Writing for Psychological Survival (6.5 CEUs)

Description

“It is a creative act of courage to tell the story and write the poem, to encounter one’s griefs, angers, and shame, and to choose a creative channel to intentionally funnel one’s emotions.”— Sherry Reiter

When confronted with crisis, scientists tell us there are three responses to stress: fight, flight, or freeze. Dr. Sherry Reiter, a New York based registered poetry therapist and clinical social worker, makes a compelling case for a fourth alternative–the therapeutic power of expressive writing.  This unique primer features thirteen ordinary (yet extraordinary) narratives, with the actual writing that paved the way through trauma and crisis for psychological survival. We meet Nadia, a teen who becomes pregnant, Preston, a Vietnam veteran suffering from ptsd, Alyssa, who battles cancer, Rich, whose mother suffers from Alzheimers, and Barbara, a victim of domestic violence among others.

Critics Praise * * * * *
Transformative Writing — as evidenced by the diversity of writers who contribute to this ground-breaking collection — illuminates what’s enduring, what’s life-giving, what makes us human. Each writer in this book holds up a lantern of transformative writing to show us not just the way through the dark, but how meeting the darkness with curiosity and compassion makes life shimmer with meaning.

–Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, founder and coordinator of Transformative Language Arts (TLA) at Goddard College

There is abundant scientific evidence that “expressive writing” is a profound way to affect health and well-being. This text is a stellar example of “everyday” people discovering this truth first-hand. Along with this, Dr. Reiter is keenly sensitive to the way sharing our stories reveal soul and the remarkable resilience of human beings.
–John Fox, author of Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-making

President, The Institute for Poetic Medicine

In these remarkable stories, we bear witness to the transformation of pain into power. Sherry Reiter makes an undeniable case for writing as a way through human suffering, with case studies that are nearly archetypal … A vital and necessary contribution to the literature of therapeutic writing.

–Kathleen Adams, author, Journal to the Self and The Way of the Journal

Dr. Sherry Reiter, one of the pioneers in poetry therapy, is a uniquely gifted writer, practitioner, and educator. Her writing speaks to the heart in a sensitive yet disciplined manner and is compelling because it draws from real life professional experience. In essence, Dr. Reiter’s artistic approach to writing is research of the highest order filling a significant gap in the professional literature. –Nicholas Mazza, Editor of The Journal of Poetry Therapy; The Interdisciplinary Journal of Practice, Theory, Research and Education.

Note: Sherry Reiter, Phd, LCSW,  is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s Board for Social Work As An Approved Provider for Licensed Social Workers. #SW-0528. If you are reside in a state other than New York, it is your responsibility to confirm that these credits are transferrable in your own state and recognized by the state board of your own particular profession.

This course is equivalent to 6.5 CEUs.   To take this course—“Writing for Psychological Survival,” the book Writing Away the Demons:Stories of Creative Coping Through Transformative Writing must be purchased separately from amazon.com. Your multiple choice post-quiz will be sent to your e-mail within 48 hours of your registration. Certificates will be sent via e-mail within 48 hours of receiving your completed post-quiz.

Questions? E-Mail: info@thecreativerightingcenter.com