Peer Counselors' Workshop

The College Guidance Center, in cooperation with the Psychology Cell Society, conducted a team – building workshop at the fourth floor of the Student Center Building, Colegio San Agustin – Bacolod last Saturday, August 1, 2009.

Thirty-two members of the Peer Counselors’ Group participated in the said workshop. The activity started with an opening prayer, which depicts man as the dwelling place of God, despite his/her situation. Fr. Willie graced the occasion with his very inspiring opening remarks. According to him, Augustinian peer counselors are men and women with others. They are known to heal sometimes, remedy often and comfort always. Comfort always – extend time in order to be present and to hear the cries of the poor. They live according to the message of the Gospel values that Augustinian counselors are for the poor, for the weak and for those who need them. Fr. Willie hopes that after the workshop, the peer counselors will be renewed, inspired and very much ready to face the tribulations as peer facilitators.

The facilitators of the workshop were Ms. Jessamine Calma and Ms. Lucille Arcedas. Ms. Calma is a member of the Teresian Association and has been facilitating team-building activities in Cebu, Manila, Bacolod and wherever she is assigned. Ms. Arcedas had taken 1.5 units in Foundations of Leadership at Cornell University and she has been conducting various workshops in the Diocese of Kabankalan.

The first activity was a game on the unwrapping of gifts. Each person is a gift for others as long as the person opens himself/herself to be given and shared. The first session stressed on the knowledge of oneself through making self-mosaic and sharing with the group. The second session was the Gift of Presence in a Team, which was started with the “Mine Walk”. A triad was formed comprising a blind, a guide and one by the side (observer). Inputs and processing followed each activity.

The closing activity was the affirmation of one’s giftedness as “the salt of the earth”. The participants exchanged blessings to each other with a gesture while saying to one another, “You have been blessed, be a blessing to others.”

Laugh it out!

Laughter helps us feel better. It suspends worries and problems. Laughter is a gift we can give to others. People begin to feel good about themselves. It can also help them see their problems with a different perspective. We all have experienced tension being reduced in our bodies when we laugh. When our bodies are tense and our minds are closed, laughter is the medicine that relaxes us and offers a dose of positive self-esteem. We feel more self-assured and self-confident when we laugh; we feel better physically and mentally.

One of the greatest benefits of laughter is that we get an aerobic workout, one that doesn’t require a membership to a club or the purchase of special clothes. Laughter enhances respiration and increases the amount of oxygen in the blood. The diaphragm is used when we laugh. When we laugh, the movement of the diaphragm stimulates the stomach, kidneys, and liver, acting like an internal massage.

Research indicates that our bodies contain natural substances, such as endorphins and encephalons that help us free from pain and illness. Stress disrupts and slows the glandular secretions of these chemicals. It also restricts blood vessels. But laughter prompts the brain to block the manufacture of immune suppressors like epinephrine and cortisone and speed up the production of immune enhancers such as beta-endorphins. These endorphins are 200 times more powerful than heroin!

We should remember that LAUGHTER:

Lightens the load;

Avoids negativity;

Unites hearts;

Gathers people together;

Heals heartache;

Tickles the soul;

Energizes the human spirit; and

Restores us to wholeness and holiness.

-from Live Laugh and be Blessed Anne Bryan Smollin

Trivia Question for the Month of July Answered!

Did you know?

The Greek name for a butterfly is Psyche, and the same word means the soul. There is no illustration of the immortality of the soul so striking and beautiful as the butterfly, bursting on brilliant wings from the tomb in which it has lain, after a dull, groveling, caterpillar existence, to flutter in the blaze of day and feed on the most fragrant and delicate productions of the spring. Psyche, then, is the human soul, which is purified by sufferings and misfortunes, and is thus prepared for the enjoyment of true and pure happiness.

Reference: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/psyche.html

Reynaldo A. Omandac. Jr., a BSA-3A student answered the trivia question last Wednesday, July 23, 2009 at 2:56 PM.

His answer was butterfly which is the correct answer to the trivia.

Trivia Question for the Month of July

The Greek letter Psi is used as a symbol for Psychology. Where did this symbol originate?

What are you waiting for? Just e-mail your answer, your name, course and section to college_guidance@csab.edu.ph and be the first one to receive the much coveted gift certificate!

Clues:

• The Greek name for this "lovely insect" is psyche which also means soul. What is this "lovely insect"?

• Look at the figure intently, what insect can you think of which we closely associate with our superstitious beliefs

Notes:

1. Only bonafide college students of CSA-B can participate.

2. Only e-mail entries are accepted.

3. The first to submit the CORRECT ANSWER will be declared winner for the month.

4. The name of the winning participant will be posted on this web page.

5. The winner will claim the prize at the College Guidance Center and present his/her valid school ID to Mr. Michael.

Launching of Trivia Questions!

Trivia questions will be posted on this page and a gift certificate worth P100.00 will be given away monthly!

Should you have inquiries regarding this topic, please give us a call at our local numbers 166 and 175. We are very much willing to attend to your questions.

Trivia question for the month of July will be posted on July 16, 2009.