... upholding the rights of persons with disabilities [PWDs] in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, quezon city, manila)

the Philippine Coalition on the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) met to discuss the concerns of nine different disability constituencies: 

* the visually-impaired

* the speech-impaired

* the deaf

* the deafblind

* the mobility-challenged

* the persons with extensive disability

* the persons with intellectual disability

* the persons with psychosocial disability

* the persons with chronic illness.   

the coalition aims to abolish or revise discriminatory laws which stifle PWD's rights to education, economic empowerment, access to justice, independent living, and accessibility.  

it also aims to promote a view of disability based on an empowering social, rights-based model instead of a purely medical or charity perspective. 

... kirtan in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, quezon city, manila)

today, i participated in a kirtan. i've joined spiritually-uplifting christian kirtans before and also multi-religious ones, but today's kirtan is a hindu one.  

kirtan comes from the sanskrit work for "praise."  kirtan involves chanting hymns to the accompaniment of instruments.  participants are usually divided into groups and are assigned parts of the hymn, and so the groups take turns in chanting their parts.  

 

for christians, it is very similar to the "round songs" sung in sunday school.  remember "this little light of mine, i'm gonna let it shine," or "jesus loves me?"  other more common round songs would be those sung in pre-school:  "brother john," or "row, row, row your boat." 

my professional growth as a shrink entails me to experience the practices of different cultures and traditions.  this is one way for me to have a more broadened perspective of the people i meet, appreciating our differences and more importantly, celebrating our similarities.  in a multicultural world like ours, we should all aim for "unity in diversity."

... paolo trinidad, pinoy laughter yoga, and the philippine society of life coaches ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, quezon city, manila, philippines)

according to paolo trinidad, the philippines' very own laughter yogi, just 10 minutes of pinoy laughter yoga is already equivalent to 30 minutes of strenuous exercise!  

this means that pinoy laughter yoga serves as a good cardio-vascular work-out which results in increased stamina, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, lower blood sugar levels, and a stronger immune system.  

moreover, paolo says that because laughter massages the internal organs, pinoy laughter yoga results in better digestion.  

life coaches often get emotionally drained as they deal with other people's problems all the time.  

thank you paolo for reminding us life coaches to take care of ourselves by laughing our depression and stresses away!

... the philippine society of life coaches 2012 reunion ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, quezon city, manila, philippines)

i've facilitated numerous life coach training programs since the late 1990s, but under the philippine society of life coaches (pslc) which was established in 2009, 5 life coach trainings had been done.  it was high time for the different batches of pslc to get acquainted with each other and thus, this mini-reunion was organized.  this mini-reunion also served as preparation for the 1st annual convention of life coaches which will be held in the 3rd quarter of this year.  

as the pictures below testify, there was a lot of fun during the event.  linda schaefer also gave a heart-wrenching report on her trip to cagayan de oro, where she represented the pslc in helping calamity victims of typhoon sendong.  the seminar-workshops for 2012 were announced, and finally, the participants of this mini-reunion enlisted themselves in committees for the upcoming annual convention of life coaches.  

Randy Dellosa: Integrative Psychiatry in the Philippines (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, quezon city, manila, philippines)

What is Integrative Psychiatry?

Integrative psychiatry is the field of psychiatry which uses complementary and alternative therapies alongside conventional psychiatric treatment.  

Integrative psychiatry is a holistic approach because of its focus on the different dimensions of a person’s being which include the physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, energetic, interpersonal, cultural, and ecological dimensions. 

Integrative psychiatry is an empowering and respectful approach because it allows patients to select interventions which are in keeping with their beliefs, preferences, and cultural ways of being.

Integrative psychiatry is focused not only on treating illnesses but more so, health and wellness.

Integrative psychiatry is collaborative and recognizes the doctor-patient relationship as a key element in the patient’s healing.   

What organizations support the development of Integrative Psychiatry?

Integrative Psychiatry is acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

What are reasons for developing the field of Integrative Psychiatry?

*Research indicates that a more and more people are turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) not only as an aid in their healing, but also for stress management, and for maintenance of their over-all wellness.

*Conventional psychiatric treatments are not always a 100% effective and may have unwanted side effects.

*A multicultural society dictates that traditional ways of healing have to be respected. 

*The effectivity and safety of some complementary and alternative therapies are supported by scientific research.  These include therapies such as acupuncture, biofeedback, herbs and supplements, massage, meditation, exercise, etc. 

*CAM is cost-effective because it focuses on stimulating the self-healing potential of individuals and because it emphasizes the necessity of making healthy lifestyle changes. 

*Even CAM has its risks of side effects.  Therefore Integrative psychiatry encourages research on the safety and effectivity of complementary and alternative treatments. 

What is an important tenet in Integrative Psychiatry?

Integrative Psychiatry follows the principles of evidence-based medicine.  This means that complementary and alternative treatments offered must be scientifically proven to be safe and effective.  In the absence of scientific evidence, integrative psychiatrists can still offer complementary or alternative treatment modalities that have promising or possible therapeutic value as long as they are not harmful in any way.

Who can benefit from Integrative Psychiatry?

*Those who want to use complementary and alternative therapies for the stress management.

*Those who want to use complementary and alternative therapies for the maintenance of health and wellness.

*Those who are already receiving conventional treatment but wish to optimize their healing through complementary and alternative therapies.

*Those who are non-responders to conventional treatment.

*Those who poorly tolerate conventional treatment and suffer from side-effects.

What do people usually consult Integrative Psychiatrists for?

*Depression / Suicidal thoughts

*Anxiety / Nervousness

*Panic attacks

*Stress / Burn-out

*Disturbing thoughts / Worries

*Concentration difficulties

*Intense emotions or feelings

*Sleep problems

*Appetite problems

*Eating disorders

*Traumatic experiences

*Fibromyalgia

*Irritable Bowel Syndrome

*Post traumatic Stress Disorder

*Mood swings

*Bipolar Disorder

*Nervous breakdowns

*Psychosomatic illnesses

*Sexual difficulties

*Repetitive thoughts and behaviors

*Physical / Sexual abuse

*Body-image problems

*Impulse control problems

*Schizophrenia / Psychosis

*Other life problems

Besides psychiatric medications, what are some other interventions used in Integrative Psychiatry?

*Acupuncture

*Herbals and Supplements

*Hypnotherapy

*Dream Analysis

*Creative-Expressive Art Therapies

*Cathartic (Emotion-Releasing) Psychotherapies

*Touch Therapies

*Eye Movement Desensitization and Reintegration

*Body Manipulation and Massage Therapies

*Energy Healing Therapies

*Healing Qigong and Yoga Exercises

*Sex Therapy for Sexual Dysfunction
*and many other interventions