The Pastoral Institute Invites Community to Explore Healing Through Kintsugi Art Therapy Series

There are seasons in life when people feel cracked open by grief, trauma, illness, or change. In those moments, many are tempted to hide the evidence of what they’ve been through. But a new art therapy series from The Pastoral Institute invites the community to consider another possibility: that healing can honor the broken places instead of covering them up.

The Pastoral Institute's Kintsugi Series draws inspiration from the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. Rather than disguising cracks, the practice highlights them—transforming damage into part of the object’s story and beauty. In the group setting, participants are invited to use that same metaphor as a creative pathway toward emotional restoration. It's using art as a form of group therapy, and the results can be groundbreaking.

The success with this kind of experience has been documented all over the world. In 2025, a psychiatric study at Cambridge University followed 200 participants in 4-6 kintsugi sessions. Over the course of the study the participants' psychological well-being increased from an average score of 78.0 to 96.5, anxiety symptoms decreased from 32.0 to 21.0, and this success was consistent across all age and gender groups.

In the Pastoral Institute's Kintsugi Series, participants will enjoy an experience that blends art, reflection, and gentle personal exploration to process pain, honor loss, and begin reassembling the pieces of their own stories through creative expression. It's important to know that no artistic experience is required—only a willingness to engage in the process.

The program is designed for individuals navigating a range of challenges, including trauma-related symptoms, emotional numbness or disconnection, loss of identity following difficult experiences, or a desire for healthy creative outlets during recovery. It also speaks to anyone seeking meaning and renewal after hardship.

While not specific to kintsugi, art therapy research overall has found benefits such as: reduced anxiety and stress, improved emotional expression, better self-esteem, increased coping skills, and better trauma processing in nonverbal ways. The American Art Therapy Association and multiple clinical reviews support art-making as an effective complementary mental health tool. Thanks to art therapy, millions of people every year are learning that healing does not always happen through words alone. Sometimes it happens through making, mending, creating, and witnessing our own capacity to begin again.

If You Go:

The Pastoral Institute is located at 2022 15th Avenue in Columbus and regularly hosts community wellness programs and support groups throughout the year. Registration information for the upcoming Kintsugi Series is available through the organization’s website and social media channels.