When facilitating group art therapy for young adult male inmates in prison, response art helped an art therapist to build therapeutic bonds and maintain self-care. Both artmaking in-session and post-session enabled the art therapist to traverse relational distance, nurture trust, and create social bonds in the group. By reflecting on her response art, the author illustrates her journey with inmates across three therapeutic milestones: overcoming otherness, enabling empathic engagement, and instilling hope. Response art was instrumental in fostering genuine relationships and mitigating the effects of vicarious trauma.