By Danielle Bonior
What do you envision a psych patient to look like?
Many-a-time, you may notice how society’s sentiments have yet to outgrow the cartoonish, archaic notions of what a psychiatry patient may look like. Often, the media we consume—may it be social media, Netflix series, or movies—serve as our first introduction to a variety of mental health disorders.
Your favorite movies strike as pickaxe to soil, shaping initial impressions. Despite being fictional, we must consider the idea that medical dramas or those that cover mental health disorders tend to be real enough to distort our perception of reality.
Box-office smash hits like Split portray Dissociative Identity Disorder as something mythic and monstrous — supernatural, dangerous, and deserving of isolation. Then, there’s the depressive patient trope: ragged clothes, unkempt hair, foul breath — all seemingly cured by a single inspirational plot point or the magic of romance.
The truth is less cinematic and far more human. The reality is that patients of psychiatry are not strangers lurking in the margins; they are our classmates, our professors, our family, and even ourselves.
These are everyday people who know struggle, who’ve overcome, who continue to cope, or to deny—until, due to one reason or another, the straw breaks. Thus, begetting the need for mental health intervention.
Be reminded how in doubt, in silence, stigma thrives—casting shame in those who might otherwise reach out for help.
“Stigma has played a negative role in preventing people from seeking treatment for their mental health problems. Thus, mental health awareness programs for the community are essential in mitigating stigma,” psychologist Dr. Apollo Marr Bugay shared.
Yet, the stigma surrounding mental health remains. In your desire to improve your psyche, where would you even start?
How to See A Psychiatrist/Psychologist (For Free) in 5 Easy Steps
Launched pre-pandemic by the Office of Student Services (OSS) in collaboration with the Guidance and Testing Division, this service seeks to promote the balanced well-being of students—especially when preventive measures, such as psycho-educational training, are no longer enough.
Silliman University’s student insurance covers one free psychiatry or psychology session per academic year. However, how does one avail of said insurance benefit?
Step 1: Set an Appointment With Your College’s Guidance Counselor
For many, the journey starts not with medication or a diagnosis—but with a conversation.
This process may seem intimidating at first. People are often not used to having their thoughts dissected, bared out to a stranger to be probed, picked at, and examined. However, this step marks the beginning of mental betterment—helping you unearth emotions lying dormant yet ever-present within you, often bogged down by heavy burdens.
Step 2: Attend At Least Two Guidance Counseling Sessions
Students must attend at least two sessions of guidance counseling. During these sessions, the counselor listens, assesses, and walks alongside the student in determining whether professional psychiatric or psychological help would be beneficial. If so, the counselor issues a referral to the OSS.
Step 3: Insurance Processing
From there, the university releases the session fee—about ₱2,500—directly to the student. Unlike traditional reimbursements, there is an element of trust: students are expected to arrange their own appointments and later submit proof of billing.
Step 4: Book with a Psychiatrist
Guidance counselors may provide recommendations for mental health professionals in the locale, but students may choose any licensed psychiatrist or psychologist, so long as official documentation is submitted after the session.
Step 5: Submit Proof of Billing
After attending the appointment, the student must return a session receipt to the OSS to complete the transaction. Even in cases where the student books a session before undergoing guidance counseling, a refund may still be possible—but it requires an official receipt, medical certificate, and diagnosis.
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Demystifying mental health disorders are essential in progressing as a society—a society where students and educators alike become lessened of the burden of their mind.
“From the start, we wanted to break the stigma that the Guidance Office is only for students with disciplinary issues,” shared Dr. Jaruvic C. Rafols, Head of the Guidance and Testing Division. “Our offices are open to all students seeking support, whether for academic adjustment or personal well-being.”
Rafols further explained that wherever students go in the university, guidance counselors are ready to offer psycho-social and emotional support in an accommodating and welcoming environment. In fact, seeking help is rarely a single-step journey, and Silliman’s mental health support system recognizes that.
Support does not end after the psychiatrist or psychologist session. Guidance counselors maintain follow-up sessions, coordinating closely with mental health professionals to help students integrate their recovery into academic life.
Here at Silliman, mental health care isn’t a luxury. It’s a right—one paid for through tuition, and one every student is encouraged to claim when needed.
Of course, the system isn’t perfect. Medications remain out-of-pocket, and more support will always be needed—in additional sessions, and in expanding this service to school faculty and staff. Yet, this initiative is a vital first step toward a university environment that values both academic and emotional resilience.
Should you ever find yourself needing help, remember: the path to healing begins with a conversation. No matter who you are, what you look like, and what struggles you contend with, at Silliman University, there are hands and ears eager to meet you halfway.