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TUCSON- Laura Tanner and her 12-year-old daughter Jamie know pain.

"Looking back I can see what I put her through, which really sucks," Tanner says.

When the domestic violence in Tanner's second marriage spiraled out of control, she turned to Emerge! "I had to step up to the plate and make a change," Tanner says.

Every week she and Jamie meet with counselors. Part of their therapy is an alternative mode of therapy called Art Expression. "We paint, we color, we read books," Tanner says.

"They're able to take what they're feeling, put it on paper and both process what they're feeling and let us know exactly what they're going through," says Anna Stevens-Denae of Emerge!.

She says the art expression can also come in the form of sculpting, even knitting.

Tanner says it has helped her envision a brighter future for her and Jamie. "My whole life is different than it once was," Tanner says. "I just need to recognize that my daughter and I deserve the best."

Now Tanner hopes her story will encourage other victims to stop the cycle of domestic violence.

For more information about the Art Expression program at Emerge! you can call (520) 795-8001 or send an email to info@emergecenter.org