Transformational Journaling for Coaches, Therapists, and Clients
A Complete Guide to the Benefits of Personal Writing edited by Lynda Monk & Eric Maisel
I am thrilled to be a Contributing Author in this new edited collection, along with more than 50 coaches, therapists, and journaling experts from around the world share their best practices and explain in detail how they use journaling to improve their work with clients.
This edited collection brings together the leading voices of the journaling world into one ground-breaking volume, providing practical techniques and tools to use with clients.
The chapter I have contributed, lucky Chapter #13 opens up the section on “Journaling for Mental Health & Wellness”
Here is a preview of my Chapter–
” Journaling and cake. I love both and if I had to give one up, it would undoubtedly be cake. That truly testifies to how much I believe in the power of journaling to transform and improve mental health and wellness. From the very first journal I ever began, the “Dear Diary that came with the adorable key”, journaling was a soft place for me to land. I could listen to myself, put pen to paper to say, “I matter, my feelings and thoughts matter.”
Journal writing came easily because I enjoyed writing and in Grade 9, I actually won a Creative Writing Award. I enthusiastically embraced writing as an imaginative, creative outlet. It was a way to sort out my own emotional and mental states. You may be surprised to hear that journaling does not come easily to the majority of clients and journal keepers that I work with. Truly, this surprise became the biggest influence in my work as a counselor and workshop facilitator, working on the frontline as an addiction counselor in a 21 Day residential treatment centre for women and men from 15 -99 years old.
I very much admire this group of clients who were often in the throes of detox, facing recovery from drug and alcohol addiction as well as suffering complex trauma. For most of these clients, journal writing was challenging and I learned very early on that I could not make any “assumptions” that it should be easy. In fact, making any assumptions while working with clients is detrimental. The process of connecting to self through journaling is complex and can elicit many different reactions. As a coach, when working alongside first-time clients or journal keepers it is not unusual to hear, “I can’t write”, “ I hate writing”, “I am not creative”, “I haven’t written since Grade 5”, “ My counselor told me to take this” and “Someone read my journal, no way I am doing that again”.
It is a common experience for clients & journal-keepers when starting to journal, to be faced with negative self-talk, perfectionism, criticism, creative blocks and possible triggers from school.”
To Pre-order your copy, visit here
Published by Routledge Press, 2021
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