Group Therapy

Fierce Fairytales: An Embodied Process Group

An online group for embodiment, empowerment, and creative healing

We all carry stories—some we inherited, some we were told about ourselves, some we've outgrown but can't quite shed. This online expressive arts group uses fairy tales as doorways into your own transformation, weaving together psychology, psychodrama, and creativity to help you complete what was left unfinished and feel more at home in your body and your life.

How This Group Is Different

Most fairy tale therapy groups focus on interpretation: discussing what the stories mean, analyzing symbols, understanding archetypes.

Most psychodrama groups work with personal stories: your family dynamics, your relationships, your past.

This group does something else:

We use the container of fairy tales to explore universal patterns, then transform them through your body. You'll embody the handless maiden, the captive princess, the devouring father - first as written in the original tales, then as you choose to rewrite them.

When you play the original tale, you'll feel the impulses that get thwarted— the urge to say NO, to run, to fight back, to refuse the bargain. These are the same impulses many of us learned to suppress in our own lives.

Then we rewrite it. In the second enactment, those thwarted impulses finally get completed. Your body gets to finish what it started: to speak the NO, to take the action, to claim the power that was waiting all along.

Why Choose This Group?

You'll experience transformation, not just talk about it. Through psychodrama and mandala-making, you'll embody both the old stories and the new ones - and complete the protective responses that got thwarted the first time around.

It's archetypal and personal. We work with universal fairy tale patterns, but you'll discover how these stories (and these interrupted impulses) live in your own body and psyche. By rewriting the fairy tale, you transform your inherited stories.

You're held safely. This is trauma-informed, gender-inclusive space led by an LMFT specializing in somatic and expressive therapies. You're always in control of how you participate.

Who This Group Is For

This group welcomes anyone who:

• Feels stuck in old narratives about who they "should" be

• Carries unfinished business - things you wish you'd said or done

• Wants to reconnect with their body and complete interrupted responses

• Is drawn to depth work through embodied practice

• Seeks empowerment, voice, and agency in their own life

• Values healing in community

All genders, identities, and expressions welcome. No acting or art experience needed—just courage and curiosity.

What to Expect

Format: Online via secure video platform
Duration: 120 minutes per session
Group Size: Groups are capped at 10 participants and run with as few as 3 to ensure intimate, high-quality connections.
Materials Needed: Paper, colored pencils or markers, and 1-2 optional simple props (hats, scarf)

Stories We Explore

We draw from traditional Grimm's fairy tales and contemporary retellings that address:

• Completing thwarted protective responses (the NO that was silenced, the escape that was stopped)

• Reclaiming voice and agency

• Self-rescue and independence

• Transforming what was meant to wound you

• Body reclamation and belonging

• Breaking generational patterns

• Claiming wholeness

Common Questions

Do I need acting experience?
Not at all. This isn't theater. There's no "performing" or getting it "right." You simply inhabit the role and let your body respond authentically, including completing the impulses that arise.

What if I feel self-conscious on camera?
You can turn your camera off during parts of the psychodrama, modify how you participate, or witness instead of playing a role. You're always in charge of your engagement level.

Is this therapy?
This is a therapeutic process group, not individual psychotherapy. It's best suited as a complement to individual therapy or for those with established coping skills and support systems.

What if a story or role feels triggering?
We work in a trauma-informed way that honors your nervous system. You can choose roles that feel safer (like playing "the forest" or "the river"), step back from participation, or modify any invitation. The goal is completion and empowerment, not retraumatization. I'll provide grounding tools and check-ins throughout, and de-roling practice ensures you don't carry the character's energy afterward.

Do I need to know the fairy tales beforehand?
No - we read them together in the session. Coming fresh often allows for more immediate, authentic responses.

What does "completing thwarted impulses" mean?
In trauma and somatic work, we understand that protective responses (fight, flight, freeze, say NO, escape) often get interrupted or suppressed. The energy of those incomplete actions can stay in the body. By embodying and then rewriting the fairy tale, you get to complete those responses - your body gets to do what it wanted to do but couldn't. This creates somatic resolution and new possibilities.

Details & Investment

4-Week Series: $300 ($75/session)
Drop-In Sessions: $85 (as space allows)
Sundays 2:30pm PT - 4:30pm PT online

Sliding scale available for those experiencing financial hardship. Your healing shouldn't depend on your income - please reach out to discuss options.

Ready to Begin?

I invite you to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call before joining. We'll talk about what you're looking for, answer any questions, and make sure this group feels like the right fit for where you are in your healing journey. Space is limited to keep the group intimate.