Psych Society hosts summit on mental health
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“Psych Assemble: Mental Health Summit” at Far Eastern University (FEU) featured licensed mental health professionals and a public advocate for two panel discussions on the current state of mental health in the Philippines and how cultural conditions shape mental health awareness.
The first panel, moderated by FEU Psychology Department faculty members Catherine Jhoi M. Mamawan and Rolf Gian Marcos, addressed the state of mental health across four settings: clinical, educational, workplace, and private practice.
Dr. Miguelito A. Relente, officer-in-charge of the FEU Guidance and Counseling Office, focused on the educational setting, from elementary to higher education and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, where registered guidance counselors are required by law but remain scarce—a challenge given the mental health needs of learners across all levels.
Ma. Daniela Anne Samaniego-Tividad, clinical psychologist at the National Center for Mental Health and consulting psychologist of Human Dynamics Philippines, acknowledged existing public and private mental health programs but pointed to a significant gap in resources, particularly in workforce.
“The ratio of Filipino people per psychologist is 100,000—that is one psychologist for every 100,000 Filipinos,” said Samaniego-Tividad, noting that the disparity is most acute in rural areas. She also noted that government funds allocated for mental health remain limited relative to other national priorities.
Steven M. Dayanghirang, HR Clerk at Beta Electromechanical Corporation, addressed the workplace context, noting that workers continue to find it difficult to openly discuss their mental health despite studies indicating that around 15 percent of working adults have mental health conditions that affect their performance and productivity.
Eric L. Dimar, Managing and Lead Psychologist of DMR Psychological Services and Assistant Professor at the University of Santo Tomas, spoke from private practice.
“I wish I had no clients—because that means people are okay,” he said in Filipino. Data, noted Dimar, points in the other direction: anxiety and depression are on the rise, affecting around 11 percent of Filipinos. “In private practice, there are really many clients—and there is a significant waiting time.”
The second panel shifted focus from diagnosis to response with Norman Paul M. Deg-aoan and Giovanni Carlo L. Atendido as the moderators. In this session, they looked at how cultural conditions shape mental health awareness and how that awareness can be translated into concrete action.
England Danne B. Castro, registered psychologist and chairperson of the Social Psychology Division of the Psychological Association of the Philippines, cautioned against essentializing Filipino cultural values in ways that reinforce stigma.
“It is difficult when we essentialize that because one is Filipino, one must have kapwa [shared inner self] or pakikisama [fellowship] There are cultural hegemonies that sustain stigmatization,” said Castro in Filipino. Drawing from discursive psychology, Castro noted that language carries real consequences. “Talk is social action—what we say has consequential effects.”
Castro argued that concepts like resiliency are sometimes invoked to avoid conversations about depression or suicide, and that family hierarchy can be used to silence dissent.
“While family and religion are central to Filipino culture—they’re very important—if they are weaponized to manipulate people, then that may be the time that they can become a hindrance,” added Castro in a mix of English and Filipino.
Television host and mental health advocate Kim Atienza pushed back on characterizations of young people as simply weak, noting that today’s youth are “very smart, very aware, very connected.” He cited a 2024 UP Population Institute study finding that 20 percent of Filipinos aged 15 to 25—roughly five million young people—have experienced suicidal ideation, yet only 60 percent disclosed this to someone, and only 2 percent sought professional help.
“There is still stigma. Many people are still ashamed to speak up,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino. Atienza also reflected on the passing of his daughter Emman and how it helped normalize discussions on struggles. “I didn’t expect Emman’s death to open up discourses on destigmatizing mental health. That’s the collateral beauty. My being in front of you now and us discussing it openly is part of that.”
In her opening remarks, Dr. Lulette Matammu, Department Chair of Psychology Undergraduate Studies, said the summit’s theme revolve around the film Everything Everywhere All at Once.
“This reflects a simple yet significant message: mental health is everything there is, and it is everywhere we go,” she said, adding that attendees should treat mental health “as a serious goal—an aspiration that completes our overall health and well-being.”
The Mental Health Summit last March 24 at the FEU Main auditorium was organized by FEU Psychology Society in partnership with the Psychology Department of the Institute of Arts and Sciences, Office of Student Involvement, Guidance and Counseling Office, Psychological Association of the Philippines-Social Psychology Division, DMR Psychological Services, FEU Diliman Psychology Organization, FEU Roosevelt Marikina Peer Counseling Society, BCP Psychology Society, and SDCA Central College Student Council.
For more information about the Bachelor of Science in Psychology program, you may visit the following link: https://www.feu.edu.ph/institute-of-arts-and-sciences/bachelor-of-science-in-psychology/
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