WORKSHOPS
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Write On! Exploring Your Illness Narrative
Nelly originally designed the Write On! workshop to help cancer survivors explore their experience. She was battling breast cancer herself and doing a lot of journaling about it when she conceived of the idea. A grant from the Danbury, Connecticut Cultural Commission helped her get the workshops off the ground, first at Ann’s Place: The Home of I CAN and the American Cancer Society (both in Danbury, CT) and also at Gilda’s Club Westchester in White Plains, NY. Since then, Nelly has expanded the workshop’s focus to help any group of people who are dealing with a diagnosis, illness, or experience—from chronic fatigue syndrome to miscarriages to dealing with dementia in a loved one (just to name a few!).
She uses writing prompts to help participants uncover thoughts and feelings, and get them down on paper. Expressive writing, or journaling, creates a safe space to work through issues and process what’s happening. What Nelly has found (personally and through conducting these writing workshops) is that getting the words on paper opens up a space for living life and moving forward, without the weight of worry and spiraling thoughts dragging you down.
The Write On! Workshop is ideal for support groups, hospitals, mental health organizations, cancer centers, assisted living facilities, health-related foundations/non-profits, and many other types of health/healing related organizations. Nelly requires at least five people in a group to conduct the workshop (but can accommodate as many as 10). She can do it as a day-long event, or as a weekly series.
