I'm now an officially a Licensed Psychologist in the Philippines!

I had an opportunity to get a quick picture with Dr. Miriam Cue, Chairman of the Board of the Professional Regulation Commission of Psychologists at the recent Oath-Taking of Psychometricians and Psychologists in Cebu at the University of San Carlos Talamban.

After several years of working out educational equivalencies between my American training and the requirements of the Professional Regulation Commission here in the Philippines, I am now a registered Psychologist here in the Philippines. 

Before the oath-taking, I met up with some friends:  Dr Lemuel Sagaral, Dr Ching Olasiman and  some other colleagues. 

There were only 5 psychologists confirmed

standing in contrast to more than a hundred psychometricians who took their oath.

After Dr. Cue shared about the changing status of psychology in the Philippines and Asia, Dr. Glenn Garino of University of San Carlos encouraged us with a short message.

Here I am taking my oath

After the ceremony, I ran into Sir Vince Thomas Evangelista .  He taught the class at University of San Jose Recoletas that I needed to take to earn my equivalency.

The pinning was done an individual basis.  Rick put my pin on after the ceremony

Leading out of an Emotionally Healthy Marriage - Singapore

Pastor Pete and Geri Scazzero taught the Leading out of an Emotionally Healthy Marriage seminar at St Andrews Cathedral in Singapore this past August 26.  My husband and I had the opportunity to help out by demonstrating some of the emotionally healthy skills and then coaching couples as they practiced the skills for themselves

10 Years of G1:27 Tutoring

My husband enjoys teaching and working with kids - especially on math.  Here's the story of the Tutoring program that grew from him having fun teaching the neighbor's kids some math

Perfect Love Conference - Cebu

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Perfect Love Conference organized by Filipina singer/actress Kuh Ledesma.  The conference brought together many famous Filipino personalities from the entertainment industries who shared their personal stories of pain, despair, transformation and restoration.  The theme of the conference was that God's perfect love can bring healing and restoration to the most painful of experiences.  Speakers shared stories of finding hope after experiences of violence, abuse, rejection and betrayal.  There was a special emphasis placed on restoration of the marriage relationship.  My very good friends, Mel and Cathy Po shared their personal story of a renewed marriage relationship. The message was one that is so needed in our generation.  There is hope and that hope is found in God's perfect love.

Between sessions, we had the opportunity to go backstage and eat together with some of the speakers.  For non-Filipinos, you might not know that this is Jodi Sta. Maria of the hit TV series Be Careful with my Heart.  She shared her story of being raised by a single mother and not knowing her father - the identity and esteem struggles she faced, finding success without finding peace and finally of finding joy and peace in her relationship with God.

The Freeman, a newspaper here in Cebu had a pretty thorough write-up of the movement that Kuh has initiated:
http://www.philstar.com/cebu-entertainment/2016/10/05/1630516/kuh-ledesma-spreads-perfect-love

Emotionally Healthy Church Seminar Medellin (northern Cebu)

Emotionally Healthy Leader Seminar

When:  Saturday – October 1

Time:  8:30 am-5:00pm

Where:  Baptist Theological College

AS Fortuna, Mandaue

Space limited to 50 registrants.  Registration includes snack, lunch and notes

Cost:  P200

PRE-REGISTRATION with payment only

Pay by Thursday September 29 for only P150  (P200 at the door)

Phone: 423 4720 (landline)       0933 010 6704 (sun)        0916 746 7715(globe)

Website:  http://rickandjijiharner.wix.com/ehc-php

In 2003, Pastor Pete Scazzero won the Gold Medallion for Evangelical Writers for writing Emotionally Healthy Church.  The Emotionally Healthy Spirituality book that followed is being used in churches across the world to disciple members to slow down to be with God and stop living life at such blinding pace that is prescribed by the world that also robs them of their spiritual lives.  In his latest release - Emotionally Healthy Leader, he identifies 4 foundational inner life practices that an emotionally healthy leader must keep prioritized in the midst of leading in a busy world:  Facing your shadow, Leading out of your marriage or singleness, Practicing Sabbath delight and Slowing down for loving union with Jesus.  Dr. Jiji will unpack these topics and apply them across 4 important roles of leadership:  Planning and decision making, Organizational culture and team building, Power and wise boundaries and Endings and new beginnings.

Emotionally Healthy Couple Workshop

With Dr. Jiji Harner

Harner Marriage and Family Counseling Center

When?

September 24    8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Where?

Olive Grove Center
Subangdaku, Mandaue

Registration Cost:  P400 per couple (covers notes, lunch and snacks)
Save P100 by pre-registering by Thursday September 22.  Only P300 per couple

Doc Jiji offers very practical advice for establishing good emotional and communication habits that will benefit couples of any age.  The workshop is based on active learning where you will participate and try the skills that are being taught.  Would you like to learn how to bond well with your spouse?  Do you want to know how to set expectations in a way that will lessen your disappointments when expectations are not met?  Would you like to become better at expressing your appreciation to the people you love?  Do you want to become a better listener?

