Writing for Wellbeing & Personal Development for Organisations
Writing for Wellbeing & Personal Development workshops for staff and students based in any healthcare, social care and other community settings, and Higher Education settings.
There are inherent pressures and demands of training and working in careers in healthcare, both professionally and personally. As a former NHS Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine and highly experienced Medical Educator, I well know some of the pressures of working in the NHS (the first 18 years of my career) and in academia (the last nine years).
The challenges of training and working in any Caring Profession, and these have of course, been rapidly amplified for ALL staff and students of since the era of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
In addition to existing roles and responsibilities, we are all facing unique challenges, as well as shared experiences, but with little time and space to process or to express and share these.
I am passionate about the need to create and foster both this time and space, for staff and students as individuals, as well as members of teams and organisations.
Writing for Wellbeing is a specific type of approach which encompasses reflective writing,creative writing, , expressive writing,journaling techniques,and can be a portable and low-cost way of creating space for reflection and self-expression-paper and pen is all you need!
Writing for Wellbeing is not prescriptive, unlike some academic or policy writing, but rather it is very much focussed on the process of thinking and writing,more so than the product-the actual written piece. For those of us in Healthcare-related fields where the emphasis is more often than not on the 'product' or 'outcome' than process, this approach can provide a refreshing and liberating contrast.
This type of writing is a flexible, low cost and versatile activity:it can be done in a group and also on an individual basis, and can form an adjunct to E-Portfolios and other more formal professional reflective practice documentation and aid in supervision.
Writing as a group e.g. a team or department, like many group activities focussing on shared experiences, has the potential to contribute to interdisciplinary teamwork and communication, personal and professional development and reflective capacity, as well as staff and student wellbeing. These all of course can have potential beneficial impacts on patient care and safety.
I can work collaboratively with you and your team, to design and facilitate a single workshop or a series of workshops,whatever suits your organisational needs.These can be for small groups of 5 to 50 people, and will include a blend of creative, expressive and reflective writing activities, reflection and discussion.
Please see My Professional Experience, Writing for Wellbeing C.V., and Testimonials,for examples of public work and commissioned medical educational work which I have done, to date.
Please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss further and to explore me designing bespoke workshops for you and your team/organisation.
