A First Step in Healing for Youth in Care

Jessica* is 15 years old and recently experienced a traumatic experience with her immediate family. DCS became involved and she moved in with a safe family member that she has stayed with off and on throughout her life. 

I met Jessica just a few weeks ago when DCS sent the referral. DCS approved for our one on one time to be spent with A Window Between Worlds curriculum. We had created attitude journals during our first meeting and Jessica shared she has been feeling a lot of physical and emotional stress regarding the situation, court and school. 

During this session, we worked on Befriending Our Feelings. Jessica’s pictures show everything she has been dealing with recently. She said she feels anxious first, then annoyed and then stuck. 

We discussed how awareness is the first step in healing. Creating these images was really the step she needed to become aware of her feelings and how she can feel and control them.

*Name changed to protect confidentiality

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A Window Between Worlds (AWBW) supports hundreds of art workshop facilitators across the country to incorporate creative expression into their work with trauma survivors. These Windows Facilitators serve over 140,000 adults, teens, and children each year. Through these stories, we invite you to explore and share their journeys toward transformation and healing.

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