FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A 2-in-1 Cookbook and Compassion-Focused Therapy Guide Book Aimed at Cultivating Open Communication Within Families and Improving the Mental Well-being of Children

Jess Alba

For more than a year, the Philippines has undergone a series of community quarantines and lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced people out of their daily routines and into the New Normal of staying at home and working from home. This sudden change has inevitable led to a rise in mental health issues within families, with children being the most susceptible. But with the lack of accessible mental health resources and the age-old dilemma of the communication gap between parents and children in Filipino families, many children may be forced to keep their worries and struggles to themselves. That being said, now more than ever, there is a need to bring families closer together and cultivate spaces within families for healthy, open communication in order to dampen the effects of mental illness among children.

Food For Thought is a 2-in-1 cookbook and compassion-focused therapy guidebook that aims to help families create a space for open communication where everyone feels comfortable discussing their feelings and worries with one another. The book contains carefully crafted compassion-focused therapy-based activities that are incorporated into recipes that are easy and fun for the family to take part in. These activities aim to help families incorporate open and honest conversations about their feelings into their daily lives.

Jess is an incoming graduate of the University of the Philippines’ Visual Communication program. She is a freelance graphic designer and children’s book illustrator, with one published children’s book under Vibal Inc. titled Wala na ang Arinola ni Lala.

Email: sseji.work@gmail.com
Portfolio: @sseji