A Pittsburgh nonprofit building small circles for healing, creative expression, and community care — for the people too often left out of wellness.
Small circles. Real visibility.
Healing that happens together.
The Strawberry Collective is a Pittsburgh-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organized for charitable, educational, and community development purposes. We exist to foster wellness, equity, and creative empowerment for underserved youth and families through therapy, enrichment programs, and community-led initiatives. We build the connective tissue of the city, one small group at a time.
→ The first step is simply showing up
You don’t need to be an artist. You don’t need to have it all figured out. In fact, it’s better if you don’t. Hold the button to find your seat at the table — whether that means a workshop, a volunteer hour, or a long conversation about what's possible.
Strawberry Collective exists to bridge gaps in mental health, wellness, and community access — particularly for underserved and historically marginalized communities. We operate as a healing-centered nonprofit rooted in radical care, creative expression, and social change.
The name Strawberry Collective symbolizes our commitment to grassroots connection — like the strawberry, resilient, sweet, and rooted close to the earth.
Healing-centered, trauma-informed, and deeply human. No productivity quotas, no rushed intakes — just people showing up for people.
We democratize access to wellness. Small communities should exist in every zip code, not just the ones with high property values.
Art as social glue. We've found it's easier to talk about the hard stuff when your hands are busy making a mess.
We build the village model of healing — where wellness isn't a box to check, but a lifestyle we maintain alongside our neighbors.
You don't need to have it figured out. In fact, it's better if you don't. We build small circles on the honest premise that we're all works in progress.
A live, detailed Google map view of the neighborhoods and nearby communities where Strawberry Collective is building partnerships, hosting creative wellness spaces, and growing youth-centered programs.
Four program pillars — from after-school SEL circles to community art therapy, youth sports leagues to mobile mental health workshops. Every program is designed around small groups and deep roots.
Sports leagues and a summer mini-camp for underserved Pittsburgh youth, ages 8–14. Eight-week multi-sport seasons with a 45-minute art therapy block every session — because movement and expression heal together.
After-school SEL therapy and expressive arts for Pennsylvania youth 8–14. Culturally responsive, trauma-informed facilitation with transportation and tech access built in — because a program you can't get to doesn't help anyone.
Mobile art-based mental health workshops deploying into five Pittsburgh-area schools, libraries, and community centers. Led by licensed art therapists and community health workers — a participant co-creation model.
Twice-monthly community wellness workshops at Steel Goat Marketplace, facilitated by licensed art therapist Sabrina Yoniak. The flagship of our "Make A Mess" campaign — trauma-informed, low-barrier, and deliciously imperfect.
→ Small circles · big conversations
Hosted by Dr. Kate Hostetler. Conversations about healing, creativity, youth empowerment, and what it actually takes to build community care in Pittsburgh — one episode at a time. Hold the button to step into the studio.
Writing from our founders and facilitators about what we're seeing, learning, and practicing — in Pittsburgh and beyond. Published occasionally, whenever there's something worth saying.
April 2026 · Founder’s Note
Walk through Lawrenceville, the North Side, or the Hill District right now and you can feel a specific kind of energy humming through the city. It isn’t the loud, clanging industrial energy of Pittsburgh’s past. It’s quieter — the sound of people gathering in small rooms to do something that for a long time felt radical: healing together.
Read the full piece →April 2026 · Practice
For a long time the conversation around mental health has been reactive — we wait until the wheels come off before looking for help. It’s like waiting for a car to break down on the Parkway East before checking the oil. Preventive wellness is the practice of building emotional resilience, social connection, and creative outlets into daily life before we hit a breaking point.
Read the full piece →April 2026 · Youth & Civic Life
Volunteering is linked to 97% higher odds of flourishing among adolescents. That isn’t a typo. When young people get a real seat at the table — not a token presence, but a chance to lead and solve problems — the results don’t stay personal. They ripple outward, touching schools, neighborhoods, and the institutions of tomorrow.
Read the full piece →Browse every field note in one place.
Visit the journal →Where the work happens out loud. Drop in for a Make A Mess workshop, a youth program, a sponsorship night, or a community circle. All ages welcome — you don’t need to be an artist, just willing to show up.
Bi-monthly drop-in art therapy session led by Sabrina Yoniak. No skill required — just curiosity and a willingness to get paint on your sleeves.
RSVP →Opening day of the spring multi-sport league for ages 8–14, paired with our 45-minute expressive arts block. Open to underserved Pittsburgh youth, registration waived.
Register →A small-group gathering for Pittsburgh healthcare workers, social workers, and first responders to process secondary trauma through somatic practice and creative expression.
RSVP →For potential sponsors, foundation partners, and healthcare providers exploring social-prescribing referrals. Light food, short program, real conversation.
Inquire →A four-person board combining clinical expertise, creative practice, operational rigor, and community roots. All signatories on our adopted bylaws.
KH
Founder · Clinical Director
Founder of The Strawberry Collective and Clinical Director of Mint Therapy Services. Provides clinical oversight and program design guidance for the Collective's therapeutic initiatives. Bylaws signatory.
JD
President / Chief Visionary Officer
Co-founder of Mint Therapy Services and CFO/Operations across both organizations. Runs finance, HR, and strategy for the Collective. Community basketball and track coach under the "Coach Jay" brand.
EP
Board Member
Board member and founding signatory on the adopted bylaws. Brings governance rigor and community perspective to the Collective as the organization scales its board structure.
SY
Board Member · Licensed Art Therapist
Leads community art therapy workshops and the expressive arts component of Play + Create. Facilitates twice-monthly Make A Mess sessions at Steel Goat Marketplace.
→ Community partners
Host venue for bi-monthly art therapy workshops. Partner in the Make A Mess campaign.
Clinical and operational parent organization. Provides art therapy staffing and infrastructure.
Youth programming partner via Coach Jay's track & cross country coaching pipeline.
Target deployment sites for Art for Resilience mobile workshops — in-kind agreements in development.
Whether you're looking for your circle, want to fund the work, or have a community you think we should meet — there's a seat at this table for you. You don't need to have it all figured out. In fact, it's better if you don't.
