Therapeutic Journaling: The Healing Power of the Written Word
$45.00
This training provides an overview of expressive writing and its many benefits for clients. We will explore how to introduce journaling to clients and how to structure writing activities. There will be plenty of experiential activities, so be sure to have your favorite journal on hand!
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Identify the evidence-based for using writing activities with clients
- Discuss different formats for expressive writing
- Practice various writing techniques
- Discuss how to integrate journaling into clinical work with various populations
Social workers completing this course receive 3 General asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 3 hours of General Skill Building continuing education training.
Course Instructor: Dreya Blume, MSW, LCSW
Recording Date: 08/05/2023
Recorded Live Webinar with downloadable presentation slides and/or handouts, evaluation, and a required quiz. The learner is required to pass with a 70% or higher to achieve the CE certificate of completion. The learner is able to reset the test until a satisfactory score is achieved. CE Training Workshops, LLC, provider #1770, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/2/2022 – 8/2/2025. CE Training Workshops, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Training Workshops, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. System Requirements: Firefox, Chrome, Brave, Safari, Edge on any modern operating system (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS). A desktop browser is recommended. We do not provide support resources for issues encountered using a mobile device. For more information about our policies and board approval statements, please visit our FAQS page.
Dreya Blume, MA, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker, with her MSW from Radford University and an MA in anthropology from the University of Hawaii. Dreya has twenty years of experience working in mental health, from case management to intensive in-home services to leading groups for addicts in recovery.
Therapeutic Journaling: The Healing Power of the Written Word (3HR) Syllabus
I. Foundations of Journaling Therapy
- Journaling as intentional, life-based writing for growth
- Differentiation between general journaling and therapeutic journaling
- Progoff’s structured method: Period Logs, Steppingstones, Intersections
- History of the field: Baldwin, Rainer, Adams, Pennebaker
II. Evidence-Based Benefits of Expressive Writing
- Reduces depression, anxiety, PTSD symptoms
- Enhances emotional regulation and lowers stress
- Supports addiction recovery and grief processing
- Encourages self-awareness and cognitive reframing
III. Mechanisms Behind Therapeutic Impact
- Emotional catharsis and inhibition reduction
- Narrative formation and repeated exposure
- Cognitive processing and sense of control
- Viewing one’s history through a structured lens
IV. Structured Journaling Approaches
- Pennebaker’s four-day trauma writing protocol
- Adams’ WRITE method: intention, investigation, reflection
- Journaling Ladder to match client needs and depth
- Sentence stems to jumpstart expressive writing
V. Practical Journaling Techniques
- Five-minute sprint for spontaneous writing
- Gratitude lists and sentence stem activities
- Unsent letters to self, others, or emotions
- AlphaPoems and creative acrostics to deepen insight
VI. Dialogue and Symbolic Writing
- Internal dialogues with emotions, body parts, or past selves
- Integration of IFS (parts work) and symbolic representation
- Promotes self-reflection and therapeutic detachment
- Originally introduced by Progoff and used widely in clinical settings
VII. Clinical Integration and Applications
- Use with clients across the lifespan and diverse identities
- Helpful for grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, and emotional intelligence
- Applicable with veterans, teens, refugees, and clients with chronic illness
- Can be used as homework, during sessions, or for closure
VIII. Diverse Formats and Modalities
- Writing alone or blended with art, photos, or multimedia
- Incorporating online journaling platforms if appropriate
- Encouraging creativity and flexible expression methods
- Selecting formats that resonate with the individual client
IX. Addressing Barriers to Journaling
- Common obstacles: time, motivation, perfectionism, privacy
- Solutions include changing journaling methods or mediums
- Encouraging nonjudgmental exploration and imperfection
- Emphasizing the personal, not performative, nature of the word
