Article by Dr. Nelly Z. Limbadan
Dean, School of Arts and Sciences
In May 2025, I had the distinct privilege of traveling to Indonesia, where I taught at two esteemed universities: Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang and Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta. This international journey was not only an opportunity to share academic knowledge but also a profound experience of cultural exchange and personal growth. At Soegijapranata Catholic University, I delivered a lecture to undergraduate students on “Applying Clinical and Organizational Psychology in Police Leadership.” This topic allowed me to integrate clinical insights with organizational behavior theories, highlighting psychological resilience and leadership challenges specifically within law enforcement. It was fascinating to observe how students approached leadership concepts from their unique cultural and societal context, prompting me to consider new perspectives that enriched my own understanding.
At Sanata Dharma University, unique for being the only Jesuit university in Indonesia, I engaged with graduate students in the master’s program through multiple lectures. “Safe Inside: Building Psychological Safety Within Ourselves and Others” was a workshop that focused on cultivating self-compassion and trauma-informed awareness while fostering healthy and supportive relationships. Witnessing the students’ openness and sincere participation encouraged me to reflect on the universal human need for psychological safety and how cultural nuances shape this experience. This session on psychological safety was done in a hybrid modality as graduate students attended remotely and in-person.
Another lecture, “Using Psychology to Navigate Life’s Challenges: Clinical Insights on Grief, Failure, Transition, and Emotional Growth,” invited students to explore clinical approaches to overcoming adversity and emotional pain, topics that resonated deeply given the global challenges we collectively face. A shared session with Fr. Ulysses S. Cabayao, SJ, a faculty member from our Anthropology Department, concluded our international lecture visit in Soegijapranata. He lectured on “Digital Cultures: Personal enhancement and ethics.
Lastly, I delivered “Talk to Yourself Like a Therapist: Self-Help Techniques Rooted in Clinical Psychology” twice, engaging participants in therapeutic self-dialogue strategies intended to promote emotional regulation and introspection. This session was particularly meaningful to me as it demonstrated the power of simple, accessible psychological tools to empower individuals across diverse backgrounds.
One personal realization during my time teaching in Indonesia was how fundamentally universal yet deeply contextual teaching is. Regardless of geographic or cultural differences, the core essence of teaching—sharing knowledge, inspiring curiosity, and fostering growth—remains unchanged. Yet, this trip also highlighted that true teaching demands cultural humility, adaptability, and openness. I found myself not only as a teacher but as a learner, absorbing the cultural richness and perspectives of my students, who were eager not only to receive knowledge but also to engage critically and share their own worldviews. Their receptiveness challenged me to rethink and fine-tune my teaching approaches to be more culturally sensitive and relevant.
Beyond the academic exchange, this journey evoked a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of human experience. Concepts such as resilience, self-compassion, and psychological safety transcend cultural borders, yet their expression and cultivation require attention to local traditions, values, and lived experiences. Teaching in Indonesia reminded me that psychology is both a science and an art—a discipline grounded in empirical knowledge but coming alive in dialogue, empathy, and cultural attunement.
This trip not only enriched my professional expertise but also reaffirmed my commitment to lifelong learning and teaching with humility. It broadened my awareness of how educational endeavors can serve as bridges across cultures, fostering mutual understanding and collective growth. The experience left me inspired to continue exploring culturally responsive teaching methods and to embrace the continuous journey of learning from every student encounter, no matter where in the world it occurs.
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