The De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) marked Mental Health Awareness Month with the unveiling of its newly renovated Benilde Well-Being Center (BWC) at the Design + Arts Campus.
The center, which also operates in the Taft Campus, Atrium@Benilde, and Angelo King International Center, provides mental health and psycho-emotional support for students and staff. It is staffed by registered guidance counselors, psychologists, and psychometricians who assist the college’s diverse and multicultural community.
During the blessing of the new facility, BWC director El Anelio R. Barnachea, RGC, reaffirmed the office’s commitment to promoting mental health awareness.
“We are all encouraged to continue to support efforts that address the well-being needs of our community, particularly those who have been diagnosed with mental health conditions,” Barnachea said. “It takes a supportive and nurturing community to make a meaningful impact on an individual’s well-being.”
The center’s programs are grounded in the Six-Factor Model of Psychological Well-Being developed by American psychologist Carol Ryff, focusing on self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose, environmental mastery, autonomy, and positive relations with others.
The BWC offers individual and group counseling sessions for personal, academic, or career concerns. Telepsychology is also available for those who prefer virtual sessions.
In addition to counseling, the center provides activities that promote cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual development. It also offers parent education sessions to strengthen family relationships.
The BWC includes a Deaf Unit that caters to the needs of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing members of the Benildean community and runs the Kaagapay Volunteers Program, where students assist peers in accessing mental health services.
Each office features relaxation areas equipped with massage chairs, punching bags, and sensory rooms with bean bags to help users manage stress and anxiety.
Barnachea also introduced Be Well Companion: My Well-Being Journal, a new initiative that encourages mindful reflection and personal growth.
Benilde president Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC, in a message read by vice president for Administration and Innovation Michael “Butch” D. Tecson III, described the center as “a sanctuary, a safe haven, a place where healing begins, where hope is nurtured, and where every person who walks through these doors is reminded that they matter.”
Fernandez underscored that well-being “is not a luxury—it is essential,” urging the community to value empathy and inclusivity.
