Therapeutic Writing Resources

Lapidus http://www.lapidus.org.uk/
Founded in 1996, Lapidus is the UK organisation for writing and reading for health and wellbeing and works from the principle that words used creatively can be a powerful tool for health and personal, community and world development.

Word Sauce http://wordsauce.com/
Conversations, inspiration, courses and community in writing for personal development, health and wellbeing.

The Writers in Prison Network http://www.writersinprisonnetwork.org/
The Writers in Prison Network puts writers and creative artists into prisons to deliver creative writing, drama, video, music, oral storytelling, journalism, creative reading and publishing programmes.

MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes at the Metanoia Institute, etc
This course aims to prepare students for the considerable challenges and demands of working in the field of creative writing for therapeutic purposes.

National Association of Writers in Education http://www.nawe.co.uk
Specifically, NAWE have a new resource 'getting started as a writer in health and social care' http://www.nawe.co.uk/writing-in-education/writing-and-community/writing-and-healthcare.html

Individual Practioners

Gillie Bolton http://www.gilliebolton.com/
Gillie Bolton’s research and practice explores how expressive writing can enable people to reflect creatively about their lives and themselves. These processes are described in her books, including Reflective Practice Writing and Professional Development (Sage Publications), and Write Yourself: Creative Writing and Personal Development (Jessica Kingsley Publications).

Judy Clinton: www.writetohelpyourself.com
Dumping preoccupations on the page for 6 minutes, relaxation and meditation, writing spontaneously in response to a given stimulus, and then voluntary non-judgmental sharing - that's the method. It's a simple and very powerful way of coming to know yourself as you really are and to connect with others in a safe space.

River Wolton www.riverwolton.co.uk
An experienced workshop leader who specialises in tailor-made writing projects that engage people of all ages and backgrounds. Groups she has recently worked with include: refugees and asylum seekers, older people in residential care, young readers and writers, people with learning difficulties, carers and young mothers.

Lydia Fulleylove http://www.lydiafulleylove.co.uk/
A UK based poet, writer and facilitator. She is most at home when out of doors, whether in the hills, woods or by the sea. The power of place is often significant in the workshops she facilitates with a wide range of community groups, including schools, mental health and prison. Experience or memories of particular landscapes offer a focus through which participants may explore thoughts and feelings.
Therapeutic Writing Projects

Write to Life http://www.freedomfromtorture.org/survivor-voices/5112
Freedom from Torture’s therapeutic writing group provides clients with a creative outlet for their experiences and a way to explore the torture from their past and the difficulties of living in exile. It has evolved as the longest-running therapeutic writing group for torture survivors in the world.

Development and Empowerment for Women’s Advancement http://dewaproject.wordpress.com/home-2/ (shortly moving to: www.dewaproject.org)
The Women’s Voices project started out as a recipe booklet and turned into a published book of poems, stories and recipes produced by a diverse group of women from different cultures and communities, as well as a website to match! As the project grew, so did our confidence in our skills and our belief that we didn’t want to stop the work we were doing. Our response was to found DEWA (Development and Empowerment for Women’s Advancement)

Survivors Poetry. http://www.survivorspoetry.org/
Survivors’ Poetry (SP) is a survivor-led arts group coordinating artistic activities using poetry to make connections between creativity and mental health.

Please let us know if you have a website you would like added to this list.