Ma. Alodia Psychologist

26/10/2025

Take a moment to rest and get back on track when ready.

19/10/2025

Living with a person with narcissistic personality disorder changes the way you think and feel about yourself. Here are some of the changes that you may encounter:
1. You feel that your emotions are invisible.
2. You constantly doubt yourself.
3. Love is given when you give them what they want. You have to feel miserable when things don't go along their way.
4. It's always a rollercoaster ride of extreme valuation, devaluation, neglect and manipulation.
The danger is when you don't notice all of these are happening and you gradually lose yourself.
BE AWARE and START HEALING.

18/10/2025

Did you know that there is a recipe for a healthy and successful relationship?
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According to John Bowlby, a renowned psychologist and pioneer of attachment theory, trust, honesty, respect, communication, effort, and collaboration form the foundation of healthy and secure relationships. Together, they build emotional safety, stability, and connection—essential ingredients for love that lasts.
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Trust is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. Trust allows partners to feel secure and confident in each other’s intentions. It creates a safe emotional space where vulnerability and openness can thrive.
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Honesty is the secret ingredient to a lasting connection. Perhaps this is one of the most challenging concepts to embrace. We, as individuals, often feel uncomfortable showing vulnerability to others, even our partners, because we want to avoid being viewed as weak. But being truthful fosters transparency and emotional intimacy. It prevents misunderstandings and helps both partners grow together authentically.
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Mutual respect is the perfect blend of love and individuality. This is perhaps one of the most important foundations of a relationship, as when you provide value to each other's boundaries and opinions, it becomes a gateway to ensuring equality and preventing power struggles in relationships. It also ensures that boundaries are valued and not crossed.
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Communication is perhaps one of the most overlooked recipes in a relationship. Having open, empathetic communication helps partners express feelings, resolve conflicts, and understand each other better—strengthening emotional bonds. When a couple communicates and both remain open and empathetic, seeing and understanding each other's feelings and views becomes easier.
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Effort and collaboration is the other most overlooked recipe in a healthy relationship. People forget that effort is a continuous thing in a relationship; it shows that both parties still care for each other, and collaboration ensures the partnership between the couple—ensuring that you two are in the relationship together.
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A healthy relationship isn’t about perfection—it’s about mixing the right ingredients with care, patience, and love. When trust, honesty, respect, communication, effort, and collaboration come together, they create a recipe that’s comforting, fulfilling, and built to last.
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Healthy relationships take time, practice, and the right mix of ingredients. And sometimes an outsider's perspective, from someone who can remain unbiased while having the right evidence-based tools, can help your relationship bloom. If you're interested in a couple's counseling, reach out to us via our email or page.
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15/10/2025

The recent earthquakes that struck Cebu, Baguio, and Davao Oriental remind us that disasters affect not only our surroundings but also our mental well-being. It’s normal to feel anxious, fearful, or unsettled after such events.
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The shaking may have stopped, but the aftershocks within can linger. Your emotions are valid — whether that'd be from direct contact with the earthquake or watching the distressing news, it’s okay to feel scared and uneasy after everything.
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We provided you with some reminders that can help if an earthquake occurs in your area. Moreover, take a moment to breathe, ground, and reconnect with yourself. We included simple mindfulness techniques like deep breathing and grounding exercises can help calm your body and mind.
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Let’s take care of our minds as we rebuild our homes and communities.
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Reach out for support, stay connected, and remember — healing doesn’t happen overnight, but it begins when we talk about it. Stay safe and always remember that you matter.
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11/10/2025

On September 5 and 12, 2025, Höegh LNG Services ROHQ and A-Max Psychological Services collaborated and successfully conducted a two-part online seminar series aimed at supporting employees’ mental health and overall well-being.
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📌 Part 1: Health and Wellness | Stress Management
Held online on September 5, 2025, this session highlighted strategies for maintaining balance, improving self-care, and strengthening workplace resilience.
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📌 Part 2: Handling Stress and Anger: Seminar & Workshop
Held online on September 12, 2025, this session provided practical approaches to managing stress and anger through guided workshops and applied exercises.
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Participants in both sessions gained valuable tools and resources to enhance their mental health and well-being, ultimately contributing to a more positive and productive work environment. The collaboration between A-Max Psychological Services and the employees of Höegh LNG Services ROHQ resulted in increased awareness and skills in managing stress, promoting a healthier workplace culture.
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10/10/2025

Let’s talk about it.

28/06/2025

We were there at LPU Highschool Department to relieve the occupational stress of Teachers.

25/04/2025

Yo Bailo para salud mental!

20/04/2025

I am delighted to announce the publication of our research paper at Science Direct-Elsevier titled, "Residential Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy versus Therapeutic Community for Patients with Methamphetamine Use Disorders in the Philippines: A Randomized Controlled Trial".

We evaluated Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Methampetamine Use in the Philippines. The study was conducted in a real-world setting in residential treatment facilities. Our findings may lead to improved efforts to provide evidence-based treatment of people who use methamphetamine.

My deepest gratitude to Japan International Cooperation Agency and Department of Health for making this possible.
Here's the article link:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2025.100605

19/03/2025

It’s Wednesday and we have a webinar today.

🌠Why Don't we Rewrite the Stars?🎶

Conflict is an inevitable part of every relationship but how we navigate and deal with it is what truly defines us. Join us for Harmony in Action: Navigating Conflict for Stronger Relationships, a Community Learning Session on positive relationships and conflict resolution.

Discover how to turn friction into teamwork and resolve disagreements in a healthier manner!

🔗 Pre-register today! : https://tinyurl.com/SDFO-Community-Session
🗓 Date: March 19
⏰Time: 1:30 - 4:00 PM
💻 Venue: Online
🎙 Speaker: Ma. Alodia Cueno-Mercado, RPm, RPsy, ICAPII (PhD Cand.)

18/03/2025

Galingan mo kasi Tuesday na. Choose to love. Choose to help. Choose to be you.

06/03/2025

Sa dami ng stressors sa buhay, hindi ka talaga kakalma. Pero alam mo ba na ang “pagkalma” ay isa sa napakaraming “mental skill” na dapat mong matutunan? Dahil sa pagkalma, mas luluwag ang espasyo sa iyong utak; mas gaganahan kang makisalamuha sa iba at mas magiging maayos ang iyong trabaho o pag-aaral.