Morgan Breon Harnessing the Transformative Power of Art
Ms. Morgan Breon has a passion for fostering healing and support for Black youth and young adults. She has been a volunteer and mentor with Spaulding for Children since 2012 when she joined Spaulding as an intern.
Morgan was asked to develop a creative workshop with the children in the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. Her goal was to help the children develop a personal vision and identify any “sticking points” to achieving their goals.
In addition, the children were taught how to ask for help – especially the exact help they needed. One activity Morgan developed involved drawing themselves as they see themselves and how others see them. It was through this exercise that staff identified a client that was struggling and needed additional support.
Art often allows things to come up and be identified that might not be otherwise noticed.
In 2017, Morgan decided to incorporate her gift for acting and playwriting into her “healing work,” and founded heal.be.live., LLC to use art to heal a variety of communities through guided discussion and connections to available resources. Her mission is to teach people how to recognize those who have been or are experiencing trauma and know how they can help. That often means connecting them to resources.
Breon has since created professional development programs and workshops for educators and those in education, child welfare and the mental health professions. In 2022 she developed a pilot program with several universities for students to build awareness and help them identify symptoms of someone who’s been through trauma. Her programs are quite successful. Her workshops have received the highest rating from her Continuing Education program.
Morgan has also developed ways to identify and provide resources to those who, because of their work, have “secondary trauma” from being in close proximity to someone with trauma. This secondary trauma can manifest itself in many ways both physically (like burnout) and emotionally – which is harder to recognize. Others can experience “vicarious trauma” where one’s orientation to the world shifts and a person can take on the disposition of those for whom they provide care.
You have to know how to recognize people who have been through trauma before you can help them.
Morgan has developed a theater production entitled “Behavior of Hope” to foster empathy. The piece is more effective than other programs in telling detailed stories, eliciting emotional and empathetic responses, and being remembered.
Educators in her programs report increased empathy for the youngsters with whom they work. Moreover, they learn how to respond differently- and not punitively as a first response when a student is acting out.
Breon holds dual Masters in Social Work and Education Policy, and Dual Bachelors in Psychology and English. She is a Certified Relationship Coach in the Gibson Integrated Attachment Theory. She is an award-winning playwright, a 2017 Mitten Lab Fellow, 2017-2018 University Musical Society (UMS) Artist in Residence, 2018 Playwriting Scholarship Recipient with PlayPenn Theatre in Philadelphia, PA, 2018 Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellow, 2021 4.0 Essentials Fellow, 2022 Eastern Michigan University Porter Chair recipient, 2022 4.0 Tiny Fellow and a 2022 Comcast RISE Technology Recipient.
To lean more, please visit HealBeLive.com.
