What would it mean to combine these two worlds?
I have published 6 books of creative writing as an editor. Published fiction and poetry. Taught hundreds of hours of creative writing. I have an MFA in creative writing.
And yet.
I'm a therapist. With an MSW from a school that calls itself the best school in the country, and has two licenses in NY. A private practice and has done thousands of hours of therapy.
I have decided to combine these two parts of my life into one. I have always felt the process of writing and sharing that writing is a therapeutic form. The literary journal that I ran for 8 years had a humanistic, and I believe, a therapeutic identity. Everyone that submitted to the literary journal received feedback for their work. I wanted people to know I heard their story. We helped people.
I know from personal experience that writing heals. I know that when I have written out, directly or for myself, things in the written form, it has healed pain in my life. I write to make it real. Then, I get past it.
Here's what I want to do next: I want to run creative writing therapy groups. I want to bring dozens of people together online to write to make it real. To heal themselves. This is the next step.
If you're interested in this please reach out. I'll keep putting it together.