Adults

Insight Human Services Women’s Recovery Center
North Carolina
  • Substance Abuse Recovery
  • Court & Legal System (including law enforcement and probation)
  • Substance Abuse Recovery
Lissa is an AWBW facilitator who works at Insight Human Services Women’s Recovery Center in North Carolina. She holds a weekly art group with women who are often mandated by the court or the Department of Social Services to participate in substance use treatme…
Chicana Service Action Center
California
  • Domestic Violence
  • Domestic Violence
For many years I experienced both physical and verbal abuse by my husband, the father of my children. It was something I always hid. I felt that I was the only one who was wrong. My abuse was something that I lived every day and I was completely blind. I took …
YWCA - San Gabriel Valley
California
  • Domestic Violence
  • Domestic Violence
Abuse had been a part of my life since childhood. There was no place in which I could express myself, no person to whom I could reveal what was happening. My family told me that what happens at home stays at home. At 21 I met my husband, a policeman, and I …
Helping Hands Resource Center
California
  • Facilitator Spotlights
  • Domestic Violence
  • Self-Care & Personal Growth
  • Sexual Assault
This powerful "Uplifting Voices: Facilitator Stories" video features Karen Gonzalez, founder of Helping Hands Resource Center in Los Angeles. Karen is a domestic violence and sexual abuse survivor herself and became a Windows Facilitator in 2014. Here she shar…
Tides of Change
Oregon
  • Domestic Violence
These photos are of art that a survivor created during the workshop Befriending Your Feelings. This woman, in her fifties, has complex trauma beginning in early childhood and continuing into adulthood. She has shared experiences of neglect and child abuse whil…
Women’s & Children’s Crisis Shelter
California
  • Domestic Violence
I organized a collage activity for the mothers currently residing at our shelter, inviting them to create visual representations of their hopes and dreams for the future. Each of them has faced the challenges of experiencing intimate partner violence, and I wa…
A Window Between Worlds
California
  • Community Engagement
In this Artists Talk video, AWBW Founder, Cathy Salser, dives deep into the heart of AWBW’s mission and the transformative power of art in healing and community building. This special “window of time” is part of the Artists Talk series of the Southern Californ…
Safe Passage, Inc.
Indiana
  • Domestic Violence
Until recently our agency has been using AWBW curriculum primarily in one-on-one settings with clients. Recently, I was able to get an adult art workshop group (with daycare provided) off the ground. Our first group had three female participants whose ages are…
Between Friends
Illinois
  • Self-Care & Personal Growth
  • Foster Care
  • Self-Care & Personal Growth
I started working with this participant three months ago, and much of our work together has centered on her experience of missing/grieving her child who is currently in DCFS as well as processing her own experience of being in the system. The "Growing Resil…
Pathways to Healing
South Carolina
  • Incarceration
This “Vision Seeds” video features Jessica Blizzard of Pathways to Healing in South Carolina. A Windows Facilitator since 2024, Jessica shares what is at the core of her journey as she embarks upon facilitating workshops for individuals living in custody. This…
Connecticut Alliance for Victims of Violence & Their Families
Connecticut
  • Domestic Violence
The opportunity to create a Permission Canvas, as an AWBW facilitator, was very timely for me. I realized there are so many things I don’t give myself permission to do. I picked feeling safe and warm because during the training I realized that I had a big conn…
Pathways for Change, Inc.
Massachusettes
  • Self-Care & Personal Growth
  • Self-Care & Personal Growth
This month something happened. I let go of all expectations. I went with the wind during this one workshop, and it really paid off! I “got out of my own way.” I think my survivors felt extra in tune with their emotions and abilities; maybe I just was capabl…
Wichita Artworx, Inc.
Kansas
  • Mental Health
My Permission Canvas represents “Permission to Succeed.” I started having hearing trouble when I was a teen, and I was always made fun of because of it. I was “the deaf girl.” I went totally deaf about 8 years ago and it was devastating. Fortunately, I was …
Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse
California
  • Substance Abuse Recovery
I work at a dual diagnosis substance use treatment center and mental health services outpatient facility with adults. Many of our patients are court mandated to treatment and have been previously incarcerated. Most patients have mental health diagnoses along w…
YWCA - San Gabriel Valley
California
  • Domestic Violence
  • Domestic Violence
During one of my very first support group sessions, the "Center of My Universe" project was presented. I vividly remember how powerful it felt to trust my instincts and select the images I was drawn to. At the time I was so preoccupied with trying to get throu…
Trauma and Healing in Color
California
  • Facilitator Spotlights
This “Uplifting Voices: Facilitator Stories” video features La Shonda Coleman, LCSW, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at Pepperdine University and Founder of Trauma and Healing in Colour, a program that fuses art, somatic based healing modalities, …
Just Detention International - South Africa
Gauteng Province
  • LGBTQIA+
“Therapeutic,” “Educational,” “Healing,” “Phenomenal” and “Spiritual” are some of the words used by participants to describe JDI-SA's three-day trauma-informed art and human sexuality workshop with members of the LGBTIQ+ community, some of whom are survivors o…
Catalyst
California
  • Domestic Violence
Leading the workshop "Inspiration Rocks!" to introduce A Window Between Worlds to the group at the domestic violence shelter where I work just made sense. Survivors in shelter have done rock painting for far longer than my tenure at the agency. Those who jo…
Students Turn 4 Greatness
California
  • Community Engagement
  • Community Engagement
Elizabeth is an AWBW facilitator and the founder of Students Turn 4 Greatness in Northern California, which partners with local agencies to provide community outreach and educational services to people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse…
Swain Recovery Center
North Carolina
  • Substance Abuse Recovery
  • Substance Abuse Recovery
Lauren is an AWBW facilitator at Swain Recovery Center, a residential treatment program for substance use and mental health. “Art has been a very helpful tool in building relationships between myself and clients, clients and other staff members, and the client…
