Meet an expert: Sara Davis, LCSW-C
Using crafts to help treat trauma
When Ben and I began exploring the benefits of hobbies, we turned to scientific research and experts in the field. This week, I’m introducing you to one of those experts.
Sara Davis, a licensed clinical social worker, uses creative making as a tool in her work at the Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. She’s been helping children, adolescents, and families navigate trauma through counseling, group work, and other therapeutic interventions for nearly two decades. In addition to her clinical work, Sara is a professional speaker and workshop facilitator on the topics of trauma and group counseling, a recent contributor to A Handbook of Contemporary Group Work Practice, and a volunteer in community art organizations. Additionally, she’s an activist, a wonderfully kind person, and a prolific maker.
I’m very fortunate because Sara also happens to be my sister-in-law! And we are very grateful to learn from her as we build Practice.
Craft as a tool for trauma care
Sara has worked with countless children and families who are navigating trauma, and has found that creative making is a powerful therapeutic tool to help her clients process emotions and tell their stories. She is quick to explain that she is not an art therapist, but her office is nonetheless filled with markers, clay, and other arts and crafts supplies that she encourages her clients to use during their sessions. Sara shared that art making helps her connect with her younger clients, and while they’re immersed in a creative activity it can be easier for them to talk about themselves and their challenges. Even when words fail, they can often express emotions and experiences through what they create.
“It’s hard to sit down as a 10 year old and talk about your family’s trauma.”
In her group sessions, Sara has used crafts to help her clients learn and grow. She described a recent group activity where she gave each participant a different color of air-dry clay and asked them to make something. Once complete, they passed their sculpture to the person sitting next to them, so they could add to it using their own color of clay. The process repeated until each person had a sculpture that everyone contributed to, and then were given the option to either destroy it or let it dry so they could keep the collaborative sculpture. The exercise facilitated a conversation about perfectionism and product vs. process, and allowed the children to open up and connect with each other.
Sara also co-designed and facilitated an innovative program that teaches children coping skills through art. Participants learned upregulating skills to improve mood if they’re feeling low (e.g., playful art projects like making hula hoops and kites) and downregulating skills to help them relax if they’re feeling angry or agitated (e.g., using line, shape, and color in soothing activities like painting their breath or landscapes). The program also used art to build cognitive coping skills, such as decorating mirrors with affirmations to challenge negative thinking. The multi-session program culminated in a book that featured the children’s artwork to reinforce their ability to express their feelings through art.
Listening to Sara share these and other examples of her work left me so grateful for all that she does for her community. I also was blown away by the variety of ways that she and other clinicians are tapping into the power of creative making as one of many therapeutic tools for healing trauma.
Sara’s creative practice
But Sara doesn’t just use creative making as a tool with her clients; she also has a robust personal creative practice. Sara described herself as “a lifelong maker” who reconnected with her creativity as an adult while supporting survivors of domestic violence. The emotional toll of her work was heavy, and knitting became a soothing outlet for her as a caregiver. She joined a knitting group and it quickly became a significant part of her life.
After partnering with a quilter to lead a client workshop in 2017, Sara became interested in quilting, leading her to get involved with the Monument Quilt, a community art memorial to survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence. Soon after, she got a sewing machine and has been making her own quilts ever since.
When I asked her why she creates, Sara shared that it brings her healing and Flow. What she chooses to make depends on her mood and life circumstances: “If things are too chaotic or emotional, I need something repetitive and soothing…if I’m bored, I want to spend time thinking and being imaginative.”
This is reflected in her wide array of textile work. Sara knits, embroiders, and cross-stitches with precision, and often has several projects she’s working on. Her quilts range from highly structured, pattern-based work to improvisational pieces that incorporate recycled fabrics and textiles.
The healing power of craft
Sara’s story reminded me of findings from our early research, where we came across studies showing that crafts not only positively impact cancer patients' mental health but are also a helpful tool to reduce compassion fatigue among oncology nurses. Caregivers and therapists like Sara can harness the power of crafts to care for their patients—and for themselves.
Our vision for Practice is to help more people recognize and experience the healing power of craft. While we don’t see Practice as an official therapeutic mental health intervention—yet?—and we don’t intend to try to replicate the nuanced, holistic, expert care that Sara provides to her clients navigating challenging trauma, we DO hope to use our platform to increase the use of craft as a tool for stress relief, burnout reduction, and overall healing for all. As we’ve dug deeper into research and learned from experts like Sara, the idea of elevating crafts to a form of accessible care akin to meditation or exercise has become nearly as exciting as building our MVP.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into Sara’s work and creative practice. I know that I found it incredibly inspiring and comforting to write during this stressful, disappointing week. And it was a great reminder to make something.
On Tuesday night, Ben shared that he took a break from doomscrolling to “put our theory into practice” and do some making, and shared that “It didn't fix everything, but I felt a little better for a while.” I have some serious crafting planned (I’m actually at a miniature show taking some workshops!) and look forward to doing a bit of healing of my own this weekend. Have I mentioned that creative making is self care? ❤️🩹