ART THAT
HOLDS SPACE.
Connection that heals.
We help communities process grief, find connection, and build resilience through art—from the first days after crisis through the years that follow.
MOST PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE TRAUMA
will never walk into a therapist's office.
Not because they don't need support—but because traditional mental health services don't meet them where they are. After tragedy, there's a specific kind of loneliness. The kind where you're surrounded by people who understand, and still feel completely isolated.
The crisis teams come and go. The media moves on. The GoFundMe closes. And communities are left to carry their grief in the space between emergency response and whatever comes next. That space is where people fall through the cracks. It's also where healing actually begins.
The Holding Frames creates trauma-informed, art-based experiences that fill that gap—community gatherings, public installations, and long-term programs that give people a way to process, to connect, and to turn pain into something that holds space for what words can't.
You don't have to be broken to need this. You don't have to be fixed to leave.
THF exists for the 72% who won't walk into a therapist's office—but might sit down at a table, pick up a paintbrush, and create something alongside someone who gets it. That's the space we hold.
TWO SURVIVORS.
One shared mission.
Josh fell into healing art after his community in Orlando, Florida was forever changed by the Pulse nightclub shooting in June 2016. As Director of Operations for the restaurant and entertainment group impacted by the attack, he watched his team struggle to find ways to process what happened. Over the next eight years, he channeled that experience into building community healing programs across 280+ communities in 34 countries—learning firsthand what works when systems fail and cameras leave.
"Art gave people a language when words weren't enough—a way to heal together instead of alone."
Cait was ten years old when she lost her father, FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Leavey, on September 11, 2001. In the years that followed, she dedicated herself to understanding trauma and recovery—first as a way to make sense of her own grief, then as a calling to support others. She became a licensed mental health counselor specializing in trauma, trained in EMDR and multiple modalities, with over a decade of experience supporting people navigating loss.
"Healing isn't something you do alone in a room. It happens in community—when people feel safe enough to be honest about what they're carrying."
They met while supporting the same community through an art-based healing project—Josh coordinating the operations, Cait advising on the clinical framework. They quickly realized they were seeing the same gap from different angles: the space between emergency response and long-term healing, where communities are left to carry their grief alone.
Together, they founded The Holding Frames to fill that gap.
EXPERTISE MEETS
lived experience.
Lived experience as both a survivor and community leader, and a deep understanding of how systems work—and where they fail.
- Responded to 280+ communities affected by disaster, violence, and crisis
- Trained in Psychological First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid
- Served on the City of Orlando Pulse Memorial Committee
- TTAC Consultant for the Office for Victims of Crime
- Steering committee member, SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline
- Co-founder, Aftermath Solutions (crisis recovery consulting)
A trauma-informed therapeutic lens, and firsthand knowledge of what children and families need when healing from collective loss.
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
- Master's degrees from NYU and Loyola Marymount
- Trained in EMDR and multiple trauma modalities
- Clinical Affiliate, National Institute of Psychotherapy
- 10+ years supporting people navigating trauma and loss
- Featured on NBC, CNN, and ABC for her expertise in trauma recovery
Together, they bring a rare combination: clinical expertise, operational experience, and lived understanding of what communities actually need when the cameras leave.
WHO STANDS
with us.
This work doesn't happen alone. We partner with organizations that share our belief that community healing is essential infrastructure—not a nice-to-have.
S&P Global partners with The Holding Frames through employee engagement, event sponsorship, and volunteer support—bringing their team alongside communities in the process of healing.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum collaborates with The Holding Frames to support community-centered healing through shared programming and the ongoing work of remembrance.
We work with corporations, foundations, and community organizations. Let's build something together.
Learn More →THE FRAME METHOD
Four evidence-based pathways developed from clinical research, lived experience, and lessons from hundreds of community gatherings.
Creative action regulates the nervous system and helps people stay grounded in the present moment.
Side-by-side art-making breaks isolation without requiring verbal disclosure.
Radical choice at every step restores the agency that trauma strips away.
Creating messages for other communities in crisis turns pain into service.
The FRAME Method is how every THF program is designed—grounded in research, shaped by experience.
Explore the FRAME Method →