... cognitive-behavioral therapy (cbt) in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

way back when i was in training as a psychiatric resident, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was virtually unheard of among psychiatrists. that's because psychiatrists are basically trained in the the psychoanalytic (freudian) tradition of psychotherapy. having taken up psychology as my pre-med course, i was well-aware of the weaknesses and limitations of the psychoanalytic approach and decided that i would never use it as stand-alone therapy. in my desire to offer more substantial help for my patients, i studied and learned how to do cognitive-behavioral therapy at the same time that i was training myself in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
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me teaching cbt to psychotherapy students

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in my current clinical practice as a psychotherapist, i commonly employ cognitive-behavioral therapy on my clients with anxiety disorders (panic attacks), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd), and addiction problems. cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches that "bad" thought patterns cause us to experience"bad" feelings and makes us engage in "bad" behaviors.
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cbt however is not always the appropriate therapy to use. when the client is still overwhelmed by emotions, the emotional intensity must first be reduced before cbt can be applied successfully.
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... acupuncture in the philippines for erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, and premature ejaculation ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

since the start of this year, i've been receiving more and more male clients concerned about their sexual health. many do not have any sexual problems but have simply made sexual health an essential aspect of their self-care and personal wellness program. some guys, on the other hand, consult me because they want particular help for erectile dysfunction, infertility, or premature ejaculation. 

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a popularly-sought out wellness therapy for sexual health is acupuncture. this 30-minute procedure is virtually painless, involving the insertion of fine needles into specific points on the body. aside from the needles, laser, finger pressure, suction cups, and energy healing are also applied.

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acupuncture is one of the healing practices of traditional chinese medicine (tcm). it is believed that illness is caused by blockages in the flow of energy through the body's meridian system, resulting in illnesses and disorders. acupuncture is a means of removing these energy blockages. done regularly and frequently, acupuncture can help guys boost their sexual energy and maintain sexual well-being.

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forgive the pun but really, for acupuncturists, a robust prick is just pricks away!

... more interviews on hair loss ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

after my talk on male hair loss, the solar sports crew ambushed me for an interview.

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their question: What are the common things guys do to cope/deal with hair fall?

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my answer: (1) by wearing caps, hats, bandannas, or toupees; (2) by growing thick facial hair such as moustaches and beards; (3) by growing their remaining hair long enough to brush over the balding area- the so called "comb-over; (4) by bulking up their bodies to distract people from noticing their balding heads; (5) by womanizing to prove that they are still desirable; and lastly, (6) by avoiding people to avoid embarrassment.

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cute nila 'no? well, this proves it: different strokes for balding folks!

... the guest psychologist at ruffa and ai ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychiatrist)

the guests featured at ruffa and ai-ai's show were the stars of the movie "lovers in paris"- kc concepcion, piolo pascual, and zanjoe marudo. 
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in the show, piolo and zanjoe were instructed to give kc a gift. kc, in turn, would choose the gift of her preference. 
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as the guest psychologist, i was tasked to interpret kc's personality based on the gift she chose.
.the first pair of gifts offered to kc were a long stem rose from piolo and a bouquet of roses from zanjoe. kc's preference was the long stem rose. 
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kc's choice reveals that as a romantic partner, she is "low-maintenance," easily appreciating the simple manifestations of love by her partner. the long stem of the rose is a symbol of the process of courtship which ends with a blossoming of love as symbolized by the flower. if kc picked the bouquet of roses, it would mean that she was a "high-maintenance" partner, wanting a flair for drama, passion, and flamboyance in her romantic affair. 
.the second pair of gifts offered to kc were a stuffed toy from piolo and a box of chocolates from zanjoe. kc's preference was the stuffed toy.
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kc 's choice reveals that as a romantic partner, she is child-like, fun-loving, spontaneous, and sentimental. if, on the other hand, kc chose the box of chocolates, it would mean a predilection for the "sensual", since chocolates are related to physical or carnal appetites.
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with kc's choices, the "solid kc-piolo fans' club" has all the reason to go extremely jubilant and wildly gaga!!

