CREATE WITH US

Sophia’s Center for the Healing Arts

Nurture wisdom of the heart through creative expression in community

In a world that emphasizes production, performance, and overthinking, Sophia’s Center values process, human connection, and meaningful experience. Our mission is to nurture wisdom of the heart through creative expression in community.

About Us

Offerings

Sophia’s Center offers classes and workshops that encourage creative self-expression through words, images, and movement. Join us for an upcoming expressive writing, collage, or yoga class here! We also have free “open studio” hours where all are welcome to enjoy the space, use supplies, and build community.

“Sophia”

“Sophia” is the Greek word for “wisdom” and represents an ancient, feminine presence who leads us back to heart-centered, creative wisdom. Sophia’s Center for the Healing Arts aims to honor and cultivate the wise, core creative essence we all carry.

Join us for a class, workshop, or open studio!

Meet the Director

Claire Coenen (M.S.W., M.Ed., M.T.S.) is a writer, yoga teacher, and facilitator with a passion for sharing the renewing and liberating powers of the creative process with her community. Claire’s first collection of poems, The Beautiful Keeps Breathing (published by Kelsay Books, 2024), explores themes of imaginative power, loss, and healing. Claire offers mentorships, workshops, and retreats focused on writing, collage, yoga, and creativity online and locally.

A lifelong learner, Claire earned a Master of Education & Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University and received her Master of Social Work from The University of Tennessee. In 2021, she completed the Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program, a two year post graduate program offered by the Nashville Center for Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Therapy. As a Kripalu-trained yoga instructor and a former psychotherapist, Claire integrates her understanding of the body’s wisdom and depth psychology into her offerings. Claire has been fortunate to work with a multitude of teachers, therapists, and mentors from a variety of different traditions. While Claire has gained knowledge from her formal training, she has tapped into wisdom through her relationships, lived experiences, and creative explorations.

Originally from Athens, GA, Claire loves living in Nashville with her husband Davey and dog, Lion.

Learn more about Claire at www.clairecoenen.com.

Sophia’s Center

May

Healing Arts

for the

‍ ‍be a place where we

  • Value the unique soul of each person who enters it

  • Encourage creative meaning-making

  • Foster collaboration and thread a web of community

  • Offer warmth and steadfast hospitality

  • Practice tenacious compassion and human honesty

  • Ignite imaginative power and courage

  • Cultivate peace, joy, and laughter

“The mind has its logic; the heart alone can know wisdom, bridge chasms, make peace.”

-Marion Woodman & Elinor Dickson

Follow us on Instagram to know the latest at Sophia’s Center!

