Red Flags and Self-Help for the OFW

Joey just moved to Myanmar three months ago.  He found a job that paid him very good money there, and did not think twice about going.  He knew that he could provide a better life for his wife and 2 children this way.  Little did he know that the way of life in this distant land is far from what he had imagined.  Ibang-iba ang pamumuhay at kaugalian ng mga tao, at nag-iisa siyang Pilipino sa kanyang pinapasukan.  He felt increasingly isolated and homesick.  He had paid a big sum to get his papers in order, and he was not just about to pack up and leave.  Increasingly, he has been feeling sad, and he lost his appetite, and find himself sleeping a lot. 

Although feeling sad in the course of adjusting to a new environment may not necessarily be detrimental to a person, there are also red flags that may indicate a need to seek professional help.  These are often associated with the severity, pervasiveness and chronicity of one’s reactions.  Kinakailangang kumonsulta sa isang doktor, sikolohista o counselor kung ikaw ay nakakaranas ng ilan sa mga sumusunod dala ng pangingibang bansa: 

§  Matinding kalungkutan at madalas na pag-iiyak;

§  Hindi makatulog sa magdamag o sobrang tulog sa buong maghapon;

§  Feeling giddy and anxious for no apparent reason;

§  Feeling worthless and hopeless for most part of the days;

§  Kawalan ng gana kumain o sobra-sobra sa pagkain;

§  Becoming easily irritable and excitable;

§  Losing energy to do anything and feeling listless;

§  Lubang pangangamba o pag-aalala sa lahat ng bagay;

§  Unexplained anxiety or extreme fears; and

§  Pag-iisip ang kamatayan o kagustuhang mamatay (you need to see someone immediately if you start thinking of suicide).

Upang matulungan ang sarili na masanay sa bagong kapaligiran, kinakailangang alagaan muna ang sarili.  Mahalaga ang pagkain at ang pahinga sa wastong panahon.  Here are some other tips in making one’s adjustment easier: 

§  Magsulat ng liham o email sa mga kamag-anak at kaibigan;

§  Reach out to other people around you;

§  Sumali sa mga programa para sa mga kababayan, gaya ng pagkanta sa simbahan o pagvo-volunteer sa mga samahan;

§  Do something you enjoy, such as, singing and taking a stroll in the park;

§  Mag-aral ng panibagong gawain, gaya ng pananahi o pag-aaral ng ibang wika;

§  Do regular physical exercise;

§  Arrange a regular time that you can talk to loved ones back home; or

§  Pagbisita sa magagandang tanawin. 

Joey eventually sought the help of their company physician and was referred to a specialist.  He eventually decided to return home for a few months, and was able to recuperate.  Luckily, the company where he worked allowed him to return.  With the support of his family, he was better able to adjust to his life overseas.

Adjusting to Life Abroad

Ang karanasan ng bawat OFW sa bawat sulok ng mundo ay magkakaiba; mayroong mga nagtatrabaho sa barko, mayroong mga DH, may mga nars, at mayroon ding mga professional sa halos lahat ng klaseng trabaho.  In almost every corner of the globe, Filipinos are almost always present.  And even though the specific experiences of our kababayans working in different settings across the seven continents are as varied as the individuals themselves, there are common themes that many Filipinos who leave our beloved homeland (whether they are alone or they are accompanied by family and friends) experience.  These common experiences can be classified under two categories, namely:  cultural adjustment and a sense of isolation. 

Sakop ng tinatawag na cultural adjustment ang paninibago sa banyagang kapaligiran, kaugalian at kultura.  Kasali dito ang mga sumusunod: 

§  Ang paninibago sa pagkain, pananamit, at pang-araw-araw na gawain sa ibang bansa;

§  Adjustment to weather conditions and climate changes;

§  Ang pagbibilang ng halaga ng mga bilihin at kung magkano lang ang mga ito sa Pilipinas;

§  Changes to one’s lifestyle and pace of life, including daily routines;

§  Ang pagtitipid para makapagpadala ng mas malaki sa pamilya na naiwan sa inang bayan;

§  Different (and usually better) public amenities and facilities available;

§  Ang kakulangan ng pag-unawa sa pagitan ng OFW at ng mga kasamahang banyaga; at

§  Ang kakaibang paraan ng pakikipagkaibigan at pakikihalubilo sa mga foreigners;

Ang isolation ay ang pagkalumbay na nararanasan ng marami, kahit na mayroong mga ibang kasamahang Pilipino sa kapaligiran.  Kasali dito ang paghahanap ng mga bagay na nakasanayan sa inang bayan, gaya ng mga programa sa telebisyon, komiks, at pagkain.  This sense of isolation is often observed through the following behaviors: 

§  Kalungkutan, pagkalumbay, pagtitiis sa mga hirap na dinaranas; 

§  Yearning for friends and loved ones back home;

§  Mistulang nawawalang kumpiyansa sa sariling kakayahan;

§  Insecurity over one’s abilities and being unsure of how one compares to foreign colleagues;

§  Paghangad na makapag-salita sa sariling wika; at

§  Kawalan ng gana sa maraming bagay.

