Hi! I’m Stephanie Tolentino, or Steph for short. I’m a mental health professional and a humanitarian worker and advocate. I’m passionate about mental health, community, human rights and social justice issues. I play an active role in addressing critical social issues while advocating for dignity, equality and rights for all individuals. My work focuses on supporting and empowering at-risk, vulnerable and marginalized populations.
I’m inspired to play a part in making the world a more safe, dignified and compassionate place. I believe raising awareness helps people to understand themselves and others better, helping to develop a more informed and empathetic society. As the philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes) said “Ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hatred, and hatred leads to violence. This is the equation.” I lead to empower current and future generations to create more informed, inclusive and peaceful societies by increasing awareness, capacity building, and engaging in dialogue and collaboration.
As you may have guessed, I have a great interest in the intersection of cultures, mental health and social issues. From a young age, I grew up in different countries and cities, lived in different societies and mixed with people from every culture, community, socioeconomic status and background. These experiences developed my curiosity about the similarities, differences and uniqueness we all share. I enjoy looking into areas like traditions, customs, beliefs, religion and spirituality, myths and folklore, history, and connecting them to how individuals and communities live and make sense of their world. I am particularly interested in the Middle East and Asian regions and cultures, and Eastern religions and spiritual practices.
This website invites you to journey with me in exploring mental health and social issues across cultures and continents. I believe in creating awareness about experiences and topics that are shared by many but are not spoken enough about.
My work allows me to fulfill my passions. I have eleven years of work experience across different areas in the field of mental health, social work and community development.
Specialities:
Program Management and Development
Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), Community based MHPSS
Protection, Gender Based Violence, Child Protection
MHPSS for refugees and migrants, vulnerable and at-risk populations
Training and capacity building
Monitoring and evaluation
Assessment, mapping, and coordination of MHPSS services
Systemic and policy advocacy
Clinical Work
Trauma informed, multicultural, psycho-spiritual counseling and psychotherapy
Individual and group therapy
Individual and family psychosocial support and case management
Case advocacy
Regions:
Middle East, Africa, Asia, North America
Languages:
English, Arabic, Malay
Education:
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (USA)
BSc in Psychology (Australia)
For any collaboration and enquires, please email me at steph@oncmh.com
I appreciate your time, interest and support. Thank you for journeying with me!
Stay Curious,
Steph Tolentino
On Culture and Mental Health 