Description
Dr. Ma. Cristina Esquivel-Saldivar, RPsy, RGC helps people seeking pre-marital, marital, family, and career counseling. She specializes in psychological assessment, adult issues/ mental health interventions, career counseling, and facilitating life transitions and adjustments. She is both a Registered Psychologist (RPsy) and a Registered Guidance Counselor (RGC).
A true green-blooded Lasallian, she has earned her undergraduate degree in Behavioral Science, Master of Arts in Industrial Psychology, and Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology at De La Salle University. She was the former Head of the Office of Institutional Testing, a former School Dean, and held a Full Professor rank at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde prior to her early retirement. At present, she is a faculty member at De La Salle University’s Psychology Department.
She is currently the President of the Association of Psychological and Educational Counsellors of Asia-Pacific (APECA), the Past President of the Philippine Association for Counselor Education, Research, and Supervision (PACERS), and a former Board Member of the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association (PGCA), which is the accredited integrated professional organization of counseling in the Philippines. In 2019, she was certified as one of the three Filipinos with a Master Trainer Level in Mental Health Facilitation by the American National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). She is also actively engaged in various professional organizations in the field of psychology, counseling, and education. She has presented local and international papers on matters relating to the practice of counseling, counselor education, assessment, research, and supervision. She is best known for speaking on leadership, program development, parenthood, stress management, motivation, work-life balance, and integrative wellness.
Her advocacies include fighting the stigma of mental health and supporting the capacity-building of mental health professionals in order to make mental health services accessible to those in need.