A joint conference was held between the Psychological Association of the Philippines and the Asian Association for Social Psychology on August 19-21, 2015, at the Waterfront Hotel, Cebu, Philippines.  During the conference, the Ateneo Bulatao Center held a workshop entitled “An Overview on Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy” for psychologists, psychometricians, graduate students, and other allied professionals.

All over the world, research has shown that MBCT has been proven to be extremely effective in addressing emotional difficulties including anxiety, depression, and stress.  It has also been found to be helpful in dealing with behavioural issues such as impulse control and attention deficit problems.  It has been shown to work with clients ranging from children, to adolescents, to adults.  Mindfulness training teaches the skills that allow you to cultivate radically different way of working with your mind, give you back the control of your attention, so that, moment by moment, you learn to:  reduce the tendency to brood and worry, wake up to the beauty of the world,  and learn to respond wisely and effectively to people and events that affect you.

This workshop was a combination of lecture and experiential practice, along with concrete modules suited for personal and professional practice.  Fifty participants from all over the Philippines participated int his workshop, from specializations ranging from Clinical and Counseling Psychology, to Developmental and Social Psychology, to Industrial Psychology, among others.