500 teachers in Pampanga to train on mental health to help students

Map of Pampanga

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Miriam College (MC) has agreed to train 500 public school teachers doubling up as guidance counselors to promote mental health among high school students in Pampanga.

MC guidance department head Kathy Santos and Provincial Board Member Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab announced the joint program on Monday, March 4.

The provincial government initiated the program as it monitored a number of cases of suicides and mental distress among students during the COVID-19 pandemic and in 2023, said Cayabyab, a graduate of MC.

The training would be done in the province’s four districts starting April, according to Cayabyab.

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The training, Santos said, “aims to recognize the importance of understanding and promoting positive mental health and well-being.”

The teachers, she added, should be able to “recognize the concerns of the learners that affect their mental health and well-being, and develop and share specific strategies on establishing a positive and nurturing environment in the school setting.”

Santos said people with mental health issues are at times met with stigma so monitoring them are done with caution.

Unlike in private schools, guidance counsellors in public schools are designated from among teachers on top of their regular loads.

MC, which is developing a 10-hectare campus in the Ayala-led Alviera estate in Porac town, also offers a post-graduate certificate in school-based program for mental health and a master of education in guidance and counseling. INQ