Yogyakarta, 2025 – Students of Yogyakarta State University (UNY) once again achieved a notable accomplishment through the 2025 Student Creativity Program in Social and Humanities Research (PKM-RSH), which successfully received funding from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek). The team conducted a study entitled “Zine Therapy: Multimodal Art Therapy as a Strategy for Emotional Regulation of Inclusive Students at SD Pedagogia Labschool, Faculty of Education, UNY.”

The study was carried out at SD Pedagogia Labschool, Faculty of Education, UNY, for approximately four months, from July 7 to November 3, 2025. The team was led by Rizki Amalia Putri Hidayat from the Indonesian Literature Program, with four interdisciplinary members: Najwa Dinara Aprilia from Art Education, Aditia Firmansyah from Psychology, Nabila Laili Sabillah from Indonesian Language and Literature Education, and Siti Zaniah Nur Hidayah from Statistics. The team was supervised by an experienced lecturer, Haryanto, S.S., M.A., who has an academic background in Indonesian Literature.

This research was motivated by the challenges faced by children with special needs, such as autism, ADHD, and emotional dysregulation, who often experience difficulties in self-expression and emotional management. These limitations can hinder learning processes and social interaction in inclusive school settings. Therefore, the team introduced the innovation of Zine Therapy as an art-based therapeutic strategy to help children regulate their emotions through creative activities such as drawing, coloring, writing, assembling puzzles, and various other forms of expression.

Through a multimodal approach that integrates verbal, visual, and kinesthetic elements, Zine Therapy provides space for children to express their emotions and feelings in a more flexible and enjoyable way. Aditia Firmansyah, a team member from the Psychology Program, explained that this therapy was designed to help children regulate their emotions while also fostering self-confidence. “We believe that every child has a unique way of expressing emotions. Therefore, we present Zine Therapy to help children with special needs regulate their emotions while enhancing their self-confidence,” said Aditia.

This innovation aligns with UNY’s commitment to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). Through this research, UNY students contribute to creating inclusive and healthy learning environments, while also strengthening awareness of the importance of mental health and psychological well-being for students from all backgrounds.

With the implementation of Zine Therapy, the team hopes that students will be able to express their feelings, improve concentration and self-confidence, and strengthen psychosocial development in the school environment. It is expected that this research can be further developed in various inclusive schools and become a contribution of the Faculty of Psychology UNY in strengthening children’s mental health through creative and sustainable educational approaches.