Adults

Desert Sanctuary Inc/Haley House
California
  • Domestic Violence
A lady came in for group who was very stoic at first. When I gave directions and asked if she had any questions she didn't, she was very quiet. I played music and shared about the art and what it did for me and she began to open up when she described her ar…
Dallas Office of Arts and Culture
Texas
  • Facilitator Spotlights
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 and climat…
Norina Murphy-Verduzco & Associates
California
  • Mental Health
I felt compelled to share this story because the impact was so big for this client that she ended up creating an extension of this workshop on her own that I really liked and wanted to share. My client is a 28-year-old female who currently resides at home w…
Teta's Workshops
Massachusetts
  • Domestic Violence
  • Domestic Violence
  • Self-Care & Personal Growth
This story is from a workshop with survivors of violence who are isolated from family and friends during this pandemic. I chose this workshop to teach the art of journaling and its use as a meditative practice. One participant shared “I wasn't very eager to…
Los Angeles Unified School District
California
  • Schools & Universities
In the midst of devastating wildfires in LA County, I facilitated an art workshop for staff and students in grades 1-5 to help them explore their emotions through creativity. The fires had left many students and staff grappling with fear, sadness, and uncertai…
A Greater Hope
California
  • Foster Care
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 makes AWBW …
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, …
PAVE
Wisconsin
  • Incarceration
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 tree, and…
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…
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…
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…
Healing Through Art
California
  • Domestic Violence
This artwork was from women survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The art was expressions of places in their heart that gave them peace. The art of the woman with teardrops was her pain from loving and not receiving love back. As the women bega…
United American Indian Involvement (UAII)
California
  • Social Justice
  • Social Justice (anti-oppression, restorative justice, systems change, etc.)
In February, UAII hosted the first of 6 workshops in the Women’s Empowerment workshop series. I facilitated a Touchstones workshop during this first session, for over 30 female participants from the UAII L.A. County American Indian/Alaskan Native community. …
Indigenous Strategies for HONOR Collective
Arizona
  • Staff & Organizational Development
In this video, Melodie Lopez shares how art serves as a powerful tool for healing, connection, and cultural resilience. Through creative workshops, she helps individuals and communities navigate trauma, express their experiences, and build stronger connections…
The Adult Skills Center
California
  • Grief & Loss
I facilitated the Touchstone Journey art workshop for a group of four adults, aged 30 to 43, with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The participants’ life experiences included challenges such as the loss of parents through death or divorce and exper…
The Nest
Kentucky
  • LGBTQIA+
  • Domestic Violence
  • LGBTQIA+
“Being a part of AWBW makes me feel supported and connected to this community of healers working to make this world a better place,” shares Patricia, an AWBW facilitator. After being trained by AWBW in early 2017, Patricia and her colleague Katie began offe…
Los Angeles Unified School District
California
  • Schools & Universities
I facilitated a monthly staff self-care workshop which consisted of the "Heart and Soul Self-Care Coupons" art workshop. This year has been so stressful at my school because we have many students at our school with severe behavior problems. Several teachers…
Safe Passage
MA
  • Domestic Violence
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: they were …
Oregon State University-Cascades
Oregon
  • Schools & Universities
I led an art workshop for a group of graduate program physical therapy students with diverse life experiences. These students often work in high-stress environments, serving a variety of populations, while also balancing the demands of academics and rotations.…
Students Turn 4 Greatness
California
  • Self-Care & Personal Growth
  • Self-Care & Personal Growth
One day we were creating masks as part of the “Revealing Power and Beauty” workshop. As usual, everyone was fairly quiet as they worked. Suddenly, in the middle of the workshop, Terry thrust her mask down and began crying. She said, “I hate this.” She reach…
Indigenous Strategies for HONOR Collective
Arizona
Indigenous Strategies for HONOR Collective
Arizona
In this video, Melodie Lopez shares how art serves as a powerful tool for healing, connection, and cultural resilience. Through creative workshops, she helps individuals and communities navigate trauma, express their experiences, and build stronger c…
Lavender Healing Collective
California
Lavender Healing Collective
California
Tiombe Wallace shares the powerful ways art fosters self and community care, particularly for Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color survivors, advocates, and hotline workers. Through AWBW’s creative workshops, staff and interns find …
A Window Between Worlds
California
A Window Between Worlds
California
I have facilitated the My Traveling Story workshop many times, but one experience truly stands out. I worked for years with a woman who survived domestic violence. Violence from her partner that tragically took the lives of her unborn twin babies. At…
Oregon State University-Cascades
Oregon
Oregon State University-Cascades
Oregon
I facilitated Touchstone Journey for Resident Assistants (RAs) who were navigating the aftermath of a significant conflict within their residence hall and team. This group of students came from a variety of backgrounds but shared the challenge of pro…
Oregon State University-Cascades
Oregon
Oregon State University-Cascades
Oregon
I led an art workshop for a group of graduate program physical therapy students with diverse life experiences. These students often work in high-stress environments, serving a variety of populations, while also balancing the demands of academics and …
Juntos/Lennox School District
California
Juntos/Lennox School District
California
This Wellness in the Workplace video features AWBW facilitator and social worker Emily Cummins Polk, who founded Juntos, a nonprofit bringing trauma-informed wellness to the Lennox School District. Over a decade, art has evolved from a simple tool to…
Center of Life
Pennslyvania
Center of Life
Pennslyvania
In this video, Kiyomi Knox shares how creative practices like Self-Care Safety Plans, Intention Touchstones, and Kintsugi help staff and community members find moments of reflection, healing, and connection. By integrating art into daily routines and…
The Adult Skills Center
California
The Adult Skills Center
California
I facilitated the Touchstone Journey art workshop for a group of four adults, aged 30 to 43, with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The participants’ life experiences included challenges such as the loss of parents through death or divorce…
Just Detention International - South Africa, Gauteng Province
Just Detention International - South Africa, Gauteng Province
We witnessed the adaptability of AWBW’s worksheets during our third workshop with women at Atteridgeville Gender Responsive Centre. We planned to facilitate a “Positive Piggies” workshop, inviting participants to consider and acknowledge their positi…
Los Angeles Unified School District
California
Los Angeles Unified School District
California
In the midst of devastating wildfires in LA County, I facilitated an art workshop for staff and students in grades 1-5 to help them explore their emotions through creativity. The fires had left many students and staff grappling with fear, sadness, an…
Safe Passage
Massachusetts
Safe Passage
Massachusetts
I facilitated the Personal Needs Flowers art workshop for a group of caregivers who are survivors of domestic violence. This art activity was chosen to create a space where the participants could focus on self-care while honoring and prioritizing the…
Garden Grove Unified School District
California
Garden Grove Unified School District
California
At the start of the school year, I facilitated the Journey Markers workshop for a group of mental health specialists as part of a staff development session. I chose this workshop as a way for them to reflect on their paths in the mental health field,…
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…

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