This study evaluated the effectiveness of a social action art therapy session to address symptoms of stress and compassion fatigue in counsellors working in domestic violence (DV) and sexual assault (SA) services. Participants were adult women (N = 30) who work with client survivors of DV and SA. Participants participated in three groups based on their workplace, and were asked to create art for a group peace pole. The peace pole has currency within the DV support community as a symbol of hope and safety. After creating individual artworks, each member glued their canvas squares onto the peace pole to create a unified group piece of art. The Compassion Fatigue Self-Test was used to measure compassion fatigue, and the Psychological Stress Measure 9 provided information regarding pre- and post-measures of symptomology changes. The results supported the hypothesis that participation in a social action art therapy-based session could significantly reduce stress.

Eating disorders among queer identities are statistically higher than heterosexual or cisgender counterparts in the population; Parker and Harbinger (2020) note that 54% of LGBT adolescents have been diagnosed with an eating disorder during their lifetime, with an additional 21% suspecting that they had an eating disorder at some point during their lifetime (1). Thus, it is not uncommon in our practices to have many individuals identifying along the LGBTQIA spectrum as an intersecting factor in their experience of an eating disorder.

To be published in Springer Nature: Human Arena.

This autoethnographic study examines a personal journey of using tattooing as a creative modality to reclaim my body, affirm my gender identity, and heal from past trauma. Drawing on detailed blog entries (2017-2022) and relevant literature in trauma, art therapy, and Queer embodiment, the study weave narrative vignettes with academic analysis. Thematic sections illustrate how tattoos became a powerful form of agency: turning “invisible injury into a visible mark” to recover ownership of my body, inscribing a living record of my gender transition, and transforming suffering into “positive narrative coping” through art. Throughout, reflexively connect these experiences to broader theory, noting that for many survivors and Queer individuals, tattoos provide “reclamation and anti-normative healing” against stigma. Implications for creative arts therapies are discussed: therapists are encouraged to honor clients’ tattoo narratives as embodied art with therapeutic value. This study contributes new insight into how tattooing, an often-overlooked art form, can function as a profound tool for empowerment and meaning-making in trauma-informed, gender-affirming therapeutic practice.

More to come!

The story of grief and grieving for the things time has stolen. The Grief in Numbers series is featured in the WILDSound Festival of Poetry.

The story of grief in poetry as spoken by Val Cole with WILDSound Film Festival

The Green Veil, a poetic story of the mysticism of nature featured in the WILDSound Festival.

Crown of Salt: Amphitrite’s True Tide, a poetic story to the goddess of sea, featured in The Words Faire.

This poem series will be featured in an upcoming Anthology, Nocturne Ash through Wingless Dreamer Publications.

This poem will be features in NonBinary Review Issue #41: Solarpunk.

This poem will feature in a queer anthology scheduled for December 2025 through Beyond Queer Words- A Queer Anthology

To be published in Etched Onyx Magazine, the story of bodily resistance on every level.

Learn about somatic therapy for Queer people.

Body image is never just about bodies. For queer people, especially, the relationship to one’s body is intricately tied to visibility, safety, dysphoria, cultural narratives, and survival.

Learn about how art therapy helps Queer people connect to Queer culture.

Learn how Poetry Therapy helps rewriting Queer body narratives.

Learn about ways to heal from eating disorders using healing frameworks outside the usual systems of care.

Learn about wether or not mainstream society is finally ready to understand the truth about Eating Disorders.

Learn about how insurance and systemic injustice effects eating disorder treatment

Learn about how tattooing and body modification help in healing and gender discovery.