The Power of Story: A Fundamental Retelling of Trauma and Healing
This course explores how storytelling can transform experiences of trauma into pathways for healing, resilience and collective change. Through 15 hours of self-paced course content, participants will study the evolution of trauma and healing practices, and learn expressive arts strategies that foster empowerment and ethical representation.
Stories shape how we understand ourselves, our communities and the challenges we face. This self-paced, 15-hour course explores the transformative potential of storytelling and story-sharing in healing from trauma and advancing well-being. Designed for current and future Arts in Health practitioners — as well as anyone interested in the role of narrative in change — this course invites participants to consider how retelling stories of trauma can shift perspectives from deficit to empowerment.
Throughout the course, learners will examine how our understanding of trauma and healing has evolved, and how expressive arts can serve as tools for reframing and reimagining human experiences. Through readings, lectures and applied exercises, participants will engage with evidence-based and practice-tested strategies that illuminate how storytelling fosters resilience, ethical representation and collective healing.
Key topics include identifying barriers and opportunities in healing work, applying trauma-informed approaches to diverse real-world contexts and exploring the ways narratives can catalyze problem-solving and multi-systemic change. Learners will also reflect on their own positionality — the roles, identities and responsibilities they bring to Arts in Health — and practice strategies for fostering ethical, inclusive and culturally-grounded storytelling.
By the end of the course, participants will have a toolkit of approaches for using storytelling to foster healing, build stronger communities and advocate for more holistic understandings of health. The Power of Story offers a deep and practical exploration of how narratives can transform trauma into pathways of healing, connection and liberation.
