Unlock the Therapeutic Power of Writing

with Monica's Expert Guidance

  • Join us on a transformative journey into the world of therapeutic writing and enhance your professional practice, opening imaginative ways of working with your clients.

  • Guided by Monica, a seasoned expert in the field, this journey will be an adventure that will take you into the powerful world of writing, sharing deep connections with your clients. You'll both gain profound insights into different perspectives of emotional and psychological well-being. This will make a significant difference to the impact of your therapeutic work.

  • If you're wondering how to seamlessly integrate this transformational process into your practice, Monica is here to support you. Her expert guidance will provide access to proven methods and techniques for working with creative writing. These skills will help you provide more comprehensive and impactful therapy and also lead to a profound shift in how you engage with your clients.

  • Are you ready to unlock new dimensions of self-expression and healing in your practice?

By the End of This Programme, You'll Have Acquired:

  • Enhanced Therapeutic Writing Skills

    This course equips you with therapeutic writing skills, allowing you to unlock the transformative potential of writing and elevate your professional practice. You will provide more impactful therapy, thereby facilitating a deeper level of self-expression and emotional healing in your clients.

  • Deeper Client Connections

    Guided by Monica, a seasoned expert, you will embark on an extraordinary journey into the realm of therapeutic writing. You'll establish profound connections with your clients, gaining deeper insights into their emotional and psychological well-being, and making a significant impact on their lives.

  • Innovative Engagement Strategies

    The course offers innovative methods to engage with your clients. This empowers you to adapt your approach to their individual needs, thereby expanding the dimensions of your therapeutic practice. Furthermore, you'll explore how therapeutic writing has evolved to include creative writing and how creative writing can address a range of issues in therapeutic practice.

  • Emotional Insights

    A core component of the training involves deepening your understanding of emotional insights. You'll gain the ability to effectively guide your clients through their emotional journeys using writing. This process-oriented approach is crucial in unlocking the creative flow of writing and revealing insights into emotions.

  • Literary Strategies for Therapy

    The training introduces you to the main literary strategies used in creative therapeutic writing. These strategies will significantly enhance your therapeutic work by facilitating self-expression and healing. You'll also trace the historical evolution of therapeutic writing, including its roots in Freud's flow of free association.

  • Transformation and Self-Support

    The course emphasizes that using therapeutic writing is powerful and transformative. However, it's vital for practitioners to be comfortable with their own writing practice and to have adequate support for themselves before introducing writing into their practice with clients. This approach ensures both you and your clients benefit from this unique and effective therapeutic process.

Above All Else...

By acquiring these comprehensive benefits, you will provide more meaningful therapy, leading to a profound transformation in how you engage with your clients. Additionally, you'll be encouraged to maintain a work journal, promoting personal growth, enhancing clarity of thought and intentions, and building confidence in the therapeutic writing process. Ultimately, you will be prepared to unlock new dimensions of self-expression and healing in your professional practice.

The Foundation Certificate in creative writing for therapeutic practice will Transform Your Therapeutic Approach.

Enrollment will open soon.

A 25 hour live training over 18 weeks

Each Session will include an introduction to the theme, suggested reading material (a book chapter, a short text given beforehand), writing, sharing, working in pairs / small groups, discussion and Q&A.

The Seven Sessions

There will be specific texts recommended for each session; these will be given in good time to allow for reading and reflection.

Session 1

The theoretical framework of strategies and process.

This presentation will refer to the literature on reflective writing and writing for wellbeing. We’ll explore how the many areas of the human condition, which are dealt with in therapy, can benefit from a variety of writing techniques. Connections will be made between writing and the body, how to develop exploratory writing, the issues around privacy, pen and paper, risks and boundaries, an approach to fear and blocks and how to engage your own feelings. We will address the role of trust and the Socratic use of questions. And talk about the importance of reading off the page and how this leads to personal empowerment. Our learning will be underpinned with an experiential approach as well as selected texts.

