SINGAPORE — Going for art therapy once a week has not only given breast cancer survivor Bee Bee Tan a hobby, it has also changed her perspective on coping with the illness.

“It’s given me a lift spiritually, it’s given me a hobby, something that I enjoyed doing before and forgotten all about, and it’s reawakened my interest in art,” said the 69-year-old semi-retiree.

At heART, the three-hour weekly sessions conducted at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), she is free to choose what to paint for the day — usually flowers or her pet cat.

Mdm Tan, who did Chinese painting about 30 years ago, also takes the time to demonstrate to the 10 to 15 other patients in the group how to paint in this style.

“The interaction between friends with the same problem or illness is very important and it’s different from having friends who are not cancer survivors, because there are so many things you cannot understand unless you’re in it yourself, like the feelings, the emotions.

“And so, for cancer survivors to be in a support group like this is very amiable,” she said.

The voluntary programme was started in 2009 by Dr Choo Chih Huei, a psychiatrist and Senior Consultant at the Department of Psychological Medicine in KKH, for the hospital’s gynaecological and breast cancer patients but is open to all patients diagnosed with cancer. It is also free of charge.

Dr Choo had observed that patients with cancer often experienced distress while trying to cope with their illness but were unwilling to seek psychological help.

A self-professed lover of the arts, Dr Choo said the art process is “therapeutic” and “healing” as it involves attributes such as attention and concentration. “Art can thus help in diversion, self-discovery, improve self-esteem and confidence, or be an avenue for emotional release as well,” he said.

From only 10 members when it started, there are now 50 in the group.

Their work is exhibited on KKH’s website and alongside awareness events or public forums. Art pieces are also sold and the proceeds go back to the programme so that patients need not pay for the materials.

Recently, some members of the group have also started craftwork, such as making lanterns with red packets under a new programme called Share-A-Craft.

Both programmes, which come under the umbrella KKheART, have raised about S$35,000 since last year, including a S$20,000 donation from the Kris Foundation.