01/14/2026
This is a psychoeducation workshop series that explores how horror movies and narrative fiction can serve as meaningful tools for understanding fear, power, and resilience. Participants will examine how characters confront overwhelming threats, adapt, seek support, and persist in ways that often mirror real-life emotional challenges. The group highlights how engaging with horror in intentional and safe ways can strengthen coping skills, increase emotional tolerance, and support individuals in overcoming fears and systemic barriers. By honoring personal choice and lived experience, this series invites participants to recognize their own strengths and capacity to endure, adapt, survive, and thrive.
The Basics:
Just like some movies, this workshop is PG-13. We recommend participants be 13 years or older due to discussing topics that may be more serious and touching on the emotion of “fear.”
Led by a licensed mental health professional (Charlotte Heinz-Hoefert, MS, LPCC, NCC with Woven Counseling), but the workshop series is not a replacement for mental health therapy or intended to be used as mental health therapy.
The workshop will rely on a nonjudgmental and supportive approach.
The workshop is not meant to feel like homework, and no one needs to be an expert on horror movies or scary narrative fiction to participate.
You don’t have to attend all three. Go to one, or multiple if you would like—it’s your choice!
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM (1 hour and 30 minutes for class, 30 minutes for any follow-up)
$15 per person attending
Workshop Day #1 – Tues. 1/20/2026
This workshop will focus on sitting with fear, creating emotional safety while using horror movies or frightening narratives, and the protective factors and emotional resilience related to using horror narratives.
Workshop Day #2 – Tues. 2/3/2026
This workshop will focus on using movies and TV shows to cope with mental health and process mental health experiences.
Workshop Day #3 – Tues. 2/17/2026
This workshop will focus on using horror books, scary short stories, or horror comics as coping skills. Writing self-narratives to process mental health challenges will also be addressed.