Session 2

Belief System: what underpins your work

This session will address what you bring to your practice through exploring the early imprint of beliefs from childhood, alongside your current values. We will also look at how the unknown plays a key role both in exploratory writing and in therapeutic work.

Session 3

Authority of the Self: Skills, Trust & Your Truth

Knowing the limit of your skills and trusting what you know, as well as your intuition, will be the ground we explore in this session. We will look at where authority rests in your belief system and how you hold to what you trust.

Session 4

The Healing Power of Writing: mental health & traumatic memories

This session will look at the beneficial ways of writing to avoid re-stimulating traumatic memories and reference the facilitator Monica Suswin’s own writing on recovery from episodic and time-limited clinical depressions. The integration of the Ill Self and the Well Self will be addressed, which is covered in Monica’s book A Fox Crossed My Path. This will be essential reading for this session.

Session 5

Fears & Frustrations: addressing blocks & anxiety creatively

In this session we will take time to stay with the emotions as they express themselves in the body. Metaphors will come into their own as we write and describe these feelings and sensations. Part of the process will be monitoring how the writing may be transformative.

Session 6

Extending The Metaphor: Insights & Surprises

Following the previous session we will now explore other writing strategies which may stem from metaphorical descriptions underpinned with the inner emotional life. The use of Voice in writing enables us to name truths, which may otherwise be elusive. We will give direct expression to the many facets of Voice which arise from our use of metaphor. And learn how to follow where the writing takes us.

Session 7

The Unsent Letter: an incredibly powerful way of writing directly to another

We will explore how to develop the unsent letter into an extended and imaginative correspondence. As well as addressing a living person, the power of the letter form can be written to anyone either in the deep time of history, or to those we know who have died.

Final Sessions 8

Students will present readings, insights, reflections on the course and how their own writing has benefitted. This will be a conclusion to the course, going over any material which feels necessary, answering questions.
  • In this course, you will gain an introduction into using creative writing for therapeutic practice. Learn the main literary strategies used in creative therapeutic writing and an understanding of how writing reveals insights into emotions

  • Learning will be mainly experiential backed by reflections and discussions; writing is an excellent way of assessing what you know and what you think and can then act as the impetus for further learning

  • Using this kind of writing is powerful and transformative and requires practitioners are comfortable with their own writing practice and have support for themselves before introducing writing into their practice with their clients/patients.

  • This foundation certificate will broaden your work with clients supporting you to assess and work with a range of complex client presentations, working safely and effectively.

  • Teaching various writing styles will serve as an introductory gateway to deeper explorations within the therapeutic client relationship.

  • The initial seven sessions will be spaced mostly two weeks apart, offering you ample time to fully absorb the training content and seamlessly integrate it into your therapeutic practice. Throughout this journey, you'll also have opportunities to engage in readings, share valuable insights, and reflect on how your own writing has enriched your therapeutic approach. As the course reaches its conclusion, we will address any remaining topics and provide answers to any questions or concerns you may have, ensuring you are well-prepared for the next phase of your professional development.

  • Furthermore, you will be encouraged to maintain a personal work journal as a private tool for self-improvement. This practice will significantly enhance the clarity of your thoughts and intentions. Through consistent writing, you'll not only build confidence in your therapeutic writing skills but also gain experience which will help guide your own clients.

  • Supervision time will be integrated during the training.

  • Any special requests? Please contact us at [email protected]

Course Fees

You can choose to pay the course fees in one single payment or choose our instalment plan. Get full course access as soon as you pay the first instalment. Contact us to apply to the pay what you can option

Who can apply to the training ?

Qualified carers or trainees in year 2

The prerequisite for this course is that all participants must be qualified therapists, coaches, or experienced caregivers. Additionally, participants who are in their second year of training are also eligible to enroll.
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#Temenos online training on therapeutic writing

Application process

  • Please follow the link to apply on the Temenos website and to pay your deposit. This is to secure your place on the course.

  • You will be invited to an hour and a half induction meeting for course orientation for course orientation and to ask any questions. It will also be an opportunity to get to know your peers.

