Laura Spinelli - Program Director of "Giant Steps"

Laura Spinelli is quietly and consistently breaking ground for arts and the military as the Director of "Giant Steps," an ongoing recovery-oriented group program for Veterans who are in treatment at the Mental Hygiene Clinic at VA Connecticut.

Giant Steps offers a menu of strengths-based mental health treatment options including creative arts therapies, psycho-education, complementary/alternative and evidence-based therapies. Groups include but are not limited to: art therapy, communication skills, social skills training, healthy lifestyles, community arts and cultural outings, art history, music therapy, drama therapy, pet therapy, gardening and spirituality. Giant Steps also offers time-limited programs such as a Writing Workshop, Filmmaking, Digital Art, and others. 

“I consistently feel honored to work with our Veterans and inspired by their courage to reveal their personal truths in the form of creative expressions,” said Laura Spinelli, LPC, ATR, Art Therapist. “Many Veterans discover the arts - visual, literary, music, drama - as an effective way to cope with their physical and/or psychological distress, or as a way to reflect on their experiences of the military and the transformations that take place as a result of war."

The works also celebrates their strength, resilience and ability to transcend their darker journeys. Spinelli often organizes "Giant Step" exhibits within the community to raise awareness about the importance of the arts for healing, and to provide outreach to Veterans who may be out there struggling. Within the Connecticut VA Healthcare System, the Creative Art Therapists, including Spinelli, sent first place winners to the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in 2014. The art therapy program the Vet references in the video is Giant Steps' Art of the Brave group.

For more information on the Giant Steps program, please visit the National Initiative Directory at ArtsAcrosstheMilitary.org.