THE SANGGUNIAN has moved to create a Mental Health Commission (MHC) for the continued improvement of the mental health environment on campus.
According to MHC Head and School of Social Sciences (SOSS) Chief of Staff Paulina Badion, the Commission was borne out of the Sanggunian’s desire to “expand on the Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW)’s original goals of propagating awareness [and empathy for] mental health within the University,” and to “better communicate the criticisms of the students’ to the Loyola Schools Office of Guidance and Counselling (LSOGC) for the improvement of its services.”
SOSS Representative Dasha Uy appointed Badion as the Commission’s head. Sanggunian volunteers, as well as members from partner organizations, bring the number of the Commission’s members to 20.
Mental health initiatives
According to Badion, the LSOGC fails to maximize communication with students. She has found that despite the LSOGC’s upgrades in services and personnel, “they don’t really get to have a word out, and so people still don’t go there if they need help.”
“The MHC aims to fill the communicative gap between the students and the LSOGC,” said Badion. She also noted that the students “dissatisfied with [the LSOGC’s] services” then take to social media to “rant about the office’s shortcomings.”
Badion said that the Commission “hopes to open up the avenue for the students to talk among themselves, and then relay the cumulative concerns to the LSOGC.”
MHAW point person Daniela Villegas cited an instance during the previous MHAW wherein an open forum was held for students to voice their concerns regarding the LSOGC and its services. Due to low attendance, it became a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) instead.
“It was very insightful. There were representatives from the [Loyola Schools] Office of Health Services (LSHS), the LSOGC, and the Office of Student Activities. Specific questions and issues sent in by the students via Twitter were also addressed during the FGD, [such as professors being triggers for mental breakdowns],” said Villegas.
“[The MHC] really wants to do these FGDs constantly, because these are one of the primary ways we can help [the LSOGC]. It’s like we’re presenting them with the concerns and criticisms of the students. You are serving the students, it’s only proper that you hear their concerns,” Badion added.
Other than plans for consistent FGDs involving the students and the LSOGC, Badion said that the MHC is working with student organizations Ateneo Psyche and Ateneo PEERS on possible projects and proposals for the rest of the school year.
Ateneo Psyche is planning support group sessions open to students and faculty alike. “We’ve trained student facilitators not to give advice during the support sessions, but to get the conversations going within them,” said Badion.
Ateneo PEERS, meanwhile, is working on a modified version of their peer counselling projects. “But instead of counselling the person [with an issue,] the people around them will be trained on how to handle possible crises like mental breakdowns,” Badion said.
Badion hopes to launch the commission by the beginning of the second semester.
Working with the university
The MHC will also work with other Loyola Schools offices such as the LSHS and Office for Student Services (OSS) to deal with mental health concerns.
Villegas said that the guards stationed around campus have a protocol to spot students who have breakdowns and to contact the LSOGC or the LSHS to handle the situation.
According to Badion, the MHC is working with the OSS in dealing with issues regarding professors that trigger students.
LSOGC Director Gary Faustino, MA, RPsy said that not one group of people will be able to handle mental health related issues. “The concern is systematic. It needs a concerted effort from all the stakeholders,” he said.
Meanwhile, art management junior Isabella Siquijor feels “indifferent” about the Commission making a significant difference.
She said that the Commission should serve as a “resource for students who want to seek affordable professional psychological services” and that it should “[propose] specific ways to reduce the mental stress of the students.”
Siquijor also hopes that the Commission will not be as “forcibly probing” as some of the other on-campus services such as the LSHS.
To elaborate, Siquijor said she prefers not to consult the in-house doctors of the LSHS for ailments that are unrelated to her diagnosed mental condition. According to her, when she has a fever and the LSHS asks her if she is taking medications for any illnesses, the LSHS tends to ask her to go to the LSOGC.
Moreover, she believes that the Commission must consider that mental health is a “very personal thing” that varies with each individual.
“From personal experience, becoming open with one individual is difficult [enough, what more with] an entire board of people?”
“I suppose that keeping a healthy personal and mental environment is a start, and if that is the aim of the Commission, then yes, they have my full support,” she added.
Long-term goals
Badion said that the MHC would like to change the mental health scene within the Ateneo. She acknowledges the fact that “only so much can be done in a year.”
Villegas said that the MHAW will “take baby steps” by tackling different issues related to mental health every year and adding these to the existing issues already addressed by MHAW’s events. Examples of mental health topics addressed during MHAW since the event’s conception include stress management and handling mental breakdowns.
Badion emphasized the need for the LSOGC to focus on preventive measures in addition to remediative services such as counseling.
She said that the MHC is working towards making it normal for an Atenean to “work on themselves” and prevent them from burning out or developing mental illnesses.