studio views✨🌀
studio views✨🌀
New Workshop Alert! 🌀Alchemy of Writing & Art led by Mary Phillips🌀 🗓️July 6th, 2026 at 7 PM ✏️sign up through the link in our bio ✨Alchemy, simply defined, is a power or process that transforms something in a mysterious or inexplicable way. Expressive writing is an alchemical experience which fosters transformation through discovery, growth, and healing. 🌟Mary Phillips (MSN, PMHNP-BC) is a psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner with 25 years of experience as a registered nurse, and 18 years as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Mary is a lifelong journaler, writer, and documenter of her daily life and her inner world.
🧘‍♀️Gentle Flow Yoga 🧘‍♂️ Mondays at 6 PM / Tuesdays at 6:15 PM / Fridays at 10 AM Led by @claire.coenen All experience levels welcome
🧘‍♀️Gentle Flow Yoga 🧘‍♂️ Mondays at 6 PM / Tuesdays at 6:15 PM / Fridays at 10 AM Led by @claire.coenen All experience levels welcome
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." -Anne Lamott
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." -Anne Lamott
Artist Spotlight🎨 The art in Sophia's Center was intentionally chosen to inspire people in the space. I wanted to include art that shines a light on the wonder of nature and the power of storytelling The cyanotypes by @marbreymyerscreative capture
Artist Spotlight🎨 The art in Sophia's Center was intentionally chosen to inspire people in the space. I wanted to include art that shines a light on the wonder of nature and the power of storytelling The cyanotypes by @marbreymyerscreative capture the shapes, texture, and shadows in the natural world. I love how creating a cyanotype involves finding something from the natural world and bringing it into the light. Marbrey finds a fern or flower that most of us would walk by and uses sun & water to transform it into a piece of art we can cherish. -@claire.coenen, Founder of @sophiascenter
Sophia’s Center for the Healing Arts is a gathering place. Our classes and workshops encourage creative self-expression through words, images, and movement alongside others. Head to the link in our bio to explore available classes and worksh
Sophia’s Center for the Healing Arts is a gathering place. Our classes and workshops encourage creative self-expression through words, images, and movement alongside others. Head to the link in our bio to explore available classes and workshops!
The month of May was wonderful at Sophia's Center for the Healing Arts! We enjoyed seeing so many people creatively express themselves through writing, collaging, and yoga🌀🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️📝 Be sure to check out June's calendar so you can join us
The month of May was wonderful at Sophia's Center for the Healing Arts! We enjoyed seeing so many people creatively express themselves through writing, collaging, and yoga🌀🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️📝 Be sure to check out June's calendar so you can join us for our next class! Link in our bio✏️
Love is the true antithesis of fear. It expands where fear constricts. It embraces where fear repels. -Marion Woodman As Marion Woodman reminds us, love expands where fear constricts. It creates space for curiosity, compassion, creativity, and conne
Love is the true antithesis of fear. It expands where fear constricts. It embraces where fear repels. -Marion Woodman As Marion Woodman reminds us, love expands where fear constricts. It creates space for curiosity, compassion, creativity, and connection. This week, we invite you to notice where fear may be asking you to close your heart—and where love might be gently inviting you to open it instead. ✨ Where in your life are you choosing love today?
☀️June Workshops☀️ As summer approaches, explore exciting new topics in our recurring monthly workshops: 🌀Quiet Pages: Fireflies & Small Glimmers, led by @rebeccabauer, is a women's gathering for writing, reflecting, and highlighting the small
☀️June Workshops☀️ As summer approaches, explore exciting new topics in our recurring monthly workshops: 🌀Quiet Pages: Fireflies & Small Glimmers, led by @rebeccabauer, is a women's gathering for writing, reflecting, and highlighting the small glimmers that summer brings. 🌀SoulCollage® Circle: Images of Compassion, led by @clairecoenen, explores themes of compassion through the creation of collage cards. This is a great way to connect with your inner self. ✏️Sign up through the link in our bio
🌀UPCOMING WORKSHOP🌀 SoulCollage® Circle: Images of Compassion with @Claire.coenen Saturday, June 11, 2026 at 1 PM ✂️🖌️SoulCollage® is an expressive arts practice that fosters meaning and imagination. Through the exploration of images and
🌀UPCOMING WORKSHOP🌀 SoulCollage® Circle: Images of Compassion with @Claire.coenen Saturday, June 11, 2026 at 1 PM ✂️🖌️SoulCollage® is an expressive arts practice that fosters meaning and imagination. Through the exploration of images and the creation of collage cards that represent aspects of yourself, you can begin to relate to your strengths, struggles, joys, and sorrows in new ways. ✏️Sign up through the link in our bio!
studio views✨🌀
New Workshop Alert! 🌀Alchemy of Writing & Art led by Mary Phillips🌀 🗓️July 6th, 2026 at 7 PM ✏️sign up through the link in our bio ✨Alchemy, simply defined, is a power or process that transforms something in a mysterious or inexplicable way. E
🧘‍♀️Gentle Flow Yoga 🧘‍♂️ Mondays at 6 PM / Tuesdays at 6:15 PM / Fridays at 10 AM Led by @claire.coenen All experience levels welcome "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." -Anne Lamott Artist Spotlight🎨 The art in Sophia's Center was intentionally chosen to inspire people in the space. I wanted to include art that shines a light on the wonder of nature and the power of storytelling The cyanotypes by @marbreymyerscreative capture Sophia’s Center for the Healing Arts is a gathering place. Our classes and workshops encourage creative self-expression through words, images, and movement alongside others. Head to the link in our bio to explore available classes and worksh The month of May was wonderful at Sophia's Center for the Healing Arts! We enjoyed seeing so many people creatively express themselves through writing, collaging, and yoga🌀🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️📝 Be sure to check out June's calendar so you can join us Love is the true antithesis of fear. It expands where fear constricts. It embraces where fear repels. -Marion Woodman As Marion Woodman reminds us, love expands where fear constricts. It creates space for curiosity, compassion, creativity, and conne ☀️June Workshops☀️ As summer approaches, explore exciting new topics in our recurring monthly workshops: 🌀Quiet Pages: Fireflies & Small Glimmers, led by @rebeccabauer, is a women's gathering for writing, reflecting, and highlighting the small 🌀UPCOMING WORKSHOP🌀 SoulCollage® Circle: Images of Compassion with @Claire.coenen Saturday, June 11, 2026 at 1 PM ✂️🖌️SoulCollage® is an expressive arts practice that fosters meaning and imagination. Through the exploration of images and

Artwork by Rich Panico

Become an Impact Partner

Invest in the mission of Sophia's Center and help us create greater access to our programs and offerings.

Impact Partners provide vital support that allows us to expand programming, offer reduced-cost participation opportunities, and maintain a welcoming environment for all who walk through our doors.

3% Cover the Fee

Give $25 or more each month to unlock our "member perks:

  • One free Weekly class per month

  • 50% off a Monthly class or a Multiweek Series class per month