The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of clients of mental health professionals in the Philippines, adding up to their pre-existing burdens of personnel shortage and inadequacy of material resources. However, there is little knowledge on how the pandemic has affected these mental personnel in terms of their personal lives and their delivery of services to clients during this difficult time. This phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of the Filipino mental health professionals, coping strategies and self-care practices during the Covid-19 pandemic. Online semi-structured interviews were conducted among eight psychologists in selected areas in Northern Luzon, Philippines. The findings show that the participants have gone through the Confronting, Carrying, and Comprehending Phases, which capture the essence of their lived experiences as they faced the challenges and struggled to maintain a healthy psychological equilibrium through the pandemic. Amidst the difficulties, the mental health professionals incorporated healthy coping strategies that were categorized as Shifting, Averting, Interacting, and Lifting. These strategies allowed them to cope up healthily and, in doing so, enabled them to improve the practice of their profession and their life in general.
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