... typhoon ondoy, post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), and disaster counseling ... (philippines, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

Dealing with trauma after 'Ondoy'

(article excerpt)
ABS-CBN - Wednesday, September 30

MANILA - The damage brought by tropical storm Ondoy (international code name Ketsana) ruined the lives and homes of thousands of Filipinos in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.

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"This time, we're dealing with trauma based on a calamity or disaster. So it's very disheartening to know the extent of the damage, not only environmentally but with regard to people's lives," said clinical psychologist Dr. Randy Dellosa in an interview on Mornings @ ANC on Tuesday. 
.Trauma 
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Dellosa said there are different kinds of trauma based on different emotional incidents in a person's life.
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"I've talked to a number of survivors and they have exhibited different types of emotions," he said..
Though they have bravely stepped up to help others during the typhoon, disaster response teams or volunteer rescuers also need help themselves..
"These 'heroes' also need our help. Because some of them may be acting out of their own fears. We call this counter-phobic helping. Just to confront their fears, they start helping people, but deep inside they have anxieties and fears," Dellosa said.
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Common reactions experienced by disaster victims are the following:.
SHOCK over the suddenness of the disaster, being unprepared for it, and feeling bewildered. Dellosa said there is also a tendency for victims to deny that things were happening to them, even if they were confronted with flood waters and scenes of death and destruction..
ANGER that can be directed towards the disaster, God, others, or themselves. Victims question why disasters happened to them and if they had done anything wrong. They can also feel regret for choosing to live at a certain place, especially when there is great loss..DEPRESSION after losing property or loved ones. Dellosa said it is natural for victiims to cry profusely, even if they don't know the reason, or to feel an overwhelming sense of sadness. "That's part of the grief of losing so many things," he said..
SURVIVAL GUILT or wondering why they survived and others did not. Victims may feel that others were more worthy of living, or that they did not do enought to help others. This is sometimes accompanied by the feeling that they should have died along with their loved ones..
Further, people surrounding a typhoon victim or survivor are also at risk for developing psychiatric disorders because the experience of dealing with others' losses can be traumatic or make them feel vulnerable. 
.Telltale signs.
Victims can develop anxiety disorders like a panic disorder. Throughout a person's day, they can experience periodic symptoms like shortness of breath, palpitations, gastric disturbances, and tenseness of the body..Dellosa said victims can also experience anticipatory anxiety, or the fear that something traumatic will happen again. This can happen, for example, if a typhoon victim gets nervous at the first sight of rain..
Depression can manifest in sudden changes in appetite, energy level, or sleeping patterns. Victims have difficulty focusing or concentrating, and can even have suicidal tendencies or thoughts - just to escape pain or even to reunite themselves with their loved ones. 'Sometimes they are stoic and do not show emotions. But they are delaying the manifestation of their anxiety. Everyone can experience this, from old to young," Dellosa said, adding that children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to emotional stress. 
.What to do.
He warned those who have relatives of friends who exhibit overwhelming anxiety or depression to seek professional help immediately, or to offer a sympathetic ear so that victims can unload their feelings..
In counseling, this is called a "defusion stage" where victims release pent-up emotions and tell their stories so that healing takes place."You have to lower the level of anxiety and terror that they feel. This takes place in the first few hours after the disaster and before they sleep. Allow them to vent and share their stories," Dellosa said..People should also avoid showing graphic images of calamities to victims because it reinforces their negative feelings. It would also be a good time to mobilize the victim's support system (friends, family, church) to remove feelings of helplesness or lonliness.

