CREATIVE WRITING IN THE THERAPEUTIC ENCOUNTER

2 Day Workshop

Tuesday 8th & Wednesday 9th April 2025

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FEEDBACK FROM COURSE ATTENDEES:

"Allow your own - or your client's - words to illuminate the darkness."

Bob S, Psychotherapist

"The opportunity to write freely within this course was borne out of a real sense of sensitivity and safety that was provided by Claire, the tutor, providing new skills in writing that will continue to benefit me, as well as when working with my clients therapeutically."

Georgia C, Psychotherapist

"An inspiring and practical introduction to uses of creative writing in therapy"

Caroline Hukins, Counsellor

"Transformative in exploring, understanding and tackling own life narratives."

Rebecca Flintham MBACP

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Click Here to Book Now!

Dates : Tuesday 8th & Wednesday 9th April 2025 (2 Day Workshop)

Times : 9.30am – 4.30pm both days (BST)

Alternative Dates and Timings: Please click links as timings may vary Tuesday 2nd-Wednesday 3rd September 2025 or Tuesday 21st and Wednesday April 22nd 2026

Location : Online

TRAINER : Claire Williamson (MA, SFHEA) Scroll down to see more about the trainer

Cost : £195

CLICK HERE TO BOOK NOW

This experiential 2-day course focuses on creative writing and its use within therapy, therapeutic settings and self-supervision.

Therapists often work with client’s writing, or encourage clients to create within, or between, sessions. Some therapists have trained to be ‘poetry therapists’ and divide sessions between writing and discussion of the text, accelerating the process, or evincing new strands to the therapeutic work.

There is a risk to introducing writing, as it is revealing and sometimes walks the line between vulnerability and healing; there can be concerns about ‘quality’, which therapists can allay with a good understanding of creative writing as both a magnifying and softening tool, to say the ‘unsayable’, or to understand experience in a more tangible form.

Some counsellors and psychotherapists use creative writing as part of their own reflective practice to understand transferential relationships, create boundaries between sessions, and for personal and professional development.

Through experiential practice, this workshop will explore some helpful techniques and raise confidence in using the written (and spoken) word.

The workshop will focus on a range of applications, including:

Supporting client metaphors
Concrete and abstract images into words – poetry as resource
Narratives and counter-narratives
Reflective practice – employing form for clients and self-supervision
Autobiographical fiction
Applications and limitations

An empathic, relational approach will be experienced first hand as the process of the training is trauma-informed.

CLAIRE WILLIAMSON

Claire brings an integrative approach to using creative writing in the therapeutic encounter. She’s the former Director of Studies for Metanoia Institute’s MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes (CWTP), with over 20 years experience in the field of CWTP, including work in bereavement, mental health, addiction recovery, self-injury, cancer care, plus many educational and artistic settings.

Claire has facilitated training for counsellors at City of Bristol College’s FD in Counselling and UWE’s Diploma in Counselling. She also works with medical students at University of Bristol and Queen Mary University in London, exploring how creativity can support people within healthcare settings.

She’s a Senior Fellow of the higher education academy, with a Masters degree in Literary Studies (exploring the life sustaining effects of writing) and studying at Cardiff University for a PhD in Creative Writing (Writing the 21^st century grief novel), with a Counselling Skills qualification (UWE).

Claire is the author of four poetry/narrative books, Visiting the Minotaur (Seren, 2018) Split Ends (Eyewear, 2016), The Soulwater Pool (2008) and Ride On (PoTA, 2005).

WHO THIS WORKSHOP IS DESIGNED FOR : Counsellors, psychotherapists, coaches and health workers are welcome to attend this workshop.

PREPARATION BEFORE THE COURSE STARTS : Total 2 ½ hours

There is preparatory work to be completed before the course begins.

Before DAY ONE : 40 minutes of video to watch & approx. 45 minutes of reading

Before DAY TWO : 30 minutes of video to watch & approx. 30 minutes of reading

NB If you prefer, you can watch both the videos and complete the reading before the workshop starts.

SLIDES AND EXERCISES : The handouts and exercises will be sent to you by email, one week before the workshop. We will ask you to either print these out, or have a way of reading them during the workshop.

FOR FULL INFORMATION ON THIS COURSE CLICK HERE

APPROVED FOR CPD : This course has been approved by NCIP- National Council Of Integrative Psychotherapists. This course will give you 15 hours of CPD

MAXIMUM NUMBERS : 30

Therapists Insurance: By booking on this workshop you confirm that you have sufficient insurance to offer therapy to the public. (We are required by the NCIP, who accredit this workshop, to ask you to confirm this). If there is any discrepancy please let us know by contacting [email protected]

CANCELLATIONS : Any request to change (eg defer to alternative dates) or cancel your place at a workshop, that is made at less than 21 days before the course start date will be charged in full. Any cancellation / amendments / requests to defer before 21 days, will be subject to a 12.5% handling charge.

FOR MORE INFO : If you have further questions please email: [email protected] or call Juliet Grayson on 01291 638805

Organised through Sleeping Mountain Ltd