Arts-Based Well-Being Toolbox (2025 Fall)

Course

Regular Price: $650 + HST
SPECIAL EARLY BIRD PRICE: $550 + HST
(use coupon code 2025FALL at checkout)
STUDENT OFFER: additional $50 discount on early bird pricing. Please email info@isabelfryszberg.com for discount code.

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Welcome!

I am Isabel Fryszberg, founder of Arts-Based Well-Being, a practice and program to nourish one's capacity for wellness through the arts. I am a registered and award winning Occupational Therapist and inter-disciplinary artist from Toronto, with over thirty years of experience developing arts-based programming and online resources for diverse communities, individuals, students and health practitioners. I have witnessed first-hand how the arts can be transformative and bring out the best in people, especially their sense of vitality and resilience.

I am looking forward to supporting you on your creative journey as I provide the tools and resources you need to take your self-care and/or work practice to the next level!

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Arts-Based Well-Being Toolbox Overview

The Arts-Based Well-Being Toolbox is an 8-week practical and engaging online training program that will guide you through the steps needed to start, lead and facilitate your own arts-based program or group, while also nourishing your own creativity. This program is designed to deepen your own creative self-care practice while also providing you with essential skills needed to help guide you and share with others in your caring circles. No matter how you approach this toolbox, you will find a training program that is both timely and restorative!

The tools are accompanied by helpful downloadable resources and templates, creative activities, guided actionable prompts and videos. As well, there will be a live collaborative “Creative Campfire” workshop and live Q&A sessions. Each tool requires approximately 1-2 hours per week to read through the lessons and work on the interactive exercises.

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The toolbox has been developed using an occupational therapy framework and scientific principles and practices that have been integrated with arts and creative-based approaches that are all supported by evidence-based methodology. By enrolling in this course, you are taking the first important steps towards finding your own authentic path so you can:

Build creative environments and communities
Learn how to facilitate safe, arts-based groups
Develop spaces with more passionate and harmonized engagement
Bring more play and delight into your work and personal life
Learn how to ‘tenderize’ your inner critic to enable you to create
Develop a compassionate approach for your self-care and creative practice

Training Topics

The training modules can be completed at your own pace and include a rich resource of materials to guide you through the lessons and beyond. The program covers 8 essential tools that are necessary to create a thriving and resilient arts-based community program.

TOOL 1 | LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT:
I will share my own personal story as I provide ways for you to think about your dreams and begin to put them into action. You will learn about your own personal leadership style and start to develop a vision for your ideas.

TOOL 2 | GROUP FACILITATION:
When you understand group dynamics and combine this with an arts- based approach, you can create powerful programming with a high level of engagement. These group facilitation skills are integral to becoming a competent and trustworthy leader. I will help you learn how to maximize group engagement and develop a strong foundation for your program’s group dynamics.

TOOL 3 | CREATING COMMUNITY:
This section will illuminate the value of fostering inclusive, safe and welcoming communities and help you determine the steps necessary to build the community of your dreams where you can learn, teach, guide and grow.

TOOL 4 | COMPASSION & CARE:
Over the years I have come to realize that compassion is central to unleashing one’s own creativity and others. In this tool I will be sharing key work and personal experiences that helped me open up and make room for artistic expression in a transformative way; I will show you how you can do the same for yourself and for those with whom you work.

TOOL 5 | ENGAGEMENT & PARTICIPATION:
I will be sharing evidence of how being engaged in something satisfying can benefit our well-being. I will also provide some fun exercises and a number of prompts that you can experience for yourself and share with others.

TOOL 6 | CREATIVITY THROUGH THE ARTS:
This tool offers a variety of dynamic and accessible step-by-step creative exercises, resources and examples for you to practice and learn from. You can use these techniques to nourish yourself and to apply in your therapeutic, art, educational and work practices and programs. Included in this tool is a special live “Creative Campfire” collaborative songwriting workshop. You won’t want to miss this!

TOOL 7 | GRANT WRITING & PARTNERSHIP:
I will walk you through various steps, in a personal work-book style, to help make the grant writing process feel less daunting and more manageable. I will also share real stories from my own experiences that will teach you the importance of building relationships and partnerships as you navigate forwards to make your dream a reality.

