Revisiting Psychiatric Social Work Practice in the Philippines: An Autoethnographic Case

Alain Matteo Meneses

doi:10.58671/aswj.v12i1.66

Authors

Alain Matteo Meneses University of the Philippines-Diliman, Philippines

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58671/aswj.v12i1.66

Keywords:

Psychiatric Social Work, Mental Health, Patients with Mental Illnesses, Psychiatry, Autoethnography

Abstract

Over the past decades, there has been a gap in literature discussing the field of psychiatric social work in the Philippines. In an attempt to address this, this article describes a case to revisit the practice of psychiatric social work in the Philippine setting. Using an autoethnographic methodology, I recount my experience as a psychiatric social worker at a teaching hospital located in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, to illustrate the position, its roles and functions, and the common strategies it employs in practice. In discussing my personal experience, I reflect on themes and assert that psychiatric social work remains to have a continuing significance in today’s mental health landscape, offering innovative practices in response to newer challenges of helping patients with mental health conditions

Author Biography

Alain Matteo Meneses, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Philippines

Alain Matteo F. Meneses is a registered social worker in the Philippines with over two years of practice experience in the field of mental health and psychosocial support. He graduated from the University of the Philippines–Diliman with a bachelor's degree in social work. Currently, he works as a program coordinator under a mental health-focused non-government organization (NGO) based in Metro Manila, and is undergoing training on clinical trauma studies. His recent publications (as co-writer) include two handbooks on psychosocial support and volunteerism, respectively.

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