Vol 5 No 1 (2026)

• The Process of an Innovative Approach to Counseling: Appreciation of Beauty Group Therapy (ABGP)

  Naoaki Takeda, Rhett Diessner

  This article describes a new and creative form of group therapy: Appreciation of Beauty Group Therapy (ABGT).  The process of ABGT demonstrates its potential benefits through the application of aesthetic interventions in mental health treatment settings. Prior research indicates that aesthetic experiences can improve symptoms of mental health issues such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The article describes the lead author’s experience of designing and delivering group therapy with a focus on appreciation of beauty, with mindfulness exercises, to assist individuals with a wide variety of mental health diagnoses.

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• Support Measures for Preschool Children Experiencing Psychological Disturbances in Preschools in the Mekong Delta Region

  Nguyen Trong Lang

  In the context of modern society, which inadvertently exerts increasing pressure on children’s vulnerable inner worlds, this study raises an urgent alarm regarding the current state of support for children with psychological disturbances in the Mekong Delta region. Drawing on a survey of 269 teachers and educational administrators, the study presents a multidimensional picture that is both hopeful and deeply concerning. The most prominent positive finding is the strong-almost unanimous-consensus among educational practitioners. They demonstrate a profound awareness of the importance (M = 3.51) and urgency of the issue, identifying “early detection and timely intervention” as the highest strategic priority (M = 3.61). Moreover, educators consistently agree that an effective support model should function as an integrated “ecosystem,” characterized by close coordination among schools, families (M = 3.52), and professional specialists (M = 3.42). However, the study also reveals a troubling “capacity gap.” While teachers perform well in universal educational approaches, such as social–emotional skills education (M = 3.48), they exhibit clear uncertainty and inconsistency when implementing specialized intervention or therapeutic measures. Approaches such as play therapy and therapeutic storytelling receive the lowest evaluations (M = 3.38) and show the greatest variability in practice (highest SD = 0.789). These findings suggest that the core challenge in the Mekong Delta is no longer a lack of awareness, but rather a shortage of specialized tools and professional skills. The most pressing priority at present is therefore to equip teachers with practical therapeutic competencies, enabling their high level of consensus to be translated into effective and timely intervention actions.

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