These skills will provide the foundation for a strong emotional bond between you and your spouse and deepen your understanding of one another which will create a strong marriage.  They will help you communicate your differences without hurting or offending one another and navigate difficult situations in your relationship that life will bring your way.  This strong foundation in marriage also provides a great nurturing environment for your children to grow.

You can Preregister at the Olive Grove Center with Tin-an during normal business hours (Tuesday-Friday)  Text to make sure she is in the office at 0923 694 2495

call: 423- 4720 (landline)     0933 010 6704(sun)    0916 746 7715 (globe)

Dr. Jiji Harner speaks at National Association of Christian Counselors of Malaysia

Serving and Living with Emotional Health was the theme of the National Association of Christian Counselors (NACC) of Malaysia that met in Kuala Lumpur last August 18 & 19, 2016.  Dr. Jiji taught a 5-session workshop, covering the Emotionally Healthy Leader published in 2015 by Pete Scazzero.  She unpacked the themes of the book:  Facing Your Shadow, Leading Out of Your Marriage or Singleness, Slowing Down for Loving Union with Christ and Practicing Sabbath Delight.  In our globalizing culture, each of these principles has become a countercultural witness to a Christian leadership that stands in contrast to the world's values of leadership.  And each of these offer a personal challenge to Christian leaders to implement in their daily lives in the midst of an increasingly frenetic and chaotic world

Dr. Jiji and her husband Rick together with Dr. Edmund Ng and Patrick Cheng from the Board of Directors of the NACC of Malaysia

Dr Jiji's husband Rick also taught one of the workshops entitled Emotional Healing:  Breaking the Power of the Past.  Much of his workshop came from the Emotionally Healthy Church Course that they teach at Cebu Graduate School of Theology in Mandaue.  Rick's workshop utilized various activities to encourage people to consider their past and the impact of their family of origin on their current ways of relating, such as the Genogram, Family 10 Commandments, Life Themes and a Timeline of Loss.  These activities can be found in the Emotionally Healthy Skills curriculum and the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course.

What You Need to Know When Seeking Couple's Therapy or Family Counseling

A Counselor’s or Psychologist’s effectiveness in doing psychotherapy lies in their training and field of expertise, as well as skills and years of experience.  It is important to realize that having a degree in psychology or counseling does not make one a competent counselor or psychotherapist. 

Four reasons why it is good to seek the help of a professional counselor or psychotherapist

1)     They are objective and can provide an objective perspective on issues that you are having difficulty discussing with each other.

2)      They are trained to provide safety and create an environment so every person in the room feels comfortable to honestly tell how they see the situation and feel about being in this difficult situation.

3)      They are trained to see the dysfunctional dynamics in relationships.  They know how to restructure  communication and how to disseminate power among each member of the family. 

4)      They also help in making sure that each one is heard and listened to by the members of the family.  When each one can speak truthfully and be listened to without being criticized and judged, then your family members will begin to feel loved and respected in the family.

Just make sure to follow through on your program.  Often people will see an improvement after 1 or 2 sessions and then decide they do not need to come back.  This is not wise and can sabotage the counseling.  It takes time and discipline to restructure dysfunctional relationships.  Not following through for change because the intensity of the moment has passed is another dysfunctional pattern.  Establishing trust is not easy.  Trust grows when you give your therapist a chance to work with you and faithfully attend your weekly counseling sessions.  Give yourself time to grow and change (at least 12 sessions).  Then reevaluate whether your goals have been met and whether there is further need for  counseling.

To make counseling work for your family, you must define a specific goal what you want to accomplish in your time together. 

Commit to finish the agreed number of sessions (unless you feel that you are not really going anywhere).  Sometimes it takes up to the 3^rd session to have a comprehensive assessment of the situation of your family.  So do not give up right away.  If you do not get what you expected, discuss it with the counselor.  If it is still not achieving your goal by the 6th session, that would be a fair time to decide that this specific counselor may not be the right person for you. 

Do not decide right away to change counselors based on the fact that the counseling is uncomfortable for you.  While you are uncomfortable, it may be helping other family members.  So stick with it for their sake.  Later you will realize that not all pain is harmful.  Some pain and discomfort might be needed to feel better and become a better person – and a better family.

Yes, bringing another person who is neutral and skilled to help provide safety for each of your family members and to allow each person to be honest to each other about what they think and feel about a specific situation or how they feel about being in the family and what they can do to help achieve the goal of the family is very important in changing the family dynamics as well as changing the culture of your home.  Changing is very uncomfortable, so at first you might feel that things are getting worse because you are actually being a lot more truthful to one another.  You may find that there are so many issues that have been hidden, and now each person is bringing what is bothering them into awareness.  But persevering in counseling can bring a real change of lifestyle and family culture that can bring long-term happiness and enjoyment of the relationships.

