines: De La Salle University Press.
Salazar-Clemeña, R. (2002). Family ties and peso signs: Challenges for career counseling in
the Philippines. Career Development Quarterly, 50(3), 246-256.
doi: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.2002.tb00900.x
Santamaria, J. & Watts, A. G. (2003). Public policies and career development: A framework for
the design of career information, guidance and counseling services in developing and
transition countries (Country Report on the Philippines). Retrieved from
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTLL/Resources/Public-Policies-and-Career-
Development-Policy/Philippines_Report.pdf
See, C.M., & Ng, K.M. (2010). Counseling in Malaysia: History, current status, and future
trends. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 18-22.
Sweeney, T. J. (1995). Accreditation, credentialing, professionalization: The role of

specialties. Journal of Counseling & Development, 74, 117-125.
UGAT Foundation. (n.d.). Who we are. Retrieved from http://ugat-foundation.blogspot.com/
USAID. (2011). Philippines: Disaster assistance at a glance. Retrieved from

http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/cou
ntries/philippines/template/index.html
Vervaeck, A., & Daniell, J. (2012, February). Earthquake Negros – Cebu, Philippines – 34
people killed, 71 missing and 54 injured! Earthquake Report. Retrieved from
http://earthquake-report.com/2012/02/06/very-strong-earthquake-close-to-la-
libertad-negros/
Wong-Fernandez, B. (2000). Responsive counselor education programs. Philipine Journal of

Counseling Psychology, 3, 23-33.
Wong-Fernandez, B. (2001). Counselor education in the Philippines: Status and directions.

Philipine Journal of Counseling Psychology, 4, 85-118.
Author Note
John Addy S. Garcia, Counseling and Educational Psychology Department, College of
Education, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines. Correspondence concerning
this article should be addressed to John Addy S. Garcia, CEPD, Room A1609 Br.
Andrew Gonzalez Hall, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines
1004. Email: john.addy.garcia@dlsu.edu.ph
141

Charting Directionsfor Counselor Educationinthe Philippines

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Charting Directionsfor Counselor Educationinthe Philippines

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Charting Directions for

Counselor Education in the Philippines

John Addy S. Garcia

Keywords: counselor education, history of counseling, counseling in the

Brief Historical Development of Counseling in the Philippines

The development of counseling as a profession in the Philippines has

More importantly, the 80’s was also marked by the movement

The role of counseling professionals in nation building was indirectly

The mid-1980’s was characterized by the emergence and recognition

The 1986 EDSA revolution contributed to the resurgence of the civil

welfare and development (Asian Development Bank, 2007). The People

In response to the need expanding demand for counselors, the

by the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association, Inc.) lobbied for a

The Guidance and Counseling Act (2004) requires a licensure

After the enactment of the law, new professional organizations were

government as CPE service providers catering to various professional

Responding to Challenges, Setting New Directions

The counseling profession faces a number of challenges as it

Counseling as a profession was adapted in the Philippines largely

(Salazar-Clemeña, 1993); validate personality structure (e.g., Church,

Although there is a common understanding and agreement that

1. “Counseling is a profession that requires graduate education;

2. Counseling is holistic and concerns itself with treating the entire

3. Counseling focuses on relatively healthy functioning individuals who

4. Counseling is empirically driven and based on theoretically sound

5. Counseling involves facilitation of change, behaviorally, cognitively,

These contemporary definitions clearly underscore that counseling is the

Philosophical basis of counseling

Another important way of clarifying what constitutes counseling is

1. Developmental perspective refers to the assumption that people will

2. The wellness perspective underscores the nature of counseling as

3. Counseling is more about helping clients avoid problems and cope

4. Counseling is about helping clients learn how to gain control of their

The definition, as culled by Emerson (2010) from contemporary

The Guidance and Counseling Act’s (2004) definition of guidance and

Standards for Counselor Education Programs

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) monitor and regulates

Undergraduate Teacher Education Curriculum, 2004). So basically, policies

Table 1 summarizes the core knowledge areas highlighted in the

In comparison with international standards (viz., International

R.A. 9258 CMO 53, Series of Proposed IRCEP

Emerging concerns and challenges for counselor education

The subsequent sections discusses the concerns and challenges for

Great demands for counselors and counseling paraprofessionals

There is a great demand for mental health professionals (to a large

K to 12 Education Reform and School Counseling

The government is currently implementing the K to 12 educational

Counselor educators need to rethink the approach used and the

in lieu of career guidance, counselor education programs should offer career

Employment and Employability in the Ever-Changing Job Market

Government labor statistics indicate (as of October 2011) that there

Furthermore, unemployment rate is at 6.4% (with the National

Average daily wage is at 320.59 pesos (3% increase compared to last

The employment situation is further complicated by the mismatch

programs than necessary, and that there is large enrollment in specific

Counselor education programs should prepare professionals

Responding to the need for mental health services in disaster situations

Natural and human-induced disasters batter the Philippines

There is a growing need for psychosocial interventions to help

Counseling services beyond the schools

2007; Bureau of Labor Employment, 2010; Santamaria & Watts, 2003). In

Intensifying counseling supervision and supervised field practice

The existing law governing the profession and as well as the