Strengthening Guidance Counseling for Aklan’s Youth

By Dr. Cynthia C. dela Cruz, Pediatrician, MMG Aklan

October is Mental Health Month, a timely reminder that the well-being of our young people deserves urgent and sustained attention. Across Aklan and the rest of the country, schools are increasingly facing cases of students struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges—issues often intensified by the pressures of social media and the growing complexity of modern life.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that suicide is one of the leading causes of death among 15–29-year-olds worldwide. Here in the Philippines, the situation is just as alarming. For every 200,000 Filipinos, there are only two mental health professionals, leaving many communities without proper access to care. Adding to this shortage, there are only a little more than 5,000 registered guidance counselors in the entire country—the very professionals tasked to provide direct mental health support to students in schools.

As a pediatrician who witnesses firsthand the struggles of children and adolescents, I strongly call for greater investment in guidance counselors in our basic education schools. Guidance counselors play a vital role in helping students cope, guiding them through personal and academic challenges, and building resilience to face life’s uncertainties. Yet in many schools, this essential support is either limited or completely absent.

We need to act now. School heads, policy makers, and education leaders must prioritize the following:
• Increase the number of licensed guidance counselors in every school, big or small.
• Allocate proper funding for training, accreditation, and continuing professional development.
• Provide budgetary support so that guidance counseling services are fully integrated into the education system, not treated as optional.
• Promote collaboration between teachers, health professionals, and parents in addressing the mental health needs of students.
• Mobilize local governments, through the local school boards, to augment resources for mental health services. Just as we provide classrooms, chairs, and facilities for physical learning, we must also invest in the mental well-being of our students.

If we truly want to prepare our youth for the challenges ahead, we must not only focus on academics but also on their mental and emotional health. Providing access to qualified guidance counselors is not a luxury—it is a necessity.

This Mental Health Month, let us commit to investing in our young people’s future by ensuring that every school in Aklan has the resources to support students not just in learning, but in living well.