12/10/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐: ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ ๐
[๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐.๐]
๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ | ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐บ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ง ๐
The Psyche Society Executive Committees, together with the Samahang Mag-aaral ng Nursing, represented Saint Louis University (SLU) at the Mental Health Forum: Taking a Leap Towards Improved Mental Health in a Changing World, organized by the Department of HealthโCordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) on October 6โ9, 2026, at Skyworld Hotel, Baguio City.
Bringing together selected student leaders from the Psychology, Social Work, and Allied Health programs, the forum served as a platform for meaningful discussions, learning sessions, and workshops centered on strengthening mental health awareness and advocacy. Through these activities, participants gained deeper insights into how mental health is understood, promoted, and addressed in the Philippines, with particular emphasis on the practices and challenges on the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Beyond knowledge-sharing, the forum challenged student leaders to translate their learnings into concrete action. During the workshop session, participants were tasked with identifying mental health-related gaps within their respective universities and developing proposed interventions to address these concerns through a two-year implementation process. This initiative emphasized the importance of sustained, collaborative, and community-centered efforts in making mental health support more accessible and responsive to students' needs.
As the forum came to a close, the participating student leaders carried with them more than the insights gained from two days of discussions and lectures. They also embraced the responsibility of becoming advocates for meaningful change within their academic communities. By turning awareness into action and ideas into initiatives, they took a significant step toward fostering a more compassionate, informed, and mentally healthy university environment.
Through this experience, the SLU student leaders reaffirmed the value of student involvement in advancing mental health advocacyโrecognizing that improving mental health in a changing world requires not only understanding the challenges but also taking purposeful steps toward lasting solutions.
This initiative also reflects the SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. By equipping student leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify mental health concerns and develop sustainable interventions, the forum contributed to the promotion of mental well-being and the advancement of accessible mental health support within academic communities. Furthermore, the collaboration between the Department of HealthโCordillera Administrative Region, Saint Louis University, and its student organizations highlighted the importance of partnerships in addressing mental health challenges. Through shared knowledge, collective action, and sustained commitment, the initiative demonstrated how collaboration among institutions and student leaders can help build healthier, more supportive, and more inclusive communities.
Photos by: Samahang Mag-aaral ng Nursing
Article by: Andrea Klarize Abulencia [Outreach Committee, Officer-in-Charge]