The College Guidance Center (CGC) contributes to the integral formation of students through timely and responsive interventions and relevant programs on guidance and counseling, career development, job placement, gender appreciation, and mental health support. These initiatives help students develop personal and interpersonal competence, fostering overall well-being and resilience.

Purposes of the College Guidance Center (CGC)

1. The CGC aims to assist in the holistic and balanced formation of students within the context of Christian values and Ignatian excellence.  Given such, our services, which include different guidance and counseling programs, career development, job placement, gender appreciation programs, and mental health programs, address the interpersonal and intrapersonal development of our students, anchored in the Christian essence of the human person and his/her existence.

2. The CGC comprises a group of people formed to assist the school administration in developing the students through the different services.  Thus, helps the students to understand and cope with the difficult adjustments, decision-making, career, gender, self-development issues, and other concerns common in college life.

3. The CGC helps the students in becoming self-actualized persons.

4. The CGC assists each college student in self-development towards becoming a well-rounded Christian individual able to make decisions for him/herself.

The Values of the College Guidance Center

• Attainment of the Mission and Vision of the University.  As an entity that is part of the University Organization, we accept the value and support the Mission for the integral formation of men and women who will contribute to the total development of the family and society through the commitment envisioned of this Filipino, Catholic, and Jesuit University.

• Cura Personalis.  We value the human dignity of each individual, and we foster the care, respect, and growth of individuals in their dignity as human persons.

• Magis.  We value the growth in excellence of human persons as they strive towards their unique personal excellence for the “praise, reverence and service of God,” as St. Ignatius of Loyola would state it.

• Dialogue.  We value the process of authentic dialogue where individuals and groups trust each other.   We value this process as our approach so that truth will surface or issues and solutions can be worked out.   With this, respect and dignity can be attained to foster the growth and development of the individual and the community.

• Collaboration.  We value working with other individuals and offices in the University.   It is our approach to attaining the Mission and Vision of the University. The presence of cooperating hearts and minds will facilitate the attainment of the goals we have set.

• Wellness and balance of the individual and the community.  We value and dedicate our work toward the wellness of the individual and the Ateneo de Naga Community.  We do this by helping individuals to discern and achieve internal balance.  We also help the members of the community engage in dialogues and collaborations.

Programs/Services

• Orientation Programs.  The CGC spearheads the annual conduct of the Orientation Seminar (ORSEM) for Freshmen and Transferees. The ORSEM is designed to introduce incoming students to the University’s academic expectations, policies, and formation thrusts; present to them key personnel and offices that will aid them throughout their stay in the University; give a venue for administrators and faculty to meet and interact with incoming students; and provide them an opportunity to meet new friends. More specifically, the ORSEM includes sessions on the University’s Mission-Vision, the Ignatian Formation Framework and Design, and an Introduction to the Profile of the Ateneo Graduate. Through this activity, it is hoped that new students in the University will be assisted in adjusting to college life and the ways and culture unique to an Ateneo education.

• Student Profiling.  Summaries of student data from psychological tests, routine interviews, and surveys are collected to classify or identify groups of students so that the Center can address special needs. Profiles are generated for different levels of analyses University-wide, per college, per department, for a student organization, or on a per-student level. These are done to describe the characteristics of the studentry as a whole, which can be used as a basis for designing appropriate and relevant interventions.

• Student Monitoring.  In this program, follow-up interviews are undertaken to track the development of the students according to the goals of the guidance program and to monitor the development of individual students or groups of students with special concerns.  Grades are also monitored as an indicator of growth.

• Consultation & Follow-up.  CGC offers consultation services where counselors’ expertise can be requested through academic accommodations, recommendations, facilitation, and program development. Follow-ups with students have been conducted to guarantee the provision of services to inquire about the need for additional help.

• Counseling and Referrals.  This is the counselors’ primary responsibility.  In this program, the CGC provides counseling services to students to (a) facilitate awareness of the self so that one may be proactive and effective in their manner of living; (b) help them clarify personal values and interpersonal situations in such a way that they can cope with life’s crises in a mature, insightful, and compassionate manner; and (c) assist them in working out a plan in solving their personal issues and concerns.  The CGC is also prepared to counsel in groups when students want to clarify issues with each other.  Furthermore, it is a fact that in casework, there are student concerns or problems that are beyond the scope of the counselor’s expertise, and the latter sometimes feels powerless to resolve or has limited resources to address the concern.  This is where referrals and collaborative work are most required.  It must be noted that not all resources, expertise, or needs are found in one person or agency.  Thus, the a need to collaborate and coordinate with other resources/expertise.

