Yongsan-gu Operates Customized Counseling Program for Youth Mental Health Care

Art Psychotherapy and Group Counseling for Job Seekers

Yongsan-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Park Hee-young) is set to actively implement customized counseling programs to support the mental health of young people. The ‘Yongsan Youth Jium’ will operate two counseling programs: the Todak Todak Mind Class and the Aesthetics of Waiting.

The art therapy session conducted last year by Yongsan Youth Jium. Provided by Yongsan-gu.

The Todak Todak Mind Class targets a total of 48 young people experiencing social isolation and withdrawal, providing art psychotherapy and treatment focused on self-care and human relationships. From April to November this year, eight cohorts will be held, each consisting of five sessions. The program plans to enhance its expertise through collaboration with the Graduate School of Psychological Therapy at Sookmyung Women’s University.

In the Todak Todak Mind Class, groups of six participants express and release emotions through art. Continuous interaction among participants aims to build intimacy and naturally guide them toward recovery in daily life.

This year, compared to last year, the number of counseling sessions per cohort has been increased by two, and the time for art psychological testing and interpretation by art therapy experts has been extended. The first cohort, which will run for five weeks starting from the 11th of next month, can be applied for through a link connected to the Yongsan Youth Jium blog until the 31st of this month.

The Aesthetics of Waiting program is part of the Yongsan Metropolitan Job Cafe project and is a group career and psychological counseling program for young people physically and mentally exhausted from long-term job searching.

Focusing closely on employment, young people in similar situations gather to reflect on their past and present and explore sources of anxiety in their lives. They share concerns and emotions experienced during career selection and job preparation, learning how to accept negative feelings through this process. The program is designed to help participants plan meaningful life changes and behavioral adjustments.

After the program ends, participants requiring additional counseling will be connected with the Yongsan Mental Health Welfare Center or the Yongsan Family Center. Counseling related to career or employment will be directed to the Yongsan Metropolitan Job Cafe.

Meanwhile, this year, Yongsan Youth Jium plans to continue its specialized health management project, the ‘Health Workshop.’ Programs such as knitting lessons, capoeira (Brazilian martial arts), and running, which received positive responses from participants last year, are being prepared.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, stated, “Isolation, withdrawal, and employment difficulties are social issues that concern not only young people but all of us. Yongsan-gu will always stand with young people so they can take care of their mental health and grow into healthy members of society.”