Art outside the lines

ROARworkshop supports advocacy and education in creativity and the arts in and outside the traditional classroom setting.

ROARworkshop offers multi-modal possibilities for nurturing creativity and self+community empowerment. ROAR’s goal is to foster connectivity with both oneself and others through artistic expression and promoting wellbeing. We provide individual and collaborative opportunities for people of all ages, sensitivities, and abilities. Our engagement formats range from large or small group projects to individual sessions, accommodating diverse preferences. Past participants have included schools, universities, and various organizations. Explore our other pages to discover images of past work and collaborations.

Hi and welcome,

I’m Melissa Wyman, the instigator of ROARworkshop and a passionate advocate at the intersection of art, education, and mental health, with bases in California (SF Bay Area and North Bay) and New Zealand (Manawatu). My journey spans over 30 years as an artist, arts educator, martial arts practitioner, and human rights/youth advocate. These experiences, acquired across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts, along with the past 6-years as a mental health clinician, deeply inform the development of ROARWorkshop. 

I embrace neurodiversity, spiky profiles, and spectrums of all kinds in and outside my therapy practice.* Specializing in supporting individuals and families navigating anxiety, depression, and trauma, I’m committed to providing strength-based, trauma-sensitive, and LGBTQIA+ affirming care. Alongside my therapeutic work, I have a strong background in supporting parents and families through my involvement in youth advocacy efforts. I hold an MFA in Social Practice in the Arts (focused on socially engaged arts) from California College of the Arts, as well as an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Palo Alto University.

This website is separate from my therapy practice and serves as an open source platform for empowering people through art expression and movement separate from, or in addition to, therapy. ROARworkshop exists with help from volunteers, fellow artists, and friends and colleagues in mental health.  For more information, please visit and explore the Resources page.

* Therapy with me is confidential, and all images on this site are from collaborative art projects or students’ work with consent from participants.