Frenchman Arnaud Guibert offers therapy and frequently speaks at workshops on mental health in Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of Arnaud Guibert

HCM CITY — “After going through a period of deep psychological suffering when I was young and beginning my own therapeutic journey, supporting others gradually became an important direction of my life,” HCM City expat and psychotherapist Arnaud Guibert says.

The 53-year-old Frenchman offers therapy for Vietnamese and foreigners, mainly in French and English, with interpretation when needed. He is also frequently invited as a speaker to workshops related to mental health and emotional intelligence.

Guibert said his early life was marked by deep emotional wounds and a strong sense of abandonment, which contributed to a long period of psychological suffering and loss of direction.

When he was around 20, after he read a personal development book that motivated him to try new things, he asked a juggling performer to teach him the craft. 

This experience taught him that every human being, including himself, has talents that are hidden deep inside them.

After working with several therapists and feeling more confident about himself, he decided to pursue various art and teaching them to people to help them discover more about themselves.

He worked as a professional actor and singer for nearly 20 years, as well as a vocal, theatre and creativity coach, meeting people from all walks of life, including at a psychiatry hospital in France.

Over time, he observed that this approach could have a deeply supportive effect on participants, helping some of them reconnect with their bodies, emotions and capacity for expression. This realisation motivated him to dive deeper into the field of psychotherapy.

He trained at the French Institute of Humanist and Ericksonian Hypnosis, particularly in Humanist Hypnosis and Advanced Symbolic Therapy. He also completed training in NLP and coaching in Belgium, as well as further studies in helping relationships, psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches, psychopathology and Jungian psychology.

Guibert says he eventually grew dissatisfied with France’s administration and complicated environment, and even questioned where his life was heading.

He sold all his possessions, left the country, and travelled around the world to find out more about himself.

His first trip to Việt Nam was in 2018, and he settled in the country in 2019, having fallen in love with it and its people.

He made close connections and had a chance to do a mental health workshop here that was well-received, after which begun a new chapter in his life.

He has been approached by many Vietnamese and foreign organisations to share his expertise at workshops.

Guibert’s workshops help attendees express themselves in a safe and non-judgmental environment. — Photo courtesy of Arnaud Guibert

​Rewarding work

Depression is a burden that many people face around the world, but mental health is occasionally not treated as seriously as it should be.

“Many people think that therapy is for ‘sick people’, but that’s not true. It’s for people like you, me and everyone else on earth who is affected by their backgrounds in some ways.”

His works focuses on helping people express themselves freely in a non-judgmental environment.

For instance, he has been in several workshops related to reconnecting with creativity and innocence, which many adults have left behind. There, the attendees are asked to engage in physical exercises and create music to ease the burden on the mind.

Meanwhile, for other workshops on mental health, he typically employs a model where participants would share a meaningful personal experience, while another would listen without interrupting, advising or judging.

This helps people release their emotions in a safe environment and practice being a good listener and someone who can help others vent their troubles.

Several Vietnamese participants told him that they greatly enjoy his workshops since they usually do not have a chance to express themselves.

“Many Vietnamese people I've met, both personally and through my work, tell me that they do not dare share their intimate stories, fearing that they might get shared elsewhere. They prefer to keep them to themselves, but doing so places a heavy burden.

“After the workshops, they tell me that they feel relieved like they had released strong things.”

Guibert at a workshop on the mental wellbeing of students organised by the HCM City University of Industry and Trade last year. — Photo courtesy of Arnaud Guibert

​One thing that helps him to work with Vietnamese locals is to share a tight bond with his Vietnamese circles, observing and asking questions.

“I cannot consider myself a Vietnamese nor that I fully understand the culture, but I am learning more and more every day.”

Of course, another thing that helps is that in the field of mental health, while there are many specific cultural aspects, there are many universal ones too.

One of Guibert’s most recent workshops focuses on male mental health, a topic that many consider unimportant, not just in Việt Nam but also around the world.

Even though the younger generations are having a better understanding of this issue, “you should not cry because you are a boy” is still something a lot of people have learnt.

“Emotions are not enemies. They carry information about our needs, our limits and our history. We need to learn to listen to them and express them in healthy ways, whether we are men or women."

“It’s OK to be vulnerable.” — VNS