Helen Denham
Helen is one of the founders of The bIRch House. Over the course of twenty years, she developed a variety of arts-based workshops, which she offered to survivors through Incest Resources at both local and out of state sites. She also helped organize community-building events for survivors, including theater performances, art quilt exhibits, and holiday gatherings. Helen is a self-taught artist whose work is focused on increasing awareness about the impact of childhood trauma. Her art has been exhibited at a variety of venues in the Boston area including Cambridge College, the Massachusetts State House, the Harriet Tubman Gallery, the Boston East Gallery, and the StoveFactory Gallery. In addition to her volunteer work with Incest Resources and The bIRch House, Helen has been involved in the field of special education for over thirty years. A child of deaf adults, she is fluent in American Sign Language.
Valerie Kirr
Valerie is one of the founders of The bIRch House. Valerie is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor who utilizes both traditional talk therapy and expressive therapies in her work. As a professional counselor, she has over twenty-five years of experience in the field of mental health, including working with both child victims and adult survivors of trauma. Valerie is a long-term friend and ally of Incest Resources, and is committed to the development of The bIRch House as a welcoming and sustaining community for women to heal from incest and childhood sexual abuse. Her areas of expertise and interest include creative arts programming; body-based and mindfulness workshops; support groups; educational presentations; survivor discussions; and special events.
Cynthia Mochowski
Cynthia is one of the founders of The bIRch House. As a ten-year volunteer with Incest Resources, Cynthia led survivor writing workshops, sharing her love of words and encouraging others to tell their stories. She also facilitated support groups, served as a conference presenter, and helped organize survivor events including theater performances, art quilt exhibits, and book readings. Professionally, Cynthia has been in the field of education for twenty-four years and is currently a high school English teacher. She edited two books about surviving incest and childhood sexual abuse –Healing My Life: from Incest to Joy by Donna Jenson and Plaid by Pia Moorland