... counseling in the philippines for those with homosexual issues and other sexual struggles ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, philippines)

today, i had an informative and engaging lunch meeting with benjie cruz, the national director of living waters, philippines. 
.in my clinical practice, i meet a lot of clients struggling with homosexual issues, sexual addiction, sexual abuse, and other sexual problems. most of my clients want privacy and anonymity so they opt for professional and confidential counseling. 
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some clients however ask for spiritually-oriented help, so this is where living waters comes in. living waters is a christ-centered ministry which offers spiritual support and christian camaraderie for those burdened by sexual struggles. 
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whether in the form of professional counseling or christian ministry, hope and help is available for those in search of sexual healing and wholeness.

... group therapy on relationship issues ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

this evening, i did group therapy on another batch of psychology interns from lyceum.

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the session generated serious reflection, sharing, and discussion, centering mostly on their relationship problems.

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the end result of group therapy? from the glow on their faces, you can tell that they gained a lot of emotional relief and life-changing insights which i hope they keep for the rest of their lives.

... treatment for phobias in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

the beautiful and spritely iya villania visited me at my clinic for an interview on fears and phobias.

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i gave her the following tidbits of information: fear is a normal emotion which warns us of impending danger. when the fear is irrational and intense, then it is classified as a phobia. phobias are best treated through a combination of exposure therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and relaxation exercises. other helpful interventions include art therapy, hypnotherapy, basic talk therapy, family support, support groups, and even a change in diet (low sugar and low caffeine).

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at the end of the interview, iya felt comfortable enough to confide in me about her deepest and darkest fear: "it's ipis cuz its nakakadiri." hehe! funny girl!

... fear of dolls; fear of separation from cellphone ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

the second time around for just this month, i get another interview on phobias. this time, gma-7's ka-blog crew visited me to interview actual people who have the fear of dolls (pediophobia) and the fear of separating from one's cellphone (nomophobia).

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benj (wearing black), the lady with doll phobia, remembers being scared of dolls as early as 4 years old. what she fears most are dolls that are life-like, particularly dolls with realistic skin texture. she also fears the sight of doll body parts like doll arms, legs, heads, and torsos. with a doll in sight, she starts panicking. and as soon as the doll actually touches her skin, she becomes hysterical.

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ana (wearing yellow), has the fear of separating from her cellphone. she says that without her cellphone, she feels emotionally empty and alone because according to her, the cellphone is her lifeline to other people. it was only because her family members pointed out her exaggerated reactions that she realized there was something wrong with her. otherwise, she would have considered her fear "normal." just like benj, she gets panicky and hysterical even upon the thought of losing her cellphone.

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to help them with their phobias, i did talk some brief psychotherapy and exposure therapy on them. i also taught them some breathing and body-focusing exercises. in such a short span of time, it turned out relatively well, with benj actually holding a baby doll and ana being estranged from her cellphone for 10 long minutes.

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assisting me in doing the exposure therapy was the show's host, lucky mercado. being the prankster that he is, he did a pretty good job in provoking benj and ana to feel more phobic than ever!

.. typhoon ondoy and crisis intervention stress management at manila central university (mcu) ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

story after story poured, and all were heart-breaking.

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employees and students of manila central university (MCU), around 90 of them, gathered at the MCU auditorium to attend to a crisis intervention stress management (CISM) forum. i was given the daunting task of helping them deal with the ordeal they suffered due to typhoon ondoy.

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one participant, a student, tearfully narrated how she was stranded at the roof of their house with her brother desperately clutching onto her for dear life's sake. she felt especially helpless and resigned when her brother asked her whether they were going to die. some of her neighbors had rafts with plenty of extra space but simply ignored her frantic plea for help. at one instance, she even fell through her roof and fractured her arm. despite having survived the floods, she was immersed in her deep feelings of anger towards God for allowing this calamity to happen.

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every so often, i caught myself holding back my own emotions and tears, lest i choke while facilitating the session. at the end of the forum, i felt a strong empathy, a heartful connection with these survivors of the raging floods. as much as i wanted to do much more, all i could do was be present with them in their time of vulnerability.

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quietly, i continue to offer them a prayer of hope, and the strength to pick up and mend the broken pieces of their lives. dear god, i just pray that you comfort them at this time when they need you the most.

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