Workshops and Site Visits

1.Reading and Mental Health—Bibliotherapy workshop

Bibliotherapy is a systematic use of reading materials to help individuals cope with emotional, developmental or social problems, emphasizing the idea of the healing and consoling power of reading. During the reading process, if readers could identify with characters in reading materials and project themselves in the problem-solving process along with characters, their negative emotions would be channeled away and uneasiness would be cleared off at the catharsis stage. In the end, based on the reading experience of a certain emotional healing work, readers would gain insights into appropriate attitudes, and then apply possible methods for solving daily-life problems. Through this whole process, the reading materials would have emotional healing efficacy on readers. In sum, the aim of bibliotherapy is to enhance individual’s resilience and adversity quotient, and promote one’s mental health.

Participants of this workshop can learn the basic concepts of bibliotherapy, the reasons that suitable reading material can let people have the psychological stage of identification, catharsis and insight, and how it works. In addition, participants will understand how to choose suitable emotional healing reading materials which can help people cope with emotional disturbance problems in daily lives. In short, participants will know how to use bibliotherapy to soothe negative emotions and enhance resilience.

In Taiwan, bibliotherapeutic services provided by libraries and other institutions, such as primary schools and high schools, hospitals, clinics and companies. They promote bibliotherapeutic service by collecting emotional healing reading materials and set up a specific area, holding an exhibition of emotional healing materials, or list out emotional healing materials to serve readers, hold up talks, workshops, book clubs and so on.

2."Laughing Qigong Program from Taiwan"workshop

3.Crisis Response Workshop

The Thermal Valley Sheltered Workshop is located at the new Beitou Thermal Valley Park. It is the first sheltered workshop in Taiwan that also has sightseeing spots. It was opened in 2012 by the TSGH Beitou branch in Taiwan. It sells the souvenirs which show the characteristics of Taiwan and Beitou, such as spa flowers containing soap and powder, local postcards, bathing goods, and stationery amongst other items. It also provides freshly brewed coffee drinks, baked goods and snacks.

The workshop services mental health patients from the Beitou and Shilin areas, or patients referred by the hospital. Currently there are six sheltered employees and two fulltime staff. They are coordinated by the occupational therapy department, and are helped to develop employment skills and self-reliance by job training.

We hope to provide comprehensive resources and a healing environment. We also aim to make the member’s salaries, benefits and revenue increase steadily, to help developing the brand products of the spa successfully, and to help employees gain basic English and Chinese skills. This will help them to integrate into local society.

Origin

1. In 1895, major general Hidematsu Tsunoda (つのだ ひ でまつ) of Japanese was trying to find a perfect spot to accommodate the injury soldiers, so he asked two men Sapporo Kabayama (かばやま すけのり ) and Fuji Tsugu Akira (ふじた つぐあきら ) to build a hospital.When they arrived Beitou, Fuji Tsugu Akira (ふじた つぐあきら ) decided to build a hospital here and used the hot spring to cure the disease for patient.

2. In 1896, fuji Tsugu Akira (ふじた つぐあきら ) took over and became to be the chief officer of military medical in Taiwan. Because of him, the Japanese Army Hospital Beitou Branch was finally established at 1898.

3. Japanese Army Hospital Beitou Branch was a lot bigger before. Part of it has been tore down into Beitou Yixian elementary school and Xinmin junior high school. Today, the only building is stiil left as Tri-Service General Hospital Beitou Branch