Finding Peace Through Art: Mental Health Day

This Friday, Wellington College Education (China) - Hangzhou hosted a significant celebration for the mind and heart — a positive parenting workshop titled ‘Encountering Emotions Through Art: Express, Release, Heal’, alongside a special event themed ‘World Mental Health Day: Self-Care’. 

Ms Chen Tingting, MSc in Psychology, a licensed counsellor in Massachusetts, USA, and a registered art therapist in the United States, led the workshop. With her rich professional experience and gentle guidance, Ms Chen invited participants to step into the world where art and emotion meet. She encouraged everyone to pause amidst life's busyness and listen quietly to their inner voice.

Through the creation of colours and shapes, emotions naturally flowed onto paper, becoming expressions beyond words. Each brushstroke, each colour choice, became a gentle journey of self-healing. As participants created, they gradually released inner burdens and touched upon emotions long overlooked. The workshop offered parents not only a sense of calm and peace but also the power and confidence to live in harmony with themselves. 

Meanwhile, on World Mental Health Day, 10 October, the school set up a special ‘Mental Health Corner’ in the poolside Café. This space combined both meaning and playfulness, inviting teachers, pupils and parents to engage in a warm and interactive environment. 

Activities included creating mindful sand bottles, self-care wish jars, self-healing task cards and positive self-talk exercises. Each hands-on creation became a gentle promise to oneself, and every interaction brought a sense of calm and strength to the heart. Mental health is more than a theme — it is a lifestyle, a kind and steadfast form of care. 

On this day, Wellington College Education (China) - Hangzhou not only created a gentle sanctuary for the soul through art and interaction, but also demonstrated our unwavering commitment to positive parenting and mental wellbeing. We hope such care will extend beyond the day itself, becoming part of everyone's daily life. May we all carry the courage and warmth gained from this event along the path of self-care — without fear of falling, without anxiety about imperfection, for every moment of self-reconciliation and self-compassion is the most beautiful part of growth. 

Mental health is a lifelong journey — one that calls for listening, expression and self-acceptance. It reminds us: you do not have to be perfect, but you are worthy of love — and this love begins with treating yourself kindly. In the days ahead, may we continue to encounter a better self through art and warmth.