A new way to engage trauma-surviving teens in therapy

Apr 6

Written By Jess Song

Case study Context:

Increasing therapeutic engagement among teenage survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking using art therapy models.

Challenge:

Teenage students express resistance to traditional 1:1 or group talk therapy.
While younger children are often enrolled in therapy through parental consent, teens age 12+ require a different approach to engagement.
A weekly Saturday program can compete with other weekend activities.
Cultural differences affect therapeutic intervention (Asian immigrant and children of immigrants).

MY ROLE:

Led the design and delivery of an in-person community-based program that made therapy more engaging and accessible for teen trauma survivors from immigrant backgrounds.
Partnered closely with clinical staff to translate therapeutic goals into a scalable, mentor-supported curriculum.
Co-designed, led, and implemented the pilot, then iterated around feedback and strategic goals.

What I did:

For counselors

Translated therapeutic goals into a structured, engaging, art-based curriculum
Designed a 3-way feedback loop between counselors, mentors, and myself to compare observations and coordinate student support
Co-designed and co-facilitated workshops embedding therapeutic models
Managed volunteers and program operations in tightly resourced environment
For youth

Pivoted from “art-based therapy program” to a “therapy-based art program” based on feedback from disengaged teens
Embedded counseling and relationship lessons into creative and career-based curriculum
Created a space where trauma did not need to be explicitly discussed, but was acknowledged and held collectively
Structured sessions to feel engaging and low-pressure, where learning and healing were a natural byproduct of participation
Provided consistent intergenerational community through weekly mentor interactions
For mentors (volunteers)

Co-trained mentors to provide non-clinical, community-based support
Acted as the primary liaison between mentors and the clinician to ensure alignment
Leveraged mentors’ individual strengths into curriculum and empowered them to lead sessions

For the organization

Built program from the ground up (curriculum, facilitation, and operations)
Structured the experience to reduce resistance and support consistent participation
Designed for sustainability and long-term capacity in a resource-constrained environment

Outcomes:

Increased student retention by 50% in the first year
Increased volunteer retention by 120% in the second year
Sustained long-term engagement, with historically resistant teens attending consistently for multiple years
Established a new pathway into 1:1 counseling for teens who were previously disengaged from therapy
Improved coordination between counselors and mentors, enabling more informed and responsive support for each student
Provided culturally relevant and trauma-informed alternatives to traditional talk therapy
Program is still successful almost 10 years later!

Reflections:

Directly addressing trauma is not always the most effective entry point. In this case, traditional talk therapy — rooted in Western psychological models — did not always resonate with teens navigating cultural expectations around family, privacy, and community.

Instead, engagement came from a more indirect, community-based approach. Art, mentorship, and consistency created a space where trust could build over time, without requiring trauma to be explicitly discussed.

This work reinforced that designing for mental health engagement is ultimately a practice of listening—understanding motivation, cultural context, and how different groups respond to different therapeutic modalities.

Jess Song