SBIR-STTR Award

Arts and Narrative therapies have been shown to be beneficial for Veterans and Service Members traumatized by life experiences. The Warrior Stories Platform provides therapists and Service Members a tool to create rich, healing stories in a graphic novel format. The platform uses active assistance to provide authors support during the creation process by assisting them in structuring their story, finding appropriate art, and adding contextual sounds. Art libraries are provided in a variety of themes, and a rich symbol library helps authors express complex feelings without having to render concrete scenes in detail. Characters, backgrounds, props, and symbols are all highly configurable using proprietary technology, and all are searchable not just by name but also by emotion, mission type, event, and location. The platform allows use in individual, group, and therapist-supervised settings.

Keywords:
graphic novel, comic, PTSD, art therapy, narrative therapy, psychological health

Art- and narrative-based software tools that clients can employ under the supervision of professional therapists and, when appropriate, on their own, would be a positive addition to the military mental health system. Particularly given the rise in telehealth options, a flexible solution adaptable to varied client and therapist needs would open new pathways to treatment and healing. The Warrior Stories Platform provides Service Members and Veterans with a suite of tools to tell their stories in graphic novel format, for personal therapy, for sharing, or for both.