Pre-National Conference and Workshops

January 12-14, 2009 - Manila
January 15-16, 2009 - Zamboanga City

Family and Pastoral Counseling Association of the Philippines (FPCAP), Inc.
National Convention

November 28-29, 2008
Little Theater, Miriam College, Quezon City

fpcapconvention2008.pdf

Letter from the PGCA President

October, 2008

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings from the PGCA! This is to update you on PGCA activities and to clarify certain points.

Licensure

We had the third oath-taking via the Grandfather Clause last September 28, 2008. And the first batch of Board Passers joined them.

We have been told that the next Grandfather Clause oath-taking will take place in January. So please prepare, if you wish to be included.

The next Board Exams will be in August. PRC had to schedule it at such time in consideration of the schedules of about 43 professions (medicine, nursing, engineering, etc.), some with thousands of examinees.

Those who cannot be licensed by March, 2009 are worried about their status at work. Since the PRC, the PRB for Guidance, and the PGCA have to abide by the Law the only possibility seen is for those affected to make representations to their own school to give them another assignment or change their title and the coverage of their work.

As for the content and presentation of the previous Board Exams, PRB told us that their role was to make a pool of around 500 questions from which the final test items were selected by a Special PRC Group, similar to the practice for the other professions. The PRB was excluded from the selection of items actually included in the final test, the sequencing of items and answers, the printing, etc.

Membership in Integrated Association for Licensed Counselors

Many licensed counselors are confused about whether they have to join IPCAP as a requirement for licensure. At present membership in the PGCA is sufficient. The PGCA, being the oldest organization of Guidance Counselors, the one with the biggest membership and most consistently well-attended activities since its foundation, and the organization that spearheaded the move for licensure to protect Guidance Counselors and their clientele, has been appointed Accredited Professional Organization (APO) until November 16, 2008. Thereafter, the PRC will have to make a decision as to which organization will be the APO. You don’t have to be a member of any other Guidance organization to satisfy the requirement for membership in an integrated association for Licensed Guidance Counselors, but we do encourage you to join other organizations for further growth. You became a member of an integrated association for licensed Guidance Counselors, the PGCA, when you paid your membership dues and took your oath. The PRC informed us that the word “Integrated” does not have to appear in the Association name, as in the case of other professions. With your voice and your letters, before November, PGCA can continue to be the APO.

Midyear Workshop

You may already know that we have a Midyear Workshop in Cagayan de Oro from October 22-24. Please see announcement in the website.

There will be a rerun in Manila on November 19-21, for those who cannot travel to Cagayan. We still have to finalize the venue for this since we want to lower the cost by holding it in a school. However, rooms are not available during class days.

This workshop will satisfy the national or local participation required for the Grandfather Clause.

We are asked why we require attendance of a PGCA activity for applicants via the Grandfather clause. Unfortunately, many applicants have not updated themselves for many years, some even decades. Many developments have taken place since then. For example, researches and interactions have shown that majority know that there are only 3 approaches in counseling -- even if more than 250 have been developed. Human concerns have changed – new addictions, new passions, new traumas, new careers etc. We just want to ensure that counselors are equipped to handle the human lives entrusted to them. PGCA honors activities sponsored by other organizations. But since the PGCA Constitution defines active membership as including updated payment of dues and participation in its activities, the applicant who has to be certified as an active member of the PGCA has to attend at least one PGCA activity.

Legal Papers

The 1998 Constitution is still active. This is the one filed in the SEC.

All SEC and BIR papers are in order.

And even the Condominium we purchased is already in the name of PGCA. We now have the Title.

Let us hear from you. Send us news so we can put you on the website or newsletter. We would also like to know which division of Guidance you may be interested in.

If you have some questions, please don’t forget to e-mail at pgcaimelda@yahoo.com.

Sincerely yours

Imelda V. G. Villar, Ph.D.
President

Initial Registration for PRC ID

Starting September 11, 2008, initial registrants should come personally to the PRC Central Office or to the nearest Regional Office to file his/her application for registration and to affix his/her signature in the registry book.

Requirements:
1. Current Community Tax Certificate (cedula).
2. Two pcs. passport size pictures with name tag.
3. One pc. picture in plain background with complete tag.
4. Two sets of metered documentary stamps.
5. One short brown envelope with name and profession.
6. P1,050 for PRC ID.
7. Receipt obtained during the filing of the application.

Accreditation of PGCA as the Organization of Guidance Counselors

View the PDF here:

accreditation.pdf

Guidance Counselor Licensure Examination Results

Click here: PRC website