Safe Passage
MA
Safe Passage
MA
I recently facilitated the "Mask of Survival" art workshop for a group of caregivers at Safe Passage, an organization that supports survivors of domestic violence.  We had five wonderful participants, all of whom shared some common life experiences: …
Women’s & Children’s Crisis Shelter
California
Women’s & Children’s Crisis Shelter
California
I organized a collage activity for the mothers currently residing at our shelter, inviting them to create visual representations of their hopes and dreams for the future. Each of them has faced the challenges of experiencing intimate partner violence…
Para Los Ninos
California
Para Los Ninos
California
Part of my role with Para Los Niños is to train and supervise master's level social work trainees by equipping them to work with our students with social emotional learning. Our student population is primary and secondary students who reside in or ar…
Sacramento Children's Home
California
Sacramento Children's Home
California
AWBW art Facilitator, Liz Miller Oliver, is the Training Specialist at Sacramento Children’s Home. The Organization provides crisis support for families residential care for foster youth who have suffered trauma and services for that focus on child a…
Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse
California
Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse
California
I work at a substance use disorder and mental health dual diagnosis outpatient facility with adults, most of whom are conditionally released to treatment by courts. Our supplies are limited and I adapted the Affirmation Mandala Shrinky Dink workshop …
Blossoms Windows
California
Blossoms Windows
California
A good friend of mine, Dougie, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge at the end of May. He was only 56 years old. Within days of his passing, his widow, Sigrid, and I began talking about how brave he was – the way he handled his diagnosis, the thousand dec…
A Greater Hope
California
A Greater Hope
California
The structure of the AWBW training (online and interactive), coupled with the detailed curriculum that provides easy to follow step by step instructions any paraprofessional can follow, combined with the universally engaging nature of the workshops m…
Downtown Women's Center
California
Downtown Women's Center
California
While providing parents in a Southern California school district with parenting workshops, we are closing out the series with healing arts through AWBW. The goal is to aid their own creative approaches in leading healing arts with their children and …
Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse
California
Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse
California
I work at a dual diagnosis substance use treatment center and mental health services outpatient facility with adults. Many of our patients are court mandated to treatment and have been previously incarcerated. Most patients have mental health diagnos…
Fresno Pacific University
California
Fresno Pacific University
California
Participants of this workshop were university students exploring personal growth. The goals of the workshop were to explore negative messages from their childhood and become aware of what negative messages are still with them they need to let go of. …
Catalyst
California
Catalyst
California
Leading the workshop "Inspiration Rocks!" to introduce A Window Between Worlds to the group at the domestic violence shelter where I work just made sense. Survivors in shelter have done rock painting for far longer than my tenure at the agency. Th…
Just Detention International - South Africa
Gauteng Province
Just Detention International - South Africa
Gauteng Province
“Therapeutic,” “Educational,” “Healing,” “Phenomenal” and “Spiritual” are some of the words used by participants to describe JDI-SA's three-day trauma-informed art and human sexuality workshop with members of the LGBTIQ+ community, some of whom are s…
Sure Helpline Center
California
Sure Helpline Center
California
This “Vision Seeds” video features Johana Ramirez, of Sure Helpline Center in El Centro, California. A Windows Facilitator since 2024, Johana reflects on her own journey of using art to anchor herself in the midst of trauma and chaos, and how today, …
PAVE
Wisconsin
PAVE
Wisconsin
This “Vision Seeds” video features Sylvia Ortiz, of PAVE, in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. A Windows Facilitator since 2024, Sylvia anchors her vision for supporting Rooted in Resilience, seeing the leadership of each facilitator as branches of a collective…
Pathways to Healing
South Carolina
Pathways to Healing
South Carolina
This “Vision Seeds” video features Jessica Blizzard of Pathways to Healing in South Carolina. A Windows Facilitator since 2024, Jessica shares what is at the core of her journey as she embarks upon facilitating workshops for individuals living in cus…
Trauma and Healing in Color
California
Trauma and Healing in Color
California
This “Uplifting Voices: Facilitator Stories” video features La Shonda Coleman, LCSW, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at Pepperdine University and Founder of Trauma and Healing in Colour, a program that fuses art, somatic based healing mo…
Trauma and Healing in Color
California
Trauma and Healing in Color
California
This “Uplifting Voices: Facilitator Stories” video features La Shonda Coleman, LCSW, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at Pepperdine University and Founder of Trauma and Healing in Colour, a program that fuses art, somatic based healing mo…
Trauma and Healing in Color
California
Trauma and Healing in Color
California
This “Uplifting Voices: Facilitator Stories” video features La Shonda Coleman, LCSW, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at Pepperdine University and Founder of Trauma and Healing in Colour, a program that fuses art, somatic based healing mo…
Dallas Office of Arts and Culture
Texas
Dallas Office of Arts and Culture
Texas
This “Uplifting Voices: Facilitator Stories” video features Martine Philippe, Director of the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture. A Windows Facilitator since 2021, Martine shares how she used the AWBW Windows of Connection series to transform culture …
A Window Between Worlds
California
A Window Between Worlds
California
In this Artists Talk video, AWBW Founder, Cathy Salser, dives deep into the heart of AWBW’s mission and the transformative power of art in healing and community building. This special “window of time” is part of the Artists Talk series of the Souther…

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