On September 30, 2024, the project team invited Professor Zhang Rongrong to conduct the course "Expressive Therapy Practice: Listening to the Whisper of the Inner Voice" for students, providing them with an opportunity to deeply understand their inner emotions and psychological states. The core of the course was to use diverse expressive art therapy techniques to help students listen to their inner voices through artistic creation, physical movement, sound, and other forms of expression. This not only served as a self-healing method but also helped them develop a healthier mindset and a more stable psychological foundation when facing life's challenges. At the beginning of the course, Professor Rongrong guided students into a dialogue with their inner world through various sensory stimulation activities. For example, in the body movement activity, students explored and expressed emotions that were difficult to verbalize through free body movements. This non-verbal expression allowed them to deeply experience hidden emotions. Later, Professor Rongrong led the students in group sharing, where they built trust in a safe environment, gradually opening up their inner worlds. This also made them realize the emotional resonance of others, fostering deeper emotional connections. Professor Rongrong emphasized that expressive therapy is not limited to personal challenges but can also play a role in a broader social context. In class, students realized that expressive arts could liberate repressed emotions and provide more outlets for emotional expression. This not only benefits the individual but also brings understanding and support within the group, enhancing the sense of community. This aligns with the mission of University Social Responsibility (USR). The practice of expressive therapy goes beyond individual inner healing and extends to the overall well-being of society. Through this course, students developed sensitivity to their own and others' emotional states, which enabled them to better engage in social service work in the future. They became advocates of promoting community mental health, which is in line with the project’s emphasis on the "You and I Coexist" and "Shared Prosperity" spirit. It encouraged students to approach social service with empathy and a humanistic perspective, providing psychological support to marginalized and vulnerable groups, thus achieving true coexistence and integration. In the end, the course not only enhanced students' personal psychological literacy but also strengthened their awareness of social responsibility, allowing them to promote mental health and harmonious development within communities from a more comprehensive perspective in the future.

Implemented by Center for Teaching and Learning Development
Date: 2024/09/30