Art therapy, which was introduced to Vietnam by Western countries in recent years, has been quite a draw for local psychological counseling staff and laymen alike, who come mostly to seek self-revelation, personal development, relaxation and the knowledge of how to better help their own clients.

Amid the soft, melodious background music, participants in a typical art therapy session are asked to do some art work and make collages demonstrating the images dearest to themselves with used magazines and crayons.  

After 30 minutes, each participant is asked to recount their own story represented in their ‘artwork.’

“I chose the image of dynamic, daring girls, which is indicative of my aspirations to adopt such a personality and lifestyle. I also did some masks typical of the Italian carnival to signify multiple personalities within the same person,” Ngo Thuy Anh, 23, shared about her ‘artwork.’

After listening carefully to all the participants’ stories, Loyda Santolaria, a Spanish native with a Master’s degree in psychology who has spent over 10 years working with art therapy in social projects worldwide, told the group that, according to various scientific research, the image on a person’s left typically represents their past, and the right one indicates their hopes for the future. The one in the middle usually expresses how they feel in the present, while the lower part signifies their lifelong background values.

Self-revealing, healing therapy

Art therapy is a psychological approach premised on the idea that the art-making process has healing values and is a wordless communication media of inner thoughts and emotions. It encourages  personal growth, boosts self-cognition and helps solve or relieve mental crisis.

Art therapy doesn’t require two individuals, or a therapist and his/her client, to communicate directly. Instead they communicate with each other via artistic elements including images, colors, music, dance and movies. Through this, the person naturally pours out his/her heart to the other, even sharing intimate matters.

For instance, when the participant is asked to pick a color that best represents themselves at the moment, their choice and explanation partly reflects their moods and feelings then.

The Vietnamese have great artistic instinct! 

This is the first remark Santolaria had on Vietnamese people.

According to the Spanish expert, there are two ways to assess the artistic ability of a group of people. The first is the ability informed by education, or formal artistic training. The other is the ability derived from instincts, facilitated by the country’s time-honored culture. Vietnam is the second case.

“When I enter Vietnamese homes, I usually sense the harmony and symmetry in the layout. The hosts each have at least one artistic hobby. This hugely facilitates the development of art therapy in Vietnam,” noted Santolaria, who has worked in Vietnam for almost four years.

Since last year, with the assistance of her Vietnamese colleagues from We Link, a local education and counseling center, Santolaria has spent all her weekends holding art therapy sessions for psychological, medical, educational staff and laymen alike.

“Fifteen years ago, I went to the UK to learn art therapy, as no one in Spain knew about it. But only three years later, the approach has gained great popularity in Spain,” she explained about her commitment to developing the approach in Vietnam.

Positive feedback

Though still in its infancy in Vietnam, art therapy has been enthusiastically embraced by both local psychological experts and youths.

According to Dr. Vu Phi Yen, a counselor with Better Living Co., who joined the 12-week intensive course on art therapy, Vietnamese psychology has so far focused more on the left brain hemisphere, which is typically associated with logic and analytical and cognitive power, and tends to overlook the right hemisphere, which is linked to the forming of habits and subconsciousness – a significant premise.

“I can apply a lot from what I have learned here while working with my clients. For example, when I have them express how they feel about an image they pick, I can find out a lot about their unconscious. They also find it much easier to speak articulately about and share their problems with me,” Yen remarked.

Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, in charge of the Nu Cuoi (Smile) social work group, which provides support for HIV/AIDS-affected orphans and kids, commented that the brief course has helped her realize partly the kids’ concealed feelings and problems through their paintings so she can offer them timely empathy and assistance.

Even those working in the financial and technological areas have shown much interest in the novel therapy.