The Moving On project is an initiative of Griffith University and the Aftercare Resource Centre, a service agency established to meet the ongoing needs of ex-residents of institutional childhood care in Queensland. This collaborative action research project is funded by a three-year Australian Research Council Linkage Grant to explore the question: Can drama be used to empower the survivors of trauma and abuse to redress the negative consequences of these experiences and move on in their lives? This paper focuses on the lasting impact of long-term institutional child abuse and the way drama is being used in the counselling process to build the self-capacity of abuse survivors.