Guidance is also a Western concept introduced to the Filipinos by the Americans.

As a formal discipline,
it has been existing in the Philippines for more than five decades as it was introduced together with the
guidance movement in the 1920’s but it was only in the late 50’s that more formal guidance programs
were established. (Villar, 1997) The field of guidance is dominated by Western models and the practicing
counselors use these models to the Filipino clientele.

The work said that guidance in the Philippines started informally in the 1902’s when some college
faculty members acted out as guidance counselors. In 1932, Dr. Sinforoso Padilla started the first
Psychological Clinic in the Philippines wherein he gave intervention to students with disciplinary,
academic, vocational and emotional problems. As the years went by, Guidance services have been
utilized by various institutions in the country but it somehow thrived in the school set-up.

Guidance and psychological constructs started to get indigenized via the Sikolohiyang Pilipino movement
of Dr. Virgilio Enriquez as the proponents have recognized that Western techniques may not be
applicable for the Filipino counselors and clients. The articles recognize the value of coming up with
indigenous approaches in counseling. As Filipinos, we should take pride of our own methods as this was
labored upon by our ancestors. Ysaac (1997) said “Ang kulturang taglay natin ay bunga ng
pagpapakapagod ng ating mga magulang at mga ninuno. Habilin at pamana nila ito sa atin. Ang lahat ng
kanilang pagpapakahulugan at pagpapahalaga sa buhay ay itinanim nila sa kultura para sa atin.

Historically, guidance can trace its roots back to the Bible and ancient Asian religions. In the Philippines,
before the Spaniards came, decision making was done by the Datus. There was also a priestly class
composed of babaylans, sonants and teachers who were taught on how to give advice and solve
problems using a directive means.

During the Spanish period, college beaterios or schools for girls provided fundamental instruction on
social life and how to behave in church. These schools trained girls on home life so that they may get
married and be better spouses and mothers.

Guidance was brought to the Philippines by the Thomasites. As mentioned earlier, Guidance for high
school students begain in 1939 when deans of boys and deans of girls were appointed in the city schools
of Manila as they were tasked to assist students with conduct problems. They also took care of student
advising and attendance checking and these activities were later designated to provincial schools.

In the 1970’s Behavior Modification and other techniques like Reality Therapy, Rational Emotive
Therapy, Logotherapy and Gestalt Therapy were propagated by the UP and DLSU. The 1980’s and

Formal counseling began in 1898 when Jesse B. Davis began his work as a counselor at Central High
School, Dtroit, Michigan wherein he helped students with vocational and academic problems for 10
years. The term used during the early 1900s for the profession was vocational guidance which involves
roles that were similar to modern career counseling with a focus on the transition from school to work,
emphasizing an appropriate client-occupational placement match as this was founded to enhance the
post-school vocational adjustments for young people

Frank Parsons was appointed as the director and counselor of the Vocational Bureau of Boston wherein
he helped students using guidance procedures. Parsons focused on supporting young men’s transition
into suitable vocational placement based on a mutual beneficial match between the young person’s
aptitudes and abilities and an occupation’s requirements and environment.