CCC partners with Medicine for wellness through counseling initiatives

The University of Santo Tomas Counseling and Career Center (CCC) recognizes the call for the younger and older members of the Thomasian community to take care of their wellbeing. It also aims to partake in the University’s efforts to heed it.

Since the start of the lockdown due to COVID-19, the CCC has ensured the continuity of its most vital services and provided supplementary resources, such as a series of infographics designed to help students navigate the current situation effectively. In its continuous advocacy for over-all wellness, the CCC, in partnership with the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery’s Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine, organized a three-day online event titled “Thomasian Wellness G.U.I.D.E (Gearing Up for the Information and Digital Environment).”

The event, held from November 4 to 6, 2020, via Zoom, aimed to be an inclusive learning platform that catered to the pertinent mental and emotional health concerns of students, faculty, administrators, and non-academic personnel.

                In the three-day activity, a series of synchronous and asynchronous online activities were conducted for the aforementioned target groups. On November 4, a talk on mental health facilitation was conducted by Lyceum University Guidance Director Ms. Carol Quiba, a Master Trainer on Mental Health Facilitation. This was followed by an asynchronous session in the afternoon featuring pre-recorded videos on creative pursuits that promote wellness.

For the November 5 session, the webinar “Finding Purpose: How to Find Meaning in the Pandemic” was held with renowned field experts Dr. Gia Sison, Dr. Raymond Naguit, and Asst. Prof. Renz Christian Argao as the main speaker, while Thomasian alumna Ms. Xyra Lafiguera gave a motivational talk. Dr. Grace Macapagal of the UST FMS-DNBM facilitated the talk, “Our Wellness Matters: Coping with Anxiety and Depression during the Pandemic.” Ms. Monica Sophia DL. Tuason, Ph.D., of the CCC was speaker on the topic “Keep Going: How to Stay Motivated in Your Studies.” 

For the session on November 6, the non-academic personnel listened to the final day talk titled “Staying Steady: A Talk on Work-Life Balance” delivered by Prof. Carmelo Callueng, Ph.D., of Rowan University, USA.

The talk “Our Wellness Matters: Coping with Anxiety and Depression during the Pandemic” was again held, this time with Dr. Encarnita Ampil of the UST FMS-DNBM. The session ended with a talk on mental health facilitation was conducted with Ms. Carol Quiba, the Guidance Director of Lyceum University and Master Trainer on Mental Health Facilitation, as the speaker.

                In the face of life’s big and unpredictable challenges, a resolute spirit is key to a meaningful life. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that mental and emotional wellness is given the attention and effort it merits not just as a means to achieving excellence but as an end in and of itself. As we remain in the grip of the pandemic, the UST Counseling and Career Center upholds its commitment to over-all wellness through its services and worthwhile projects, such as the CCC’s Wellness Week which provides the Thomasian community with different activities and resources to nurture their over-all wellbeing.

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