TOOL 8 | CELEBRATION & EDUCATION:
In this tool I will share with you the importance of the arts and its role in reducing stigma, giving voice to marginalized communities and providing a sense of pride for individuals and communities. I will be sharing concrete examples and steps to set up and curate an art exhibit, make art calendars, pop-up stores and enter neighbourhood art festivals.

Additional Perks

LIVE Q&A + CREATIVE SESSIONS:
Isabel will host four live interactive Q&A sessions with hands-on experiential art and music exercises. You will have the opportunity to email your questions ahead of time and there will also be time to go over additional questions during the call. The sessions will be recorded so you can watch them later if you are unable to join live.

RESOURCES:
This bonus section is filled with invaluable templates, guides and arts-based documentation for use with individuals and groups. It includes treatment plans, grant-writing tips, and more! You will also find a detailed reference list for further research and readings.

SUPPORT & COACHING:
Isabel will be available to answer all your questions throughout the course and will provide a 30-minute 1-on-1 coaching session for each enrolled student during the 8-week session.

ACCESS:
You will have access to all the online lessons for 5 years from your purchase date and lifetime access to the videos and documents you have downloaded.

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Testimonials

Students who have taken Isabel's previous Toolbox course, are saying the following:

— C.L., Quebec

The arts-based well-being tool kit is impressive by the richness and the quality of the information and is the result of an exhaustive work made by Isabel. This training was on-point for me, exactly what I needed as it reconnects with our roots as OTs and is really empowering. I am now ready for a renewed journey using artistic activities to support well-being of communities and tracing this new path I envisioned as an entrepreneur. Thank you Isabel for you generosity, your time and for creating this unique community!

— S.W., Montreal

"I was feeling a little down and thought that a mindful watercolour was in order. I was right, it was so relaxing and helped to lift my mood. This course has provided so many tools to address the needs of our communities with an innovative and optimistic spirit. To offer creative opportunities to engage with our colleagues and clientele in meaningful ways that inspire positive action and change. I really do feel that we are starting a revolution. A revolution in healthcare and in society. A revolution that starts not only with how we treat others, but ourselves."

— L.M., Calgary

“Isabel’s Arts-Based Well-Being course was a joy to participate in. The content provided inspiration and confidence in introducing arts based interventions into my OT practice. It was wonderful to connect with like-minded therapists around the world and learn from Isabel’s wealth of expertise in OT and the arts. Thank you for a fun and engaging course!”

Why Occupational Therapy and the Arts?

Arts-based occupational therapy is a way of bringing more play and creativity into your everyday life in order to gain a more restorative life balance.

Recent research indicates that the increase of technology in our lives can cause isolation and loneliness, with predictable negative effects on our health.

A new wave of arts-based research tells a more hopeful story, showing how creative expression in the form of visual arts, music, dance, or writing can generate resilience and new social supports. The emergence of communities based on these shared passions supports the health and well-being of the participants.

This is the essence of an arts-based approach to occupational therapy.

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Are you ready?

Join today so I can provide you with the essential tools and resources you need to take your self-care, practice and programming to the next level!

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FAQ

Do I have to be an artist or have experience in the arts to take this course?

No, this course is designed to bring out the creativity in you at whatever stage of development you are at.

If I am already an artist or teacher what new things can I expect to learn?

Through an Occupational Therapy lens, you will learn to understand how to best enable and engage individuals and groups grounded in best practices and evidence based material. You will learn group facilitation skills and how to use a wellness framework to work with people as a whole. You will have access to resources and references to help you work in hospital and community environments.

Do I have to be an Occupational Therapist to take this course?

The course originates from an occupational therapy framework, however, other groups and professions will benefit and you do not need to be an occupational therapist to gain from this course.

Who is this course most suited for?

This course is suited for a number of different folks such as, but not limited to, occupational therapists, teachers, artists, coaches, health practitioners, students, art therapists, and peer support workers.

Can I work on this course at my own pace?

Most definitely. There will be scheduled live Q&A's and a live group workshop but if you miss them, the recordings will be available to you.

Is the course live?

The course is an 8-week online program with 4 live sessions hosted through zoom.

How many hours a week should I expect to put into the course?

Minimum of one – two hours. The more time you put into the exercises, the more you will get out of the program!

What kind of support can I expect to have?

You can email me anytime. We will also have 4 live online meetings where questions can be raised as well.

How long do I have access to the course?

The online course will be available to you for five years. However, you have lifetime access to all the resources and worksheets that you will be able to download throughout the course.

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