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Psychological Services Program: Behind the Scenes in Virlanie

Virlanie Foundation’s supporters are passionate people who want to see underprivileged children have brighter futures. Because of this, they invest their time and resources on like-minded organizations that are dedicated to offer these children the best kind of support possible in order to help them achieve their young dreams.

In-house psychologists: Bianca, Gab, Kristel, Lady. (Not in photo: Elaine and Adelaide)

 

In order to see the children reach their full potential, Virlanie Foundation established the Psychological Services Program (PSP) in 2007 after seeing that 70% of children ages four (4) and above were found to be in need of psychological support because of their difficult backgrounds of neglect, abuse, and abandonment. Today, the in-house PSP Team is made up of five (5) local psychologists, and one (1) French volunteer.

At this point, two of our beloved Psychologists, Ms. Bianca Locsin (RP, Senior Psychologist) and Ms. Lady Vergara (Psych Coordinator) will share their stories about working behind-the-scenes in Virlanie. Bianca, in fact, will be celebrating her fifth work anniversary this August 2016. It is due to their hardwork and sacrifice that Virlanie children are able to address their difficult backgrounds, and rise up to build their dreams.

 

Virlanie: How long have you been serving the children?

 

Lady: I’ve been in Virlanie for four years already, and it’s really about the children and the dynamics of the team that I work with that makes this job never boring.

 

Bianca: I’m about to celebrate 5 years as a part-time staff. I really love the girls that I handle in Elizabeth Home, and even though the kids come with bruises and scars, we help them rebuild their trust and self-esteem – things that they should have learned while they were growing up.

 

Lady: Here in the Foundation, we look at the development of the children in a holistic sense. You can’t just look at the physiological needs and stop in that area. If you can give more, why don’t you? We take into account how the harmful childhood experiences of these children will impact their development and how we can help them process properly.

Virlanie: What are the challenges you daily face as psychologists?

 

Lady: It can really be emotionally draining, also it is a challenge to sustain and monitor their progress.

 

Bianca: One of my challenges is waiting, actually. Since I handle young adults, I really need to wait until they’re ready to express themselves verbally. Another big challenge is that most of our kids are not cognitively at par with what is expected of their age, so this has implications towards their critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and ability to be insightful or introspective about themselves.

Virlanie: What about the rewards, can you share with us what keeps you going?

 

Bianca: It’s rewarding when a child who starts out cold or distant, or has difficulty opening up, comes up to me and opens up or asks for help. When they give us little notes of appreciation, because they see their own progress, it really takes out all the stress of the day.

 

Lady: The opportunity to help others is really key here. Also, serving these kids helps me keep my faith in the human race. Seeing their strength and perseverance makes me value and appreciate life more than ever.

 

Bianca: You see, a lot of our children have negative perceptions of themselves (mostly due to their earlier experiences), so is greatly rewarding when the negative perception softens or lessens, and the child starts to see him/herself in at least a neutral manner, if not yet positive.

 

Lady: It’s such an honor for me also, to be serving with a team that works in-sync with each other and who are so passionate and committed in helping the children.

 

 

Bianca: Yeah, everyone in the team really wants the best – sometimes the ideal – for the kids. We take our jobs seriously and we really try our very best. (And we do all these things while maintaining a good sense of humor — we laugh at ourselves on a daily basis!)

The Psychological Services Program (PSP) is one of the integral arms of healing and restoration for the children. It sees the children not simply as another statistic or faceless individual — instead, through the services offered by this team, Virlanie children are able to look at themselves more clearly, through eyes of care and love. There are multiple facets wherein the Foundation offers support to the children who need help, and dealing with their psychological needs is one of them.



DONATE NOW: This program needs your help! If you’d like to support our Virlanie children through dedicated staff of the Psychological Services Program like Bianca and Lady, please email [email protected]! You may also CLICK HERE.