... hypoactive sexual desire disorder ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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justine tajonera interviewed me for her upcoming article in smart parenting. topic: hypoactive sexual desire disorder. this is a condition which many clients actually consult me about.

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"hypoactive desire" may mean two things: either the client is lacking in sexual urges or, the client is averse or phobic to sexual activity.

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having a lack of sexual desire is not necessarily abnormal. some people are more sexual than others and in fact, i've met people who are totally asexual, that is, not having even a wee bit trace of libido. when a couple is both hyposexual, then hyposexuality is not a problem. it only becomes problematic if the couple experiences a mismatch in their levels of sexual urges. with this mismatch, you can be sure that marital conflict abounds.

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i don't want this to be a spoiler, so this is as much as i'll write. if you're interested in more information about hyposexuality, wait for justine's article in smart parenting... soon to come out!
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... applied psychology conference at u.p. pampanga ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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i was tasked to do be a reactor at the applied psychology conference in u.p. pampanga. the topic was on current trends which i observed in my own clinical practice as a psychotherapist. some of the observations i shared were as follows:

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in the recent years, i've been receiving younger clientele, particularly college students and young adults who consult me unaccompanied by their parents or guardians. the problems for which they consult me for are problems which, a decade ago, i would only hear from mid-lifers and older people. (yes, the younger generation has become THAT complicated!) i have to be in touch with different subcultures and alternative lifestyles because the clients who consult me come from very diverse backgrounds (e.g., emos, goths, cosplayers, surfer dudes, wiccans, gender benders, etc.). but no matter what changes the times have brought, all my clients still need their basic needs met: the need to be listened to, the need to be accepted, and the need to be understood.

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one of the perks of being a speaker is meeting all sorts of interesting and intelligent people and u.p. pampanga was certainly not lacking in them.

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... the first pinoy supermodel ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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well, guess who bumped into me... none other than the first ever pinoy international supermodel rocky salumbides.

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just to let you know what he's achieved, this former balut vendor/ construction worker was 3rd runner up in the 2004 Best Model of the World contest held in istanbul, turkey. he also won the 2004 Best Male Model of MTV Fashionista.

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what makes rocky admirable is that despite his awards and his being the favorite model of international fashion designers, rocky remains humble, down-to-earth, and unpretentious. he certainly is a guy with a demeanor to emulate!

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... transphobia on a reality tv show?... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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ms. marie lozano of tv patrol dropped by my clinic to interview me about the alleged discrimination against a transexual housemate of a reality tv show.

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reportedly, the transexual housemate was being referred to by co-housemates with names such as "she-man," "half-half," "samson and delilah," and "two-in-one."

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i explained that such behavior is not necessarily "transphobia (defined as "the discriminatory treatment of transgender individuals)" and the words they used are not necessarily derogatory. one likely possibility is that the housemates simply have limited vocabulary and do not have the politically-correct descriptors for their transgender co-housemate. in the first place, they might not even know that the word "transexual" exists.

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if indeed the housemates were discriminatory, it would be more helpful to educate them about transexualism than to condemn them for how they behaved.

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also, i explained to ms. marie that all of us have personal biases and harbor some discriminatory thoughts. what's important is (1) that such biases are not acted upon, (2) that such biases are not imposed on others, and hopefully (3) that there is an attempt to eradicate such thoughts and attitudes.

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lastly, i gave a reminder for viewers of the show to watch their own reactions, lest they display the same negative attitudes and behaviors for which they faulted the housemates.

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