Psychosocial Support Programs – Alapan 1 Elementary School
Tougher psychosocial lessons were introduced in schools. DepEd has partnered with the Psychological Health and Development Foundation to design lesson plans for children up to the third year of high school. The lessons are meant to address stress, anxiety, and depression in children.
DepEd memo calls for psychosocial curriculum in schools. The Department of Education (DepEd) is strengthening its education program with the mandate to include the so-called “psychosocial” training in all levels of education. DepEd Memorandum Order (DM O) No. 49 dated March 15, 2012, mandates the inclusion of psychosocial training in DepEd’s curriculum and instruction program. DM No. 49 states that DepEd will partner with non-government organizations that count for about 10% of the nation’s population. “The program is a universal way to help kids cope with their emotions,” said Elizabeth Olaguivera, development director at PCSD 11-Aza-12 in Quezon City.
The limited number of psychologists to handle all schools in the region, teachers and resident nurses, and medical doctors were given training modules in handling psychosocial intervention. Dr. Myra Yee, DepEd-10 Health and Nutrition Unit medical officer, said that the “new normal” in the education sector now includes both DepEd personnel and learners trained in health and psychosocial protocols.
These include, Yee said, the emphasis on “bio-safety,” which seeks to identify “vulnerable” students so that proper interventions can be made. “We are already training school health nurses, doctors, including guidance counselors through webinars. Aside from understanding bio-safety, are also forgetting the reality that there are mental health issues and psychological (problems) also involved,” she said.
DepEd (Department of Education) is pioneering an innovation to address the well-documented need for counseling services in the public school system. As part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Change is coming” agenda, DepEd will be rolling out new psychosocial sessions in its public schools this 2018. The idea behind these sessions is to help students work through issues that may have implications for learning or behavior.
Reference:
Nef Luczon (2020, May 13). Schools to begin classes with psychosocial sessions: DepEd. Philippine News Agency.
