64th Annual Conference

Friday, March 9

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Workshop 61

Put it in Writing: Survival and Growth in a Writing Group

Chair:

Dominick Grundy, Ph.D., CGP, Consultant, Psychological Counseling & Development Center, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York

Writing has been shown to have therapeutic benefit, and it is also associated with professional and creative growth.  It can be lonely, but writing is also a unique form of relating to others.  We will demonstrate how the group mode is used to enhance meaningful interaction and personal development.

experiential, sharing of work experiences, didactic, demonstration

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Integrate creativity with a crowded professional lifespace.

2. Use group setting to support writing as a therapeutic activity.

3. Identify and work with rationalizations for not writing due to anxiety.

Course References:

1. Grundy, D. (1989). Writing, Counseling and the University. The Arts in Psychotherapy. 16(3), 193-200.
2. Keyes, R. (1995). The Courage to Write: How writers transcend fear. New York: Henry Holt
3. Lepore, S. and Smyth, J. (Eds.). (2002). The Writing Cure: How expressive writing promotes health and emotional well-being. Washington, D.C: American Psychological Association.