Building Tourism and Hospitality Students’ Soft Skills via a Mental Health Intervention–An Exploratory Study in Macao, China

This exploratory research investigates the efficacy of group art therapy for the purpose of nurturing the development of soft skills amongst a group of tourism and hospitality students in preparation for their employment in stressful workplace environments. Soft skills are interpersonal and social competencies that can enhance coping skills. Thus far, little is known about how mental health intervention classes could actually contribute to soft skill development. In an attempt to understand the relationships between art therapy and soft skills for effective workplace stress management, a qualitative approach was carried out involving semi-structured interviews with fourteen students of tourism and hospitality following a group art therapy activity. The results offer evidence that a well-delivered mental health intervention such as art therapy in a group setting can contribute to the building of soft skills and associated coping skills in preparation for workplace stress reduction.