To help international students relieve academic stress, adapt to cross-cultural study and living environments, build an inclusive and diverse platform for cross-cultural communication, and foster international students’ sense of belonging on campus, the Listening Studio, the secondary psychological counseling station of the International College of Cultural Education, organized international students to visit the Mental Health Education Center of the Student Affairs Department on October 13, launching a group psychological counseling activity featuring drum-circle stress relief and cultivation of cross-cultural belonging.

Centered on drum circle experiences, the activity created a cross-cultural communication platform to ease international students’ mental pressure. During the event, international students sat in a circle and engaged in drum-beating interactions following a unified rhythm. Starting with gradual adaptation and tentative coordination, they eventually formed steady teamwork. Through interactions based on collective rhythms, they enhanced communication and drew closer to one another in collaborative experiences.

The activity built a scene of group empathy via interactive experiences. Following drumbeats, international students took part in the activity collectively. They communicated in a relaxed and orderly group setting, lowering barriers to cross-cultural communication and promoting understanding and bonds between students from different countries.

Going forward, the college will continue to improve the mental health service system for international students in China. Relying on diverse educational carriers, it will deliver solid cross-cultural psychological care, support students from all countries in concentrating on their studies, facilitate cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreign youth, and serve the university’s overall strategy for internationalized education.(Contributed by the International College of Cultural Education)