{
  "id": 16975429,
  "title": "Duo takes mental well-being beyond the therapy room",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/duo-takes-mental-well-being-beyond-the-therapy-room",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/10/29/duo-takes-mental-well-being-beyond-the-therapy-room"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the bustling Klang Valley, a unique initiative named \"De Hidden Nook\" founded by mental health professionals Lynnette Chai and Lau Yun Shiuan is taking mental well-being beyond the traditional therapy room. The duo combines arts and crafts with gentle reflection, offering participants creative workshops and community gatherings away from the formal setting of a therapy room. Their workshops aim to provide a relaxed environment for creative expression without the pressure of producing a masterpiece.\n\nChai, a registered mental health professional with a background in human resources, discovered Nagomi art, a Japanese technique that involves blending colors using fingers, powdered pastels, stencils, and erasers. This artform is more forgiving than conventional painting, and encourages participants to explore their creativity without the fear of making mistakes. Participants in the workshops are typically between 10-15 people, and each session starts with grounding exercises, followed by reflection upon completion of the artwork.\n\nThe founders of De Hidden Nook hope to bring small businesses more customers by holding workshops at lesser-known cafés rather than large venues. One memorable moment recounted by Chai involved a man who worked vigorously with dark pastels, then attempted to clean his artwork with a wet tissue. Instead of discouraging him, the experience resulted in a beautiful creation, indicating the therapeutic value of the activity.\n\nThe duo has expanded their workshops beyond the Klang Valley, even going to Johor, where participants traveled from Singapore for a morning session. Nevertheless, they aim to maintain the cozy, intimate nature of their initiative rather than expanding it into a larger business. The next workshop may focus on the upcoming holiday season, and \"De Hidden Nook\" invites participants to leave feeling they have enjoyed a creative activity and learned something about themselves.",
  "summary": "Founded by Lynnette Chai and Lau Yun Shiuan, ‘De Hidden Nook’ brings a mindful twist to creative workshops.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}