• Information Service.  Information service is offered by CGC to its student clients through webinars, symposia, seminars, and individual and group guidance sessions. These activities can be done online or on-site. The needs assessment surveys, student profiles, psychological test results, and activity evaluation results determine the topics. Additionally, the CGC keeps up its channels of communication, which include email, group chats, the CGC Facebook Page (https://facebook.com/adnu.college.guidance.center), and the CGC Google Site (https://tinyurl.com/CGC-Site) where students can schedule appointments with counselors.

• Research and Evaluation.  Research is a vehicle by which accurate, valid, and up-to-date information can be gathered.  Findings can be used in drafting or revising school and guidance programs.  This provides a very firm and accurate basis for the formulation of programs and activities.  With this, the CGC makes periodic studies on the data gathered about the students to help the administrators develop more relevant plans based on the results of scientific research.

• Career Planning and Development. The Career Development and Job Placement Program is one of the core services offered by the CGC to address the pre-employment needs of graduating students to become future-ready individuals. The program includes career consultations, career seminars, and job fairs, designed to help students gain a clearer sense of direction and formulate strategic plans with clear milestones to achieve their goals. Also, through the industry-academe dialogues, this serves as a crucial bridge, fostering strong connections between AdNU graduates and potential employers to cultivate lasting partnerships.

• Program on Gender Concerns. The program operates on the premise of the following vision:

  • Upholds non-maleficent practices, promoting a safe space for all;
  • Deviates from the gender-based abuses, stereotypes, discrimination, prejudices, violence, etc;
  • Adheres to the concept of acceptance and inclusivity;
  • Promotes activities that will enhance the goodness of the stakeholders with the emphasis on respect for human dignity; and
  • Responds to the demands of the time.

• These activities/services of the Program for Gender Concerns are geared to:
  • Develop gender sensitivity among students and stakeholders,
  • Eliminate gender-based abuses, discrimination, and stereotyping, and
  • Foster an inclusive environment that respects all gender identities.

• Special Programs for Special Populations. Special programs are specifically designed initiatives aimed at addressing the unique and diverse needs of certain student groups who require specific care and attention. The Center develops various special programs on mental health, year-level group guidance activities, and other interventions offering targeted assistance to certain groups, like the student-at-risk (STAR), underachievers (under academic probation, students with multiple Fs and AFs or failures due to absences), etc. This aims to foster care and ensure maximum growth and development of students.

• Group Guidance Activities. In line with the Ignatian Formation Program’s objectives, Group Guidance Activities (GGA) are provided to all students to attain a deeper appreciation of one’s chosen academic discipline, nurture a desire to become professionally competent, be equipped with appropriate pedagogical skills, provide appropriate opportunities for training, and to prepare students to assume responsible positions or leadership roles in any work or service they may get into now or in their future career roles.  The GGA offerings of the Center, which are conducted on a per-year level basis, are aimed at providing structured group activities and learnings on topics based on identified student needs.

• Student Volunteer Programs. The Student Volunteer Program was established to develop an auxiliary group that will help implement the Center’s activities and guidance programs. Currently, there are four volunteer groups in the Center – the Peer Coaches, the Student Volunteers, the Kaabay Volunteers, and the Ateneo Facilitators’ Brigade. The members of these volunteer groups are provided with formation activities in line with the Ignatian Formation Program. They are also given special training and enrichment sessions to increase their knowledge and competence in peer coaching, facilitating, and program development. Specifically, the following groups are expected to perform the following roles:

  • The Peer Coaches – assist the Center by providing services such as peer helping, organizing and facilitating special programs/outreaches, offering tutorials, and referring students with urgent concerns.
  • The Student Volunteers – assist the Center during the conduct of their activities, such as facilitating, organizing task,s and other office-related activities, and refer students. They offer different formation activities for their fellow members.
  • The Kaabay Volunteers – assist the Center’s Gender Concern Programs during the conduct of its activities, promote the services of the gender concerns management program, and refer students.
  • Facilitators’ Brigade – assists the Center during the conduct of ORSEM 1 and 2, skills development and enhancement (SDE) activities, and other requests for group facilitation of co-curricular and extracurricular organizations.

Skills Development and Enhancement. Under this program, interventions are designed to help students acquire the skills and develop competencies to gain a clearer sense of direction, a realistic sense of self, and an appropriate sense of others.  Leadership training seminars and group growth activities are conducted for this purpose.  The Center also implements interventions designed to enhance the basic helping/counseling skills of teachers to enable them to respond to various emotional and behavioral difficulties and problems of college students.