Jocelyn Francisco Ph.D. - Little Yellow Jeepney

Jocelyn “Joy” Francisco, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and writer and publisher of Little Yellow Jeepney. Joy was motivated by her father’s stories of growing up in the Philippines to pursue a career in psychology to study and understand human behavior. “Through a compassionate approach to therapy, my goal is to cultivate the kind of therapeutic relationship that leads to true transformation and lasting change.” As a parent, Joy was inspired to write and self publish the book Little Yellow Jeepney and subsequent Filipino children’s books Oh My Kulay!, Isa, Dalawa, Tatlo...Ito Ay Obalo!, Abakada, and Pamilya Ko. “I believe in teaching children to not only appreciate, communicate and interact with people across different cultures and in other countries, but also provide them with a stronger sense of cultural identity in an effort to preserve their own culture.” The books are colorful and bright, with themes of family, food, and shapes, and include both English and Tagalog. To be able to share the Tagalog language with both children and adults is a beautiful connection to the culture. Joy has plans to publish more books “to carry our culture into the future.”

www.littleyellowjeepney.com
www.jfranciscophd.com
@littleyellowjeepney

What brought you to pursue a career as a psychologist?
I knew I always wanted to work with children. During my elementary years I wanted to become a teacher like many in my family. That later evolved to a pediatrician. In high school, I observed my peers engage in delinquent behaviors, which resulted in severe consequences, such as being sentenced to juvenile hall. After being released, these peers engaged in the same delinquent behaviors. These incidents piqued my curiosity. Typically, after consequences individuals modify and/or change their behavior. I was perplexed. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to study human behavior to understand the function of people’s behaviors.

What do you find fulfilling about the work you do?
Most of us instantly react to an emotion, usually in order to get rid of it, or sometimes to ensure it will not go away. Rarely do we take the time to see it and feel it for what it is. We judge our emotional experience essentially invalidating it.

My goal is to help the client give some distance between what they are currently thinking and feeling, in order to understand what is happening to them. It is important to help the client realize that the self-criticism is a story the client is weaving about themselves and that the story can be changed.

Through a compassionate approach to therapy, my goal is to cultivate the kind of therapeutic relationship that leads to true transformation and lasting change. The therapeutic process involves commitment, courage, and collaboration; therefore, I have a deep respect for those who are willing to seek help during difficult times in their lives.

What fulfills me is being able to provide effective therapy by establishing a powerfully healing relationship and to inspire hope.

When did you start Little Yellow Jeepney and what is the inspiration behind it?
I am a parent of two second generation half-Filipino and half-Laotian children. As a professional and a parent, I believe it is important to inspire children to be curious about the world and to be globally aware. I believe in teaching children to not only appreciate, communicate and interact with people across different cultures and in other countries, but also provide them with a stronger sense of cultural identity in an effort to preserve their own culture. In order for children to be comfortable with the world, they must first feel comfortable at home and have a solid foundation from which to explore the world, which is what led to the evolution of Little Yellow Jeepney. I wrote and self-published Little Yellow Jeepney in 2015 for my first child.

How did you decide on the subjects and themes of each book? How important was it to include English and Tagalog in each book?
It is not common for me to meet first generation Filipinos who speak, let alone understand the language. As I searched for resources to help pass the language on to my children, I found the resources to be limited; especially, compared to other languages. In 2018, with the amazing and talented illustrator, and also first cousin, Jamie Lee Ortiz, we created a series that would teach children (and even adults) basic Filipino words.

Were the color choices and illustrations something you took into account?
Absolutely. Illustrations in picture books help children understand what they are reading.

The books I came across were dated, bland, and sometimes monotonous. It was important that the books were visually appealing to both children and adults.

What has the reception of the books been like from the Fil Am community?
I have been truly humbled by the support we have received. Since this journey began, I have been blessed to have crossed paths with individuals who share the same passion of preserving the native language and culture. 

What/who has been instrumental in your personal and creative growth?
My children. Personally, becoming a parent continues to be one of my greatest adventures.

The lessons they have taught me are far greater and more valuable than I ever expected.

The attachment patterns we experience as children impact us in powerful ways throughout our lives. Understanding my attachments to my parents has provided incredible insight in making sense of my narrative and the attachment patterns I pass on to my children. Every day is a chance to learn and what we learn becomes a part of who we are.

Our best work comes when we are having fun with what we do. Creatively, my children have inspired me to be flexible and not limit myself to set rules and guidelines, be spontaneous, and more open-minded. 

Do you have plans for future books?
Several. So far, we have a total of 10 planned for the series; not that we placed a limit. Our hope has always been to create accessible resources for others to carry our culture into the future.

Photos courtesy of Joy Francisco