  • Once you've registered for the course, you should get in touch with us. Please send us your qualifications, express your motivations for enrolling in the training, outline your expectations, and provide information about your prior writing experience. This information will help us tailor the course to better meet your needs and goals.

Resources

  • Powerpoint slides will be used during the training.

  • An initial reading list will be provided upon acceptance onto the course.

  • All the session will be recorded and accessible after the course

  • You will have access to all the videos from the self learning videos of the Foundation certificate

  • As a student, you will have the opportunity to take part in either two 20-minute one-on-one sessions with Monica or a single 40-minute session as part of the course. Additionally, you will be able to engage in peer group discussions and participate in forum interactions.

Additional information

  • It’s important that the learning environment is safe for you and your group. Should the material of the course impact you to the point where your learning & that of the group is impacted then your tutor will arrange a tutorial with you. In exceptional circumstances, for your safety, you may be withdrawn from the course.

  • An assessment will take place for the final presentation at the conclusion of the programme. To be eligible for certification, a minimum attendance rate of 80% during the live training sessions is also a requirement.

25 Hour Training Course

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30 Days to Change Your Mind

Cancellation Policy:

We get it, life happens and plans can change. Here's what you need to know about our cancellation policy for the Foundation Certificate in therapeutic writing.

Refund and Rescheduling:

Should you wish to withdraw within 30 days of making the full payment or the first instalment, and there's still over a month before the course commences, we'll provide a full refund.

If you've been enrolled for more than a month, but there's still over 60 days until the course begins, you're eligible for a 50% refund.

For those who decide to cancel with 30-60 days remaining before the course starts, we can offer a 25% refund.

Regrettably, if there are fewer than 30 days left before the course starts, we cannot offer a refund.

If you're on a payment plan, refunds will be calculated based on the amount you've already paid. Please note, any outstanding amounts are still payable to Temenos Education Ltd.

If circumstances change, you have the option to reschedule and join a future training programme within the year, subject to availability.

Substitution:

Unable to attend the course? Not to worry. You can nominate a suitable replacement to attend in your stead at no additional cost. They will need to meet all the course prerequisites.

We aim to be as accommodating as possible. Should you have any queries or require assistance with the cancellation or rescheduling process, our team is here to assist.


So... Any Questions? Here's What Your Fellow Learners Have Asked Before Clicking Enroll.

  • Where will the course be conducted?

    The course will be conducted on the Zoom Video Meeting Platform. Participants will receive a link to join the sessions prior to the start date. Ensure you have the Zoom application installed and a stable internet connection for the best experience.

  • What is the duration of the Foundation Certificate in understanding collision of trauma and menopause ?

    25 hours over 18 weeks

  • Is the course suitable for practitioners at all experience levels?

    Indeed, the Foundation Certificate is thoughtfully designed to accommodate practitioners of all experience levels. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just beginning your journey in the field, this course provides essential knowledge and practical skills in therapeutic writing. We acknowledge that not all frontline practitioners initially possess experience in guiding client journeys, but many do bring transferable skills to the table. This training is meticulously crafted to harness and further develop these skills, making it a valuable choice for novices and experienced practitioners alike who aspire to excel in the realm of therapeutic writing.

  • Will I receive a qualification upon completion of the course?

    Yes, upon successful completion, you will be awarded the Temenos Qualification with the title of Foundation Certificate in therapeutic writing.

  • Can I access course materials after the completion of the programme?

    Yes, you will have continued access to the course materials even after completing the programme.

  • Is there any required prior knowledge or prerequisites for enrolling in this course?

    No, there is no prior knowledge required to enrol in this course. Possibility of pre-course reading as a foundation for the deeper work and focus on the therapist’s role and writing process.

  • Will there be opportunities for practical application and feedback during the course?

    Certainly, within the course, participants will engage in numerous opportunities for practical application. These include active participation in both large group discussions and smaller, more intimate group settings. This multifaceted structure guarantees ongoing learning, hands-on experience, and a consistent path to improvement throughout the entire training program.

  • How will this course benefit professionals wanting to add group facilitation to their skill set?

