Getting to Know Your Counselor

Dr. Adrienne Gayatao

Doc A serves as a Christian Counselor and Resource Speaker on Mental Health and Clinical Christian Counseling in churches, schools, campus ministries, missionary care, corporate settings, NGOs, and Christian ministries.

In response to the increasing mental health issues when the pandemic hit, she was compelled to take a leap of faith and founded SELAH Clinical Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy Philippines as her private counseling practice.

Her fields of service include counseling, psychotherapy, program design of mental health training, counseling workshops, psychoeducation seminars, employee engagement, holistic wellness programs, team building, and recollection for students and teachers.

Adrienne obtained her doctoral degree in Christian Counseling (Florida, USA) and pursued licensure in Clinical Christian Counseling. She earned her master’s degree in Counseling (with Honors) and received the Academic Excellence Award (Manila, Philippines). She took further courses under the Doctor of Ministry in Counseling and Trauma Intervention program and certificate courses on Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, and Anger Management. 

She has taught master’s-level and certificate counseling programs and now pursues her passion to partner with pastors, church leaders, and Christian organizations throughout the Philippines and Asia in equipping small group leaders by providing Christian counseling training, mental health talks, and holistic well-being sessions.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Asia Christian Counseling Association (ACCA), as well as the Philippine Association of Christian Counselors (PACC) where she serves as the Corporate Secretary and Member Care Coordinator.

With the great task ahead, she holds on to her 4GCs or Four Guiding Concepts to Clinical Christian Counseling (Gayatao, 2022): God’s Calling, Genuine Community, Gift of Compassion, and Grace for Competence.

Adrienne is a lifelong learner. In elementary school, her zeal for studying got her recognized as the class valedictorian. In high school, she was chosen as Ms. Alma Mater, Corp XO, and president of the Student Government for two consecutive terms. During her teenage years, she had the privilege of serving her hometown as a recipient of leadership awards from the Sangguniang Kabataan and the Office of the Vice-President. Her college years at the Film Institute of the University of the Philippines Diliman had formed her heart with empathy from her exposure to stories of various people from different walks of life.

Prior to her formal education as a Christian counselor, she worked in Human Resources and Organizational Development, where she learned to design intervention programs, facilitate team-building sessions, run workshops, and train employees on leadership, soft skills, and personality development.

Her love for Jesus and the church community dates back to her early years growing up in a Christian family, and her passion for relational discipleship is shared with her husband, Pastor Mike Gayatao, who serves as one of the pastors of a global family of churches. 

Adrienne’s personal healing journey and counselees’ stories fuel her desire to keep studying and imparting counseling principles and skills to others so that more people suffering from emotional wounds, trauma, abuse, and mental health issues can be helped.

On a more personal note, Adrienne likes jigsaw puzzles, black sesame ice cream, peppermint essential oil, washing dishes, matcha lattes and kombucha, and a good foot massage. Her ambition is to lead a quiet life.