Therapist Training in Manila!

Last Friday I boarded the plane to Manila for the very first time in my life. I had always wanted to see Manila but I did not know that my first visit would be to present EAP’s Therapist Training to eighty ABA therapists. The workshop started around 8:30am in the morning with a short prayer followed by a gracious introduction of myself from Ginie, one of the Directors from TeamWorks. The workshop covered these areas: therapist responsibilities, socialization and play skills, reinforcement, discrete trials, prompting, data collection, behavioural support, generalization and preparing for a session.

I have conducted various workshops throughout my career in EAP Malaysia. There was something about this one that stood out from the rest. I was awed by the enthusiasm and the positive energy of the therapists in the room. Most of all, I was inspired by their eagerness to learn.

I would like to say a big thank you to Rodrigo, also one of the Directors from TeamWorks, and his team for making ABA therapy available and affordable to families in the Philippines. I admire Rod’s tenacity and his tireless effort in improving services for children with special needs. There is so much that we can learn from each other!

Everyone!

All good things must come to an end. During the closing of the workshop, one of the therapists asked me if I had any final advise for them. I thought to myself, “What can I tell this enthusiastic bunch of therapists?”  I told them to keep learning and continue to be open to new ideas and possibilities.  As I bid goodbyes to all the participants who came up to me and thanked me personally, I wonder if they know how much they have inspired me in this short seven hours.

p/s: Thank you to Bryan Barroma who took great care of my accommodation, drove me around, introduced me to Philippine’s food and made a special stop so that I could try the famous Cupcakes!

Written by 

Huey Sien 

Senior Consultant

EAP Malaysia