Diploma in Creative Therapeutic Journaling

This is a Diploma course in the art of journaling (personal creative writing) for the purposes of self-exploration, self-growth, self-expression and/or self-therapy. The course may be taken for self-development or by counsellors, psychotherapists and helping professionals who would like an additional tool for assisting clients, particularly those recovering from trauma.

The course may also help people thinking of writing their memoirs, life story or autobiography.

The course is in two parts. Part One introduces the student to the art of self-expression through writing through a set of warm-up lessons with illustrative essays. The lessons concern the emotions evoked by starting to write, handling memories, the process of allowing the writing to flow and fitting writing into your life, as well as about strategies to get you started, keep you writing, and use time, further reflection and editing skills to hone what you have written.

Part Two looks at how various writers have used poetry, prose and memoirs to tell their stories, and gives further instructions and exercises for creating your own work. Topics used as writing examples and/or stimuli include relationships, stages of life, childhood, trauma, illness, disability, caring, bereavement, and spirituality.