What is reflective writing?

Just as the veins in a leaf intersect its canvas and support it as it unfurls up to the sun, we are all made up of different layers that are interconnected, yet distinct. Reflective writing can illuminate these parts of ourselves by shining a light on how we feel and why we may feel the ways that we do. It can help to nurture self-awareness, and an awareness of our relationships with others and our environment, as we grow.

Reflective writing, or writing for wellbeing, is not therapy. Yet it can foster self-awareness and reflection, improve communication and teamwork, and allow us to have fun with how we express ourselves by using the process of individual reflective writing, and sharing what we write in a safe space.

My workshops are different to traditional creative writing sessions. I won’t support you to craft the ‘best’ piece of writing or focus on form, grammar or punctuation. Instead I use a flexible approach that will encourage you to express yourself in your own way, experiment with what you write – in whichever forms you want your writing to take – and share what you feel comfortable sharing with others.

This type of writing is for everyone. Whether you’ve never tried putting your thoughts and feelings on the page, or are a seasoned writer. Its versatility means reflective writing can be tailored to help people from diverse backgrounds - both individually and in organisations. I work with researchers, employees in workplaces, charities, groups of the elderly, counsellors and therapists and people living with anxiety.

The practice stems from the ‘expressive writing’ method used by social psychologist James Pennebaker in the 1980s. He supported his clients to use the process of writing about life-changing events to gain awareness and resolution. Find out more about my workshops here.