With the implementation of Movement Control Order (MCO) from 18 March to 12 May 2020, UTAR Counselling and Guidance Unit (CGU) parked under the Department of Student Affairs (DSA) of Sungai Long Campus organised a series of online counselling session as well as various exciting workshops for UTAR staff and students from 20 to 28 April 2020 via Microsoft Teams.

Hosted by registered CGU counsellors from DSA, the workshops and activities via online platform aimed to provide a platform for UTAR students and staff to meet new friends and reduce stress by sharing their thoughts and journey during MCO. The activities include various workshops such as baking, movie and Expressive Art Therapy session. The seats were limited for each counselling session.

Among the activities presented were “Let’s Chit Chat with Counsellor: Session 1 and 2” by Navamani Nagappon; “Expressive Arts: Using Zentangle and Mandala Arts” and “Sharing Session with Counsellor” by Tan Chin Yee; “Teh Tarik session” by Ng Wan Fern; “Watch Movie with Counsellor” by Chew Seow Ping and “Stay Home & Bake with Counsellor: Series 1” by Wong Bei Yi.

According to CGU counsellor Navamani Nagappon, the idea of organising workshops and counselling sessions via digital platform appeared after a meeting among the counsellors of CGU. “In the previous week, we had one session discussion with each counsellor to organise a series of activities that would encourage UTAR students and staff to share their feelings and thoughts during the MCO period. We also decided to include online counselling sessions and skill-based workshops such as baking, movie and Expressive Art Therapy session,” she said and added, “The activities intend to help the students discover different ways to see their journey during MCO. This would help students and staff to seek a new group of people and have an open discussion among them. They will know that they are not alone as many of them share the same feeling and thought.”

Navamani was in charge of two counselling sessions on 20 April and 27 April. The session was titled “Let’s Chit Chat with counsellor”. Each counselling session was opened up to a maximum of five participants and all the conversations were private and confidential. During the two sessions, participants were given a space to relax and express their feelings through chat and drawing.

Commenting on conducting the counselling sessions and workshops via Microsoft Teams, Navamani said, “Research shows that conducting therapies via online platforms such as Skype and Microsoft Teams are as good as conducting therapies face-to-face. Hence, I added the Expressive Art Therapy into the two counselling sessions which were conducted via Microsoft Teams.”

With the aim to promote fun and relaxation through arts, another counsellor Tan Chin Yee organised a workshop titled “Expressive Arts” using Zentangle and Mandala. The workshop was held on 28 April 2020 via Microsoft Teams.

Tan said, “The first online session I had with the students was effective. Our counsellors provided activities which can be easily conducted online. Hence, students were able to assess our activities at ease.”

Speaking about the Expressive Art Therapy, Navamani explained, “It is a kind of expressive therapy which uses creative arts as a form of therapy. The participants were encouraged to share their emotions through drawing.”

“Expressive Arts” is a skill-based workshop. It teaches participants to create different patterns using basic lines and combination. After the workshop, participants would learn how to create artwork using the combination of basic lines and patterns. According to Tan, the Mandala was commonly used by Tantric Buddhist as an aid to meditation. Zentangle, on the other hand, is an abstract drawing created using repetitive patterns. These patterns are usually drawn in black ink on white paper.

The chit chat counselling sessions which involved Expressive Arts Therapy received good response from the students. “The counselling session “Let’s Chit Chat with counsellor” enabled me to horn my listening and communicative skills. The counsellor taught us to show kindness and understanding towards one another, despite whatever situation we may face. As a team, we engaged well and the session instantly made me feel at ease. It was a pleasure talking with other participants about many things during the session. It allowed me to speak out and share my thoughts and feelings,” said Sharvindan Silvam, Year One Software Engineering student.

Another Year One student, Presheela Peramkumar from International Business shared, “I attended an online chit chat session with Ms Navamani along with two other students. It went well throughout the whole session. I was given the opportunity to make new friends and to know UTAR's counselling and guidance unit. It was an exciting session as it helped me to learn about myself.”

She added, “It was great to connect with everyone. I was happy to talk things out without needing to be afraid of being judged. During the drawing session, we were able to express our feelings, especially during the MCO period. Besides, I also received good advice from Ms Navamani and learnt from the other two students on how to overcome my anxiety and depression. I feel thankful and I hope to have more sessions in the future as it helps to release my stress.”

Tan also conducted another counselling session called “Sharing Session with Counsellor” on 21 April 2020. Besides enhancing students’ interpersonal and communication skills, the session also aimed to enable them to explore their inner self like their personal strengths, self-concept and self-value using touch cards and cherish cards. Moreover, the participants were also given an opportunity to discuss their stress issues during MCO.

“At the end of the session, participants were asked to write their dreams or hopes in an origami paper. Then, I guided them to fold the paper in a love shape. The session enabled them to share their feelings and thoughts,” said Tan.

Another counselling session that involved cards was the “Teh Tarik Session”. It was conducted on 22 and 23 April 2020 by CGU counsellor Ng Wan Fern. Emotion cards were used as teaching tools to educate the participants on how to be aware of their emotions. During the sessions, participants learned the basic knowledge of Mental Health issues such as depression and anxiety. Guided by the counsellor, a peer support group was created during the session to allow participants to get bits of help from each other in overcoming the challenges in life. 

“I taught them some relaxation technique to overcome anxiety. In the session, I used emotions cards to teach them how to manage their emotions and thoughts. The participants were encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings by chit-chatting with one another,” said Ng.

The workshops conducted by CGU counsellors Chew Seow Ping and Wong Bei Yi aimed to develop students’ hobbies. It included a movie session and a series of baking workshops. The workshops were held to help participants make good use of their free time during the MCO period.

Wong explained, “Hobbies can help enhance mental health as they help to distract students’ excessive worries during COVID-19 pandemic.” Chew said, “It is effective in reducing negative feelings especially when students are willing to occupy their free time by learning something new.”

“Watch Movie with Counsellor” was held on 24 April 2020 to provide an online space for participants to watch movie and share opinions together. The movie was about bullying and how it effects one’s future life. The session enabled students to share their thoughts and feedback on the value learned from the movie.

According to Wong, the baking workshop titled “Stay Home and Bake with Counsellor Series 1 and 2” aimed to help students manage different activities during MCO and divert their stress with meaningful activities. The activity provided a hands-on session to make sure students learned step-by-step.