“Hello, Can You Hear Me?”: Narratives of Online Mental Health Counselling Among Filipino Adults During the Pandemic

Filipinos are often reluctant to seek professional mental health (MH) help. However, literature reveals that online counselling is preferable to face-to-face (F2F) MH services, with the pandemic possibly magnifying technology's anonymity and disinhibiting benefits. To further explore facilitato...

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Main Authors: Dela Cruz, Edlene Nicole M., Marcelo, Rohann Cris A., Naling, Bea Ysabelle M., Ty, Welison Evenston G.
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Published: Archīum Ateneo 2023
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Online Access:https://archium.ateneo.edu/gsb-pubs/82
https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12592
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Institution: Ateneo De Manila University
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spelling ph-ateneo-arc.gsb-pubs-10812024-02-14T06:23:26Z “Hello, Can You Hear Me?”: Narratives of Online Mental Health Counselling Among Filipino Adults During the Pandemic Dela Cruz, Edlene Nicole M. Marcelo, Rohann Cris A. Naling, Bea Ysabelle M. Ty, Welison Evenston G. Filipinos are often reluctant to seek professional mental health (MH) help. However, literature reveals that online counselling is preferable to face-to-face (F2F) MH services, with the pandemic possibly magnifying technology's anonymity and disinhibiting benefits. To further explore facilitators of online MH help-seeking, this study tapped into the lived stories of Filipino adults who experienced at least one counselling session from March 2020 to March 2022. Among 83 screened respondents, 11 semistructured interviews were transcribed and analysed following Crossley's (2000) method. Findings reveal an overarching online MH counselling narrative composed of three phases and their respective events: (a) Precounselling (Resiliency Narrative versus MH Awareness, Turning Point, and Linking versus Searching); (b) Counselling (Two-way Introduction, Unloading and Untangling, and Decision to Maintain or Terminate); and (c) Postcounselling (Relapse and Journey towards Growth and Advocacy). Three all-encompassing facilitators were embedded throughout the process: Autonomy, Financial Capability, and MH Institutions. Notably, participants attributed their MH help-seeking to autonomy, despite culture and stigma, because of enabling environments that entail heightened MH literacy, positive past experiences with professional MH help, social support and encouragement, and a sense of shared reality. Benefits unique to online counselling were also apparent among participants' narratives, including alleviating geographical boundaries and added financial and personal pressures. Overall, findings posit that Filipino adults consider online counselling as a preferable alternative to F2F counselling, thus necessitating further development and institutional support. 2023-03-01T08:00:00Z text https://archium.ateneo.edu/gsb-pubs/82 https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12592 Graduate School of Business Publications Archīum Ateneo COVID-19 pandemic Filipino counselling mental health help-seeking mental health narratives online counselling Counseling Counseling Psychology Psychology Social and Behavioral Sciences
institution Ateneo De Manila University
building Ateneo De Manila University Library
continent Asia
country Philippines
Philippines
content_provider Ateneo De Manila University Library
collection archium.Ateneo Institutional Repository
topic COVID-19 pandemic
Filipino counselling
mental health help-seeking
mental health narratives
online counselling
Counseling
Counseling Psychology
Psychology
Social and Behavioral Sciences
spellingShingle COVID-19 pandemic
Filipino counselling
mental health help-seeking
mental health narratives
online counselling
Counseling
Counseling Psychology
Psychology
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Dela Cruz, Edlene Nicole M.
Marcelo, Rohann Cris A.
Naling, Bea Ysabelle M.
Ty, Welison Evenston G.
“Hello, Can You Hear Me?”: Narratives of Online Mental Health Counselling Among Filipino Adults During the Pandemic
description Filipinos are often reluctant to seek professional mental health (MH) help. However, literature reveals that online counselling is preferable to face-to-face (F2F) MH services, with the pandemic possibly magnifying technology's anonymity and disinhibiting benefits. To further explore facilitators of online MH help-seeking, this study tapped into the lived stories of Filipino adults who experienced at least one counselling session from March 2020 to March 2022. Among 83 screened respondents, 11 semistructured interviews were transcribed and analysed following Crossley's (2000) method. Findings reveal an overarching online MH counselling narrative composed of three phases and their respective events: (a) Precounselling (Resiliency Narrative versus MH Awareness, Turning Point, and Linking versus Searching); (b) Counselling (Two-way Introduction, Unloading and Untangling, and Decision to Maintain or Terminate); and (c) Postcounselling (Relapse and Journey towards Growth and Advocacy). Three all-encompassing facilitators were embedded throughout the process: Autonomy, Financial Capability, and MH Institutions. Notably, participants attributed their MH help-seeking to autonomy, despite culture and stigma, because of enabling environments that entail heightened MH literacy, positive past experiences with professional MH help, social support and encouragement, and a sense of shared reality. Benefits unique to online counselling were also apparent among participants' narratives, including alleviating geographical boundaries and added financial and personal pressures. Overall, findings posit that Filipino adults consider online counselling as a preferable alternative to F2F counselling, thus necessitating further development and institutional support.
format text
author Dela Cruz, Edlene Nicole M.
Marcelo, Rohann Cris A.
Naling, Bea Ysabelle M.
Ty, Welison Evenston G.
author_facet Dela Cruz, Edlene Nicole M.
Marcelo, Rohann Cris A.
Naling, Bea Ysabelle M.
Ty, Welison Evenston G.
author_sort Dela Cruz, Edlene Nicole M.
title “Hello, Can You Hear Me?”: Narratives of Online Mental Health Counselling Among Filipino Adults During the Pandemic
title_short “Hello, Can You Hear Me?”: Narratives of Online Mental Health Counselling Among Filipino Adults During the Pandemic
title_full “Hello, Can You Hear Me?”: Narratives of Online Mental Health Counselling Among Filipino Adults During the Pandemic
title_fullStr “Hello, Can You Hear Me?”: Narratives of Online Mental Health Counselling Among Filipino Adults During the Pandemic
title_full_unstemmed “Hello, Can You Hear Me?”: Narratives of Online Mental Health Counselling Among Filipino Adults During the Pandemic
title_sort “hello, can you hear me?”: narratives of online mental health counselling among filipino adults during the pandemic
publisher Archīum Ateneo
publishDate 2023
url https://archium.ateneo.edu/gsb-pubs/82
https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12592
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