WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Art therapy can be a valuable and therapeutic way to process and overcome different traumas. That's why a local non-profit offers art therapy classes to human trafficking survivors.
The founder of TWIGS Restoration Ministry takes her own story of survival to guide others through their healing journeys.
"I love doing art with different people just to see and prove to them that they can create art," Founder and CEO of TWIGS Restoration Ministry Sarah Issac-Samuel said.
Using art to heal, work through trauma, and calm the mind, each of the art pieces, an outlet for survivors of human trafficking.
The woman helping guide those behind the brush is Sarah Issac-Samuel, founder and CEO of TWIGS Restoration Ministry.
Sarah tells 28/22 News it's been her mission to help trafficked survivors since discovering she is also one herself.
"My stepmother was actually my trafficker. I was being trafficked with my school bus driver," Sarah explained.
Sarah made the revelation in 2018 while writing her memoir, A Journey Back to Restoration.
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Now, she has helped dozens of other survivors begin their healing journey.
"Art is a tool to be used to help you through the therapy just to help you change your thinking process, and focus your mind on something else," Sarah said.
Switching a survivor's focus away from the trauma they've experienced.
While many of the art pieces Sarah shared with 28/22 News use the same techniques, no two pieces of art are the same.
"It's not like your sip and paint where everybody paints the same picture. They are the same techniques, but everyone paints their own personal picture," Sarah continued.
Using different art mediums like paint, watercolor, stained glass, and even plaster, each approach has its own benefits.
"This is called 'Mendala Art' and it's literally, this is one of the ones that's more tedious and time-consuming. It's just a variety of dots created into patterns," Sarah added.
As Sarah travels to speaking engagements to raise awareness about human trafficking and the TWIGS organization, she brings the finished art pieces that are donated for sale.
"One of the women the very first time she came to the session, and she said 'I can't do this.' And she created a piece of artwork and it sold the very next day. She was very meticulous and so I just had to encourage her to let the hands flow," Sarah explained
The art therapy is just one part of TWIGS Restoration Ministry's work in the community.
Founded in 2020, the non-profit works with local police departments and other organizations across northeastern and central PA and it's growing.
"We have a variety of people who we work with, all the way from children, women, and sometimes men," said Sarah.
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In its first year, TWIGS helped seven survivors. Last year, that number surpassed 30 people.
Sarah and her team help rescue and relocate survivors to get them back on their feet.
"Sometimes when you're doing rescues that's the hardest part. Because you have to set them up so that, you know, you're protected and the survivor is protected. We also provide household supplies like your kitchen things, your towels, and laundry, furniture. We've been able to help in many different ways when people are just trying to find new places," Sarah continued.
Then TWIGS connects survivors with other organizations that focus on long-term therapeutic settings, but Sarah says the goal this year is to bring that aspect to TWIGS.
"That's our goal for this year, is to open a two-year therapeutic home that's long term so that the women can find healing through their process of, you know, what it looks like coming out of the life," Sarah said.
In addition to the home, TWIGS hopes to open an office for a therapeutic center.
"We've been donated a piano, we have a guitar, exercise equipment, we have art supplies that have been donated. So we have the ability to offer different types of therapeutic tools to them. We just need the location," Sarah added.
So this Remarkable Woman can help more survivors of human trafficking turn a new chapter of their lives.
Each week, as part of Women’s History Month, 28/22 News will highlight another Remarkable Woman in your community.
28/22 News will announce this year’s winner on April 1.
