As its name implies, Person-Centered Theory focuses on the person's current subjective understanding of their feelings and emotions. Its proponent – Carl Roger’s- was on the quest to answer “How can I help this person grow and develop?” instead of “What caused this person to develop in this manner” as focused in psychodynamic theories where some unconscious motive drives the interpretation of the person’s situation. Roger refused past interpretation because he found it more useful for the client to focus more on the present to achieve personal growth and eventually to self-actualize. During a person-centered psychotherapy, a vulnerable or anxious person must contact a therapist with whom they feel congruence and perceive unconditional acceptance and accurate empathy.
In modern days, mental health awareness and services are progressively focused and actioned, and more people accept seeking professional help from psychologists, psychiatrists, and mental health therapists. However, situating it in the Philippines, there is still a general reluctance attitude towards formal help-seeking despite continuous high rates of psychological distress. A recent 2020 study of Martinez about Filipino help-seeking for mental health problems and associated barriers and facilitators revealed that mental illness is the third most common disability in the country. 6 million are estimated to be living with depression and/or anxiety. Suicide rates are at 3.2 per 100,00 population. What is alarming is that government spending on mental health is only at 0.22% of total health expenditures. The rate of help-seeking attitude is relatively low at 10.72% and even far below the global prevalence rate of 30% of people with mental illness receiving treatment. Filipinos also tend to use informal help (from family and/or friends) to supplement professional help because of financial constraints, self-stigma, and social stigma.
The statistics and discussion provided by Martinez's study only reveal how person-centered therapy should be more focused and normalized by Filipinos. Mental illness is not something we can eradicate with a good night sleep. It is real; hence it should be professionally seeked out. Like how a physically pained person visits a professional doctor to be treated, there should also be no shame in visiting a professional therapist to address mental illnesses. It is only when we become more accepting and eradicate the underlying stigma that we become a better people of tomorrow.
Martinez, A. B., Co, M., Lau, J., & Brown, J. S. L. (2020). Filipino help-seeking for mental health problems and associated barriers and facilitators: a systematic review. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 55(11), 1397–1413. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01937-2
