Monthly Archives: June 2020

How has the lockdown been for you? Were you able to catch up on work pending at the office or at home? Staying at home was certainly the time to do the things we previously did not have time for! (Including time with family!)

Indeed, the pandemic and subsequent lockdown in the NCR region has affected our lives in many ways. In our case, a consequence of the lockdown was the disruption of work for all of us professionals (medical doctors and psychologists) at the clinic. This was quite frustrating firstly because our work momentum was ground to a stop and secondly the learning from work with my clients was disrupted!

On the other hand, what the lockdown did was it gave people like me the opportunity to slow down and review as well as update my knowledge and skills important in my work.

For instance, I had felt the need to learn more about psychiatric conditions and psychopharmacology but have not had the chance to, what with the busy testing schedule at the clinic. These topics are accessible online and I have learned a lot! Hopefully, with the lifting of ECQ, or with the MECQ, we will be back at the clinic soon. I have already been putting some of these learnings to good use as I continue my work with clients online!

Continuing therapy sessions with my clients online have also made it imperative for me to familiarize myself with electronic devices and platforms. It’s a good thing I had been using Viber to chat with my son (who is based in Guangzhou China) so I was familiar with at least one online platform! Zoom is another platform I have become familiar with.

By the way, I will be continuing to provide psychotherapy (or teletherapy) sessions online. Just click the appointment button on my PsychManila website and go on from there! It is important to note that the service is open to clients based in the Philippines only.

With the coming lifting of the lockdown in many areas in our country, the opening of schools is still under debate. This is understandable what with the risk it poses to our children. As our children are confined to the home, there are things mothers and fathers can do to facilitate continued learning:

For children in the preschool age, give them an area in the house where they can play using their legs, hands, eyes and learn about their environment while having fun at the same time. Such activities may include movement exercises (e.g. doing the duck walk & arm raises to the tune of popular music), coloring and drawing activities and singing action songs all with the encouragement and participation of mom and dad!

For school age children, encouraging them to do tasks they enjoy such as drawing or writing as well as doing school related exercises will help occupy their time constructively. Time on the internet is best monitored and kept to 2-4 hours a day. Giving them assignments to help out with chores at home is also a great way to develop their sense of responsibility and problem solving skills as well as increase self-esteem and self-efficacy.

For adolescents, giving them a routine and structure will do them a lot of good. Such chores as participating in the preparation of meals, doing the laundry, planting vegetables and assisting mom/dad in a home based business are good opportunities to
a) develop their sense of responsibility and participation in the home,
b) increase sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem as they learn skills that make them more capable and proactive and
c) reduce the time they spend on social media (and prevent internet addiction!).

The lockdown also affords time for parents to spend time with their children (& vice versa!). Although work in the office may have slowed down, a lot can be accomplished at home!