Expressive writing promotes self-confidence, self-expression, and agency. It does so with grace, kindness and space: a particularly useful tool for large organisations wanting to build soft skills like trust, loyalty, support – ensuring all voices are heard within their teams and departments.

As a writer, it’s been a privilege to devise and deliver Expressive Writing courses for NHS Recovery Colleges through the outreach work of the Royal Literary Fund. The emphasis there has been on managing mental health and there are huge breakthroughs across four sessions. We’ve also had curious outsiders joining, whose initial suspicion has been overtaken by enthusiasm.

Writing for Wellbeing & Growth takes the expressive writing model to a wider audience. We all need tools to help us manage our feelings, our moods, our anxieties and stresses. Particularly in a work environment. For employees, the focus includes emotional wellbeing, but the outcome is overall wellbeing; their sense of agency and facility for connection, communication, clarity.

I’ve always been the gung-ho type – throw anything at me and I’ll either catch it, dodge it, or wrestle it, but not everyone has the same resilience. Parenting millennials has taught me that. Our lifestyles today are laden with expectation and demands, often self-generated, which can make handling the everyday difficult. That’s why I’ve tailored what I do for the workplace.

If you’ve a young staff, or stressed or anxious or challenged or tired staff, this is an opportunity for them to reconnect with their inner voices and refresh peer relationships in a safe space.

Across four weeks, 90 minutes per session, the group hears and reads selected texts which generate discussion and prompt private writing that some will want to read out. It is that simple. And perhaps it is why, within that format, magic happens. We learn, we talk, we listen – that’s really important – and we break down barriers gently, in confidence, building trust and support.

Writing for Wellbeing & Growth works best for groups of 8 to 14 people, and can be tailored to suit the outcomes and time restrictions of your organisation. The cost is modest. Contact me for details.