Healing Through Art
with Stephanie Vance
1st and 3rd Mondays of each month
5:00-6:30pm Pacific Time
By tapping into our creativity, the Expressive Arts helps us explore our souls' language. Through various writing and visual art exercises, Expressive Arts coach Stephanie Vance (who also lives with bipolar disorder type I) will guide participants into their imaginations as a means of seeing and understanding ourselves more clearly, fully, and empathetically. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with themselves and each other through the opening process of art-making.
Meet Your Host, Stephanie Vance
Stephanie Eisler Vance is an Expressive Arts Coach, writer, and spoken word poet based in Brooklyn, NY. In 2021, she founded The Make Yourself Collective (and MYC Kids,) which fosters creativity and self-exploration for all ages. In 2022, she published her debut poetry collection, MADE OF YOU, from Read or Green Books. Her prose has appeared in The New York Times and elsewhere. She has a degree in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University. Her belief that art saves lives is literal. It has saved hers.
What people are saying...
The facilitator is amazing, she guided us gently through the prompt and affirmed something specific about each persons sharing. I felt heard, seen and inspired, per usual.
The perfect balance of direction with enough freedom to do what I felt was right for me. And the space to share :)
Therapeutic. I enjoyed the art portion and the friendly nature of the group.
Stephanie's prompts, timing, and feedback are excellent. Participants create beautiful art and Stephanie points out the incredible insight, images, et al of people's art, then guides artists further..
The facilitator is amazing, the questions are thoughtful, and the activity feels accessible. Just serious enough without leading to heavy heavy feels.
Exploration in Creativity:
Post-It Note Poetry
with Wendy McNeill
2nd Mondays
5:00-6:30pm Pacific Time
In the spirit of the short form in creative
expression, this workshop will encourage
participants to write in short bursts—as if
jotting down first thoughts on post-it notes—on
classic themes of their choice, such as hope,
longing, family, cats and dogs, coffee, etc.
Please come prepared with a writing implement,
old school pencil to digital, and for fun,
perhaps actual post-it notes. Sharing is
encouraged by not required, and a visual aid for
the host and group, that is keeping your camera
on—is also appreciated but not mandatory.
Meet Your Host, Wendy McNeill
Wendy is a longtime member of DBSA San Diego, where she resides. She attended her first meeting in September 2001 at a crossroads in life and then promptly got deeply involved in the organization. In 2002 she became a Volunteer Facilitator, and in 2005 took the role of Community Liaison. In that role, she became one of the strongest voices of the community and stepped up as a mental health advocate.
​
Wendy also served on the Board of Directors of NAMI San Diego (National Alliance on Mental Illness), as well as serving on the board of MHA San Diego (Mental Health America.) She is a believer in the power of group to facilitate recovery and promote quality of life for all people with mental health challenges.
​
In 2020, Wendy published a volume of poetry in collaboration with a visual artist named Tiko Makunts. This work explores themes such as mental health in all of its complexities, as well as the many facets of human nature.
​
A proud Triton, Wendy has a bachelors degree from UCSD in literature and writing.
​
Her husband is her biggest fan.
What people are saying...
Warm, welcoming, encouraging, gentle. Expressing ourselves creatively can feel scary. We make ourselves vulnerable, bearing our souls. But Wendy Leigh and all of the participants made me feel safe.
Healing Through Creative Storytelling
with Gabriel Gutierrez
4th Mondays
6:00-7:30pm Pacific Time
This group is all about using creative writing to explore self-expression, process emotions, and grow. Whether you're someone who loves to write or just curious to try it out, there’s no wrong way to share your story here. From poetry and journaling to free-writing and short stories—everything is welcome.
​
In our meetings, you’ll find a supportive environment where you can freely express your thoughts and connect with others. We’ll use writing as a way to release emotions, discover new parts of ourselves, and support each other in our personal journeys. No matter where you are in your writing experience, this is a space for creativity, healing, and connection
Meet Your Host, Gabriel Gutierrez
Host Gabriel Gutierrez is a Certified Peer Crisis Counselor & Creative in the Indie Game, Poetry & Music space. Merging both his Lived Experiences & his love for the Arts, Gabriel continues to work towards uniting both Mental Health & Game Development for all aspiring & veteran Creatives alike into the Interactive Arts.
What people are saying...
Gabriel and the participants were fantastic! safe space to laugh, cry, go deep, but leave with a sense of optimism.
Such a lovely group and practice. I'm so happy the group has expanded from 1 hour to 90 minutes. I could easily be here for a full two hours. :)
Diverse group, lots of people, lots of exchange, a rare opportunity to meaningfully connect
Arts and Crafts Meet-Up
with Len and Amy
3rd Sunday of each month
1:00-2:30pm Pacific Time
Draw, paint, color, knit, or explore whatever creative outlet speaks to you. There’s no pressure to be an “artist” and no expectation to finish or even bring a project. Whether you’re an experienced maker, trying something creative for the first time, or simply looking for a comfortable place to connect, we’d love to have you join us.
ICYMI: A Workshop in Therapeutic Filmmaking
with Dr. Mohammad Shahisaman
This experiential workshop led by Dr. Mohammad Shahisaman introduced therapeutic filmmaking as a creative tool for people living with bipolar disorder, depression, and related mood disorders. Drawing from narrative therapy, somatic healing principles, and expressive arts, participants explored how writing, filming, and editing their own stories can become powerful acts of self-expression, emotional processing, and identity reclamation — empowering them to become the authors of their own stories rather than simply their subjects.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Mohammad Shahisaman is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Director at Glendora Recovery Center. He specializes in working with individuals, couples, families, and minors who are navigating the complexities of trauma, anxiety, substance use, and relational dynamics. Dr. Shahisaman's work integrates trauma-informed care with evidence-based methods such as CBT and DBT, woven together with experiential, somatic, and systemic therapies. His research focuses on experiential filmmaking as a therapeutic intervention, exploring how the processes of writing, directing, filming, and editing can become pathways to healing for people whose experiences resist verbal expression alone.