Healing Can Look Like a Button Eye and a Wonky Ear
Monster-making as a mindfulness and therapeutic tool for mental health organizations, therapy groups, and wellness programs.
MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS
Some things talk therapy cannot always reach. Creating with your hands reaches those places differently. When participants focus on threading a needle, cutting fabric, and sewing buttons, the noise quiets and they become more present, calm, and connected to themselves.
These workshops are intentionally open-ended and judgment-free. There are no mistakes, only design choices. That freedom can be especially powerful for people who carry pressure to be perfect or always “do it right.”
What starts as a table full of fabric, googly eyes, and sewing supplies often becomes something unexpectedly meaningful. People may come in skeptical, but many leave with a handmade monster that represents comfort, self-expression, and healing.
What Participants Experience
Each workshop begins with participants writing down three things they love about themselves, encouraging self-reflection and self-compassion. Those affirmations can be tucked inside their handmade monster as a reminder on difficult days. Every monster is an expression of where they are at that moment, and we meet them there with open arms,
As they create, participants learn basic sewing skills like cutting patterns, threading needles, tying knots, and sewing buttons. The workshop ends with a hug, symbolically filling their monster with love to carry back to them.
A Note on Pricing and Facilitation
All instructions and materials are included, and we come to you for a
hassle-free experience. We offer special pricing for nonprofit and mental health organizations and are happy to discuss what works best for your program and your budget. Whether you're planning a one-time event or an ongoing series, we'll work with you to create an experience that fits your goals. Every program is customized to meet the unique needs of your group. Reach out, and let's figure something out together. We'd love to help make your program both meaningful and memorable.
Who This Is For:
We work with mental health nonprofits, group therapy programs, school counseling departments, outpatient programs, and community wellness events. We follow your lead on pacing, emotional content, and what your group needs. You know your clients. We know monsters. Together we make it work.
When Scissors Aren't the Right Tool:
For inpatient facilities or groups where sharp tools are not appropriate, we offer alternative workshops that are equally hands-on, creative, and therapeutic. Here are just a few options:
Wet Felting
A tactile, sensory-rich process that uses water, soap, and wool to create soft, colorful felt pieces. No sharp tools required. Deeply calming and satisfying.
Neurographic Art
A mindfulness-based drawing and painting method that uses simple lines and shapes to process emotions and reduce stress. Accessible to everyone regardless of artistic experience.
Haiku Poetry
Never written a haiku? Perfect. Three lines, seventeen syllables, and zero pressure to be a poet. Just a simple, playful way to pause, breathe, and write three poems: one about something you can hold and observe, one about the world outside you, and one about something you genuinely love about yourself.
Not sure which workshop is the right fit for your group? We love figuring that out together.
I’m not surprised that many of the monsters made by mental health clients have scars.
Quotes
“Laurie’s classes helped me bring out my creative inner child side. Therapeutic meets creativity!”
- Mandy, 34 years old
“I can’t explain why, but making my monster healed my soul on a level that no amount of talk therapy could touch. It’s like magic.”
- Mike H., 40 years old as hell
“I’m 37 years old and making my monster helped me enjoy the little things in life and not take everything so seriously. I definitely recommend making a monster to anybody.”
- Victor, 37 years old
Ready to bring creative healing to your community?
We would love to learn about your organization and create a workshop that supports connection, self-expression,
and mental wellness.