Emotionally Healthy Marriage Seminar in Singapore - August 26

It is an illusion to think that we can lead a healthy community, organization, or church when we ourselves are unhealthy and our marriages are a wreck. The quality of our marriage greatly impacts the long-term health and success of your organization or church. We can so easily be deceived that short term quantitative growth or the skills and giftedness of our leaders indicate that we have reached success. Even good marriages without intentional bonding can drift away with the busyness of life. Nurturing each other and keeping the passion for each other is vital for the stability of our home, the self-esteem of our children, and the long term success of our community, organization, and churches where we lead.

I am inviting you to attend the Emotionally Healthy Marriage Conference in Singapore on August 26, 2016.  If you are married and having troubles, this will give you some fundamental skills and insights into how the Lord created you as a relational being and what you can do to restore your closeness and communication.  If you have a healthy marriage, then this conference will allow you to deepen and enrich what you already have, thus making a good marriage a great marriage.

My mentors Pastor Pete and Geri Scazzero will be teaching on an Emotionally Healthy Marriage in this conference.  They have authored several books on the subject of being emotionally healthy.  My husband and I will be teaching and coaching together with them.  See the following link for more information:

http://www.livingstreams.org.sg/sac/info/ce/2016_emotionally_healthy_marriage.html


On August 27, there is also a training for leading the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course in your church

http://www.livingstreams.org.sg/sac/info/ce/2016.html#EHS

Caring for the Anxious Seminar

Do you have people in your life who seem overwhelmed by anxiety or fear?  Is it hard to find ways to help people around you when they are panicky?  Do you experience other people leaning on you more than you want because they struggle with anxiety, fear or nervousness?

Dr. Jiji Harner’s interactive workshop Caring for the Anxious can help.  This will be a half-day training in some of the key psychological and spiritual concepts that can help you help them with a Christian counselor and psychotherapist who has spent more than 10 years treating those struggling with anxiety, panic attacks and phobias.

People around us struggle with anxiety that may present itself as nervousness, panic attacks, clinging relationships, self-doubt, fear.  Sometimes we grow impatient and tired.  And our relationships suffer because we don’t know how to respond to these sorts of behaviors.  This half day training is a place where you can understand their emotional experiences and learn how to care for them in a loving way that leads to emotional health and mature and loving relationships.

When: Saturday March 12 – 8:00 am – 12 noon

at Olive Grove Ctr, Highway Subangdaku, Mandaue (250 m north of Wireless flyover)

REGISTRATION: P200 includes snack and notes

(PreRegister by Thursday March 10  for Discounted price of only P150 )

Dr. Jiji Harner earned her Master's Degree in Counseling in Nyack, NY.  She was practicing as a psychotherapist in the state of New York before returning to the Philippines in 2006 and starting Harner Marriage and Family Counseling Center in Consolacion, Cebu.  She earned her Doctor of Organizational Development and Transformation from Cebu Doctors’ University in 2012.   Jiji (along with her husband Rick) is a missionary with New Life Fellowship (Queens, NY) serving in Cebu

For more information call: 423- 4720 (landline)     0933 010 6704(sun)    0916 746 7715 (globe)

You can Preregister at the Olive Grove Center with Tin-an during normal business hours (Tuesday-Friday)  Text to make sure she is in the office at 0923 694 2495

This Saturday, I will be speaking in this women’s conference that seeks to inspire and empower ladies in Metro Cebu area.

https://www.facebook.com/ColourMeLadiesCon/?fref=nf

CBT Explanation of the Major Cause of Depression

This video you are about to watch is a testimony how David Burns the author of the best-selling book Feeling Good came to realize the importance of training people to stop their distorted thinking in order to feel better. Burns said in his TED talk that as a psychiatrist he was dispensing medication to people with depression, but found many of them still struggling with depression after months of medication. This led him to try Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Later he developed his own manual for people who suffered from depression, anxiety and low self-esteem which became Feeling Good.

Today’s medications for depression have been improved and perhaps are more effective in controlling mood disorders, but as a psychotherapist seeing clients suffering from mood disorders, I agree completely that most people who struggle with depression and anxiety have one thing in common:  Their suffering is not primarily because of a certain event or what people have done to them, but because of how they perceive these people or circumstances. People become depressed from the story they tell themselves about these people or circumstances. They have a hard time thinking about reality without telling themselves these “stories.” No wonder the people who care for them sometimes have difficulty understanding what is happening to them. Their loved ones wonder why they cannot see the reality that there is a way out of their situation.  There is hope, and they have control over their lives.

To be able to get out of depression people need to change the way they think. They need to be able to be aware of their thoughts and identify the type of faulty thinking they are having. Then they must examine the evidence:  Is what they are thinking true? If they are having a hard time doing it by themselves, they might need to seek help from a counsellor who does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. Many people believe that the circumstance, other people or something outside of a person produce the reaction or feelings that are labeled depression. CBT teaches that your thoughts produce your mood or your behavior. So changing the type of thoughts you are thinking is the way to change your feelings or behavior and this is a practical and very effective way to deal with what a lot of people experience as depression