Cover A hospital-based project, a structured use of music and direct involvement from Suga—here’s how the Mind Program moves from idea to clinical practice (Photo: sugamusic.com)
A hospital-based project, a structured use of music and direct involvement from Suga—here’s how the Mind Program moves from idea to clinical practice (Photo: sugamusic.com)
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Inside Suga’s Mind Program: a music-led clinical approach supporting children with autism in a hospital setting
The intersection of pop influence and clinical practice rarely produces something this specific. The Mind Program, co-developed by Suga of BTS, is not a general wellness framework or a loosely defined self-help concept. It is a targeted, medically informed intervention designed for children with autism spectrum disorder, built in collaboration with a hospital setting and a psychiatric specialist. Developed through direct involvement, funding and on-site participation, the programme reflects a deliberate attempt to integrate music into structured therapy. Its relevance sits less in celebrity association and more in how it translates artistic practice into measurable therapeutic use.
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Above Suga moved beyond advocacy into direct participation, contributing funding, attending sessions and helping shape how music is used within a clinical setting (Photo: sugamusic.com)
Suga moved beyond advocacy into direct participation, contributing funding, attending sessions and helping shape how music is used within a clinical setting (Photo: sugamusic.com)
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What exactly is the Mind Program?
The Mind Program is a group-based therapeutic model designed for children with autism spectrum disorder. It integrates music into established treatment approaches, using structured activities to support emotional and social development. The name is an acronym for Music, Interaction, Network and Diversity. Each component reflects a core objective: using music as a medium, encouraging communication, building social connection and supporting individual differences. Rather than functioning as a standalone alternative, the programme is embedded within broader clinical care, including behavioural and psychological therapies.
Who developed it with Suga?
The programme was co-created by Suga and Professor Cheon Geun-ah, a specialist in paediatric psychiatry at Severance Hospital in Seoul. Their collaboration began in late 2024, following discussions about the limitations of existing treatment systems, particularly the lack of customised, resource-intensive programmes for children with developmental conditions. From there, Suga was involved in both conceptual development and practical testing, contributing to the design of sessions and observing how children responded in real time.
How the programme works in practice
Above The Min Yoongi Treatment Center at Severance Hospital anchors the project, combining therapy, research and long-term care for children with autism (Photo: sugamusic.com)
The Min Yoongi Treatment Center at Severance Hospital anchors the project, combining therapy, research and long-term care for children with autism (Photo: sugamusic.com)
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The Mind Program is structured around guided, music-based activities that encourage interaction and expression. These include playing instruments in a group setting, singing and rhythm exercises, writing simple lyrics or sounds and turn-taking and collaborative tasks.
The sessions are designed to improve communication, emotional expression and social behaviour through repetition and shared participation. During pilot phases, children were encouraged to express feelings through sound and learn social cues such as waiting, listening and responding to others.
Suga’s level of involvement
This is not a nominal association. Suga contributed financially and operationally. He donated 5 billion KRW to support the creation of the Min Yoongi Treatment Center, where the programme is based. He also participated directly in trial sessions between March and June 2025, attending weekend classes, guiding musical exercises and observing patient responses. Reports indicate he occasionally taught children how to use instruments and engaged with them during sessions, shaping the programme’s development beyond funding alone.
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About the Min Yoongi Treatment Center
The programme operates within the Min Yoongi Treatment Center at Severance Hospital, a facility established to provide specialised care for children with autism. a purpose-built facility that anchors the initiative within a clinical setting. Located at Severance Hospital in Seoul, the centre opened in September 2025 and is dedicated to children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
The facility was established through a donation from Suga, marking one of the largest known contributions by a K-pop artist to a medical institution. The funding was not positioned as a short-term intervention. It supports long-term treatment frameworks, with programmes designed to run over extended periods rather than limited cycles.
For Suga, the centre extends the scope of the Mind Program from concept to infrastructure. It creates a fixed site where the work can be tested, refined and scaled, rather than remaining a standalone initiative. The result is a programme that sits within healthcare infrastructure rather than adjacent to it, using music not as metaphor but as a functional therapeutic tool.
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Chonx Tibajia is a senior editor at Tatler Asia’s T-Labs team, where she writes widely on lifestyle subjects including beauty, style, entertainment and travel. She has a long career in journalism, including roles as a columnist at The Philippine Star, and is the founder of the creative platform Pineappleversed. Beyond Tatler, her bylines appear in regional lifestyle and business publications, showcasing a broad portfolio that spans beauty trends, travel guides and culture pieces.