Cultural adjustment and feelings of isolation are probably necessary in the process of getting used to living in a new environment.  The examples given above happen with many, if not all, of us who have to adapt to a new set of surroundings.  Natural lang ito at hindi dapat ipangamba.  Adjustment in a new country can usually takes anywhere from a few weeks to about a year.  For some, it may be easier to adjust, for others it may take longer.    

In the Service of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Their Families

This week and in the next two weeks, I wanted to focus on something I have not yet tackled in this blog.  It is the phenomenon of our fellow Filipinos who are working overseas.  According to latest statistics, this growing number of people roughly constitutes 10 percent of the country’s population, and is estimated to be about 11 million worldwide.  That’s a staggering number, isn’t it? 

The Filipino diaspora is such a significant phenomenon that affects many aspects of Philippine society.  As a Filipino psychologist, I cannot deny the impact of this reality in the lives of many Filipinos, both living in the Philippines and those who are abroad.  Many who have left their families to work overseas to provide better opportunities for their loved ones.  The absence of parents among families with young children is just one of the social impacts of this phenomenon. 

Last week, I did some training for this semester’s new batch of volunteer counselors for the OFW Online project.  A brainchild of Dr. Gina Hechanova, one of my colleagues at the Department of Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University and a recent Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Awardee, she started an online portal for our compatriots overseas and their family members.  In its bilingual (English and Filipino) home page (http://ofwonline.net/), it says: 

“Welcome to OFWOnline! We know that being an OFW or having an OFW as a parent is difficult. That’s why we created this site to provide a venue where OFWs and their families can seek support from either their peers or trained counselors. There are three services that are being offered for free in this site: counseling services, family chat, and forums.”  

The project began in 2009 as an experiment of sorts.  As online counseling is really quite new, it turned out to be an experiment that was worth continuing.  Apart from the potential of reaching out to the millions of Filipinos overseas and their families, it also served as the research and training venue for the Department of Psychology of the Ateneo de Manila. 

It is a project that has modest funding, and many of the people involved volunteer their time, effort and expertise.  Most of our counselors are students of counseling psychology in our graduate program, and aim to provide decent and professional counseling services at no cost to the users. 

Many people are looking for opportunities to help others.  If you are one of these people, here are a few ways you can help us:

§  Spread the word about the OFW Online website (http://ofwonline.net/) to anybody you think might benefit from it;

§  Tag the site  or this article on your facebook, twitter, or other networking sites so more people will know about this website and project; or  

§  Donate money or introduce us to benefactors who can help sustain the project. 

Counseling and Psychotherapy

            “Am I going crazy?!”  This is a question we often hear from people who are referred to a psychologist for counseling or psychotherapy.  These persons are also afraid of what other people might think or say about them if they do consult a psychologist for such services.  This is unfortunate because there are many people who can benefit from these services, but who opt not to do so because of this fear. 

            In this post, I wish to explain what counseling and psychotherapy are, and where these services can be helpful. 

Counseling and psychotherapy are actually very similar.  Some people would use these terms interchangeably, but others will want to distinguish them.  One way of setting them apart is thinking of the person who is doing the work.  Essentially, counselors are trained to do counseling, and psychotherapists or psychologists are trained to do psychotherapy.  Another way that some people would distinguish the two is by the severity of problems that is in the focus of the intervention.  Counseling often deals with relatively straightforward problems of living (e.g., stress management, relationship problems, career choices, grief and loss, etc.) whereas psychotherapy might deal with clinical concerns and significant difficulties in functioning (e.g., clinical depression, excessive anxiety, phobias, psychological trauma, etc.). 

Counseling and psychotherapy are both interventions that largely employ talking.  It involves a professional relationship between one who seeks help and the service provider, similar to that of a patient and a doctor.  People who seek counseling and psychotherapy are referred to as “clients.” 

There are many ways of doing counseling and psychotherapy.  They can also be conducted with individuals, couples, families and groups.  Nevertheless, there are essential features that need to be present when these services are provided.  These basic features include the following: 

1.      As with any professional service, they need to follow basic ethical practices.  Some of these basic conventions include the assurance of client confidentiality and safety and that the nature of the relationship is strictly professional (i.e., they are not related in any context other than as psychologist-client).   

2.      The client is respected at all times, and their preferences are elicited and taken seriously. 

3.      The methods and strategies used are not harmful to the client or any other person, and are parallel to the goals of treatment.   

4.      The counselor or psychologist is both collaborative and supportive to the client at all times. 

            In both counseling and psychotherapy, clients are given the opportunity to express their thoughts, feelings and behaviors about their experiences.  In this process, they are empowered and supported by the therapist.  Through all these, counseling and psychotherapy often have multiple functions and benefits.  For one, they can elicit some insights about the client that promote a better way of handling personal matters.  For another, a client can learn more effective skills and habits in managing one’s emotions, endeavors, and relationships.  Yet another is the way they can facilitate the emotional journey of coming to terms with difficult or very stressful life circumstances, and enhance one’s sense of wellness.  Still another, they can promote a more realistic and positive sense of self.  Finally, counseling and psychotherapy can lead one to forge a clearer direction in one’s path of being. 

            Counseling and psychotherapy can really be quite helpful to just about anybody.  Would you consider these services for yourself?