    This course is thoughtfully crafted to empower professionals with a profound understanding of the nuanced art of therapeutic writing. It substantially enriches their skill set in this specialized field of practice. By delivering comprehensive knowledge and practical techniques, it equips professionals to provide holistic support to clients seeking therapeutic writing as a means of self-expression and healing, thus fortifying their expertise. Professionals completing this course will be well-prepared to create nurturing and creative spaces for self-exploration, facilitate transformative therapeutic interactions, and provide invaluable support to individuals on their journey of self-discovery and healing through the transformative power of the written word.

  • What is the teaching approach used in this course?

    The teaching approach used in this course is a multifaceted one, combining various instructional methods to ensure a comprehensive learning experience. It includes a blend of lectures, group discussions, hands-on practical exercises, case studies, and interactive activities. This approach encourages active participation and critical thinking, allowing participants to gain a deep understanding of the subject matter while honing their practical skills. Additionally, the course promotes a learner-centered environment, where participants actively engage with the material and with each other, fostering collaborative learning and mutual support.

Monica Suswin

Senior Practitioner, Expert in Writing and Teaching for Well-being and a solid understanding of psychotherapy

Monica has a long history of working with the written and spoken word as well as a background in humanistic psychotherapy, training with Gerda Boyesen, the Norwegian founder of Biodynamic Psychotherapy.

She has worked as a producer for BBC Radio 4, and gained an MA in Creative Writing (Sussex University 2002).

Her contributions to the field of Writing for Wellbeing have been published in anthologies and journals and more recently a couple of articles in Therapy Today (2022/23). 

She is the author of four books on creative therapeutic writing, drawing on her own experimental and exploratory writing with exercises and notes for practitioners. The series is edited by Dr Gillie Bolton, an international expert in the field. She has given presentations and spoken about the beneficial impact of expressive and imaginative writing at conferences and Surrey University.

Monica is a member of Lapidus International (The Writing for Wellbeing Community) and NAWE (The National Association of Writers in Education).

Monica s website


Are you ready to immerse yourself in a profound and transformative journey ? This unique training experience is designed to elevate your therapeutic expertise, fostering a comprehensive understanding of therapeutic writing. Armed with this knowledge, you will be well-equipped to guide and engage in meaningful conversations and therapeutic sessions.This training is your gateway to creating a profound impact in the lives of your clients.

Beginning your training journey with Monica Suswin

Dear Participants,

 

I am thrilled to welcome you to our upcoming therapeutic writing course. As you embark on this transformative journey, I will share why I am honoured to be your tutor through this experience.

 

With over 20 years of developing my own style of writing workshops that cater to both creative and therapeutic needs, I have had the privilege of witnessing the profound impact of writing on personal growth and healing. My extensive background in humanistic psychotherapy and running groups has equipped me with the skills to understand and meet the specific needs of individuals within a group, whether it's a small gathering or a larger assembly.

 

The ability to adapt to different group sizes and contexts is a hallmark of my work. I've led sessions for groups as small as two participants and, on occasion, larger groups of over 35. My experience also extends to delivering presentations at university settings and conferences, where I've shared my work through readings of prose and poems with contextual explanations.

 

I understand the therapeutic power of writing on a deeply personal level. Having faced and overcome six separate clinical depressions, I've explored the healing potential of creative therapeutic writing first-hand. My journey through these experiences forms the basis of my book, "A Fox Crossed My Path: Creative Therapeutic Writing on a Depressive Illness”. In one of our sessions I'll be drawing examples and suggestions from this book.

 

My training at the BBC in the 1980s instilled in me a rigorous commitment to ethical standards, which I bring to all aspects of my work. This dedication extends to how I collaborate with others, my handling of the written and spoken word, and my adherence to the ethical and moral codes of a practitioner working therapeutically.

 

As your tutor, my mission is to create a safe, supportive, and empowering environment for your personal and professional growth. I look forward to embarking on this enriching journey together and exploring the incredible potential of therapeutic writing.

 

Best wishes,

 

Monica