Spring Again: The Writing Workshop

The Inspired Mission of the Arts & Healing Resiliency Center is to Honor & Practice the Caring Art of Human Connection.

Do you want to experience the healing powers of expressive arts? The Arts and Healing Resiliency Center provides a supportive and caring community to nurture arts expression (writing, drawing, music) to increase awareness of self and others, and build resilience. Please note that while this is not a therapy group, it is a safe place for tapping into our expressive imagination and learning creative approaches to better cope with life's challenges.

We are proud to announce our April 27th Special Event: "Spring Again: The Writing Workshop." The facilitator Zohra Hussain is a collagist and poet from England. Her work combines visual and literary art to create sentimental pieces that often touch upon grief, nostalgia, and hope. She is also the founder of Candeur Avenue where she organises projects, hosts workshops, and offers elements for others to create. Home is a Memory, her debut collection, will be available to preorder later in the fall.

You can find more of her work on Instagram: @zoxhssn.

In this workshop with the use of prompts, we shall immerse ourselves into the promise of hope and new beginnings, step into the light, and find ourselves amidst the wildflowers that call us home.

Materials needed: A notebook and pen (or a laptop if you prefer).

Diane Kaufman, MD, founder-director of the Hold On Campaign for Suicide Prevention and its outreach, the Arts & Healing Resiliency Center, is a poet, artist, humanism-in-medicine awardee, and retired child psychiatrist. She received the Natiional Association for Poetry Therapy's 2025 Outstanding Achievement Award. Her healing from trauma story, “Bird That Wants to Fly,” inspired an opera composed by Michael Raphael, performed by Trilogy: An Opera Company, and is narrated by actor Danny Glover.

“Dr. Diane has been able to create a safe place on zoom for people from all over the world to meet and explore their innermost thoughts. We have used poetry and music and written about our feeling or express how the piece moves us. I have been surprised at some of the buried emotions that have arisen in these meetings. I look forward to Saturdays now to see what else I can discover about myself.” Rachelle

“Engaging, sensitive and insightful. The Arts & Healing Resiliency Centre helps me to develop innovative approaches to supporting individuals and communities through expressive arts. Each workshop is creative, collaborative and rooted in the wisdom of lived experiences. Exploring our rich inner lives is central to my art and poetic practice and Diane’s holistic approach honours vulnerability and courage.” Tanya E. Denhere, Artist & Poet

"Diane, thanks SO much for a beautiful healing workshop today. I got so much from it and am looking forward to going back through all my scribbles and doodles I did during the class as things came to me. I can't tell you how much I get from these workshops, it's truly such a gift in my life." Katherine Raina

"I love the way you offer your groups Diane - it resonates with me on a deep level ~ so beautifully done. I felt so moved and uplifted by everyone's sharing, including yours - it really was very helpful in many ways. I love attending these groups. Such a great experience. Thank you." Anin Utigaard, MFT, REAT (Registered Expressive Arts Therapist)

The Hold On Campaign for Suicide Prevention uses the power of art to educate, connect, express, and heal. For more information please see: www.holdoncampaign.org

Dr. Kaufman can be reached at diane@holdoncampaign.org.

Three Collages by Zohra Hussain with lyrics by Diane Kaufman, MD from "Lift You Up."

Pegasus Says poem by Diane Kaufman, MD.

Phoenix Bird Rising painting by Diane Kaufman, MD.

Poster artwork by Amanda Meador with text by Diane Kaufman, MD.

Co-Creative Songs (lyrics by Diane Kaufman, MD): "Lift You Up" and "Tomorrow's Morning." For more songs please see www.holdoncampaign.org.