SU Psychology dept to host reg’l forum on healing through storytelling and music
The Silliman University (SU) Department of Psychology will host the 15th Regional Psychology Forum on May 13–15, 2025, at the SU Multipurpose Hall.
Carrying the theme “Alternative Tools for Healing: Storytelling and Music,” the forum will convene psychology professionals, academics, and researchers from across the Visayas and Mindanao to explore emerging trends in psychological practice and address pressing community mental health needs.
The event will feature Rev. Dr. Al B. Fuertes and Asst. Prof. Danielle Elise V. Zamar-Alcantara as keynote speakers and workshop facilitators.
In the plenary sessions, Fuertes will present “Students in Higher Education Explore the Practice of Gratitude as Spirituality and Its Impact on Well-Being,” while Zamar-Alcantara will speak on “Knowledge of and Need for Music Therapy: Perspectives of Health Professionals and Special Education Teachers in Dumaguete City.”
Fuertes will also lead a workshop on the “Transformative Impact of Storytelling (and Storylistening),” while Zamar-Alcantara will conduct a session titled “Melodies of the Mind: The Therapeutic Effect of Music in Mental Wellness.”
Fuertes is a full professor at George Mason University in Virginia, USA, where he teaches in the School of Integrative Studies. He holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University and a MA in Peace Studies from the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. A globally recognized field practitioner and consultant, he specializes in community-based psychosocial trauma healing as a core component of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. He has worked extensively in areas affected by war, conflict, and natural disasters, engaging with diverse groups, from refugees and internally displaced persons to government, military, and NGO stakeholders. A frequent facilitator at peacebuilding institutes in the U.S., Mindanao, and Northeast Asia, he is also a prolific researcher, currently focusing on reconciliation pedagogy, refugee repatriation, anti-human trafficking efforts, and post-conflict peacebuilding. He is a recipient of multiple honors, including the 2023 George Mason University Life Partnership Award and the 2019 Outstanding Sillimanian Award.
Zamar-Alcantara is a US board-certified music therapist and registered nurse who currently heads the Music Therapy Program at SU. A cum laude graduate of the Silliman University College of Nursing with a certificate in Psychology, she later earned a degree in Music Therapy from Shenandoah University in Virginia and a master’s in Music Education from SU. She has practiced music therapy across the United States, working with clients facing conditions such as autism, mental health disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. A passionate advocate for music therapy, she has led seminars and workshops, published in online journals, and presented her research internationally. In 2024, she established Resonate Music Therapy Studio and continues to blend clinical practice with the arts as a singer-songwriter. Her album Progress Notes is available on all major streaming platforms, and she is the lyricist behind the festival song of the 2023 Silliman University International Chorale Festival.
For more information, please email [email protected] or call (035) 422-1901 local 354.
