Men are unlikely to talk to a counsellor, but it seems they will go to art classes.
And for Indigenous men in prison, that tight-lipped habit holds especially true.
An exhibition by prisoners at Canberra's Alexander Maconochie Centre showcases the works that have given the men a means of escape, but it is also "therapy by stealth", according to Mark Bartlett, the senior manager of offender services.
"Unsurprisingly, most blokes won't go to counselling. But they'll go to an art program and sit down and have a yarn," Mr Bartlett said.
"There's no shame at all for the guys to come up to the art class."
The prisoners could not be at the exhibition, but their artist profiles tell a little of their stories.
"Doing my art is therapeutic and when I paint I don't feel incarcerated. It's good for my soul," artist Dave wrote.
"I grew up watching my Nan and Aunty paint, learning a lot of different stories," artist Soldier wrote.
"I paint about stories I have learnt as well as about things I see in my life."
Art helps prisoners connect with culture, reduce recidivism
Indigenous senior policy officer for Corrective Services David Witham said art reconnects the prisoners with their Aboriginality.
"There's common underlying factors to every person who's in jail, particularly repeat offenders, and one of those underlying factors is a disconnection with who they are," he said.
"The difference with Aboriginal people is the history, and the fact that the disconnect was imposed on them."
"I don't know the solution, but part of that is putting back together what previous governments tried to dismantle," Mr Witham said.
The art classes are also a chance to teach literacy and numeracy in practical ways, such as measuring canvases and paints.
Mr Bartlett said he has seen the difference it makes firsthand.
"You have a chat with them [now] in the supermarket or a coffee shop, and the difference is amazing," he said.
"It's kind of like they went through a dark period in their lives and they've moved on, they've learnt from that."
"The key to someone leaving jail and not returning is for them to create the vision in their own mind of what a life without the criminal justice system looks like," Mr Whitham said.
"We can't create that for them and until that comes from within and they can create that vision for themselves — that's when we start making progress."
The money from the sale of the artworks will help fund their rehabilitation.
