Writing Therapy

‘If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.’ – Audre Lorde

I am a firm believer in the transformative power of writing.

The act and process of writing, say by journaling, composing a poem or just playing around with words, can connect us with an internal reservoir of knowledge that may be there in the background but just outside of our awareness – or as devoted diarist Virginia Woolf suggested, ‘It sweeps up accidentally several stray matters… which are the diamonds of the dustheap.’

Writing can be like a key, a compass, an anchor, and much more. In turn, you might think of Writing Therapy as a space where counselling, writing, literature and language can align and form a new constellation of insight and self-understanding. I believe that using writing this way can not only aid us in navigating our life’s journey but also help our inner and outer landscapes flourish and bloom in ways we may have previously felt impossible – and isn’t this the essence of therapy?

I have undertaken specialised training in this area through the Metanoia Institute London, Professional Writing Academy and Center for Journal Therapy, and am proud to be the only Certified Instructor of Kathleen Adams’ Journal to the Self® workshop in Ireland. I have facilitated or co-facilitated workshops around creative writing and wellbeing at Big Smoke Writing Factory and PCI College, and have also led two creative/reflective writing groups for therapists. I am myself a mentee of UK-based writer and creative consultant Meg-John Barker.

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