Catch it, drop it, leave it there: Writing for Wellbeing as a tool for compassionate practice in Higher Education

Abstract

This is the story of a series of writing workshops with four undergraduate final year students, in a non-formal, non-graded, non-curriculum space. Students were introduced to ‘writing for wellbeing’ (WfW), using expressive writing strategies adapted from poetry/bibliotherapy practice. Initially intended as a research method for their dissertation projects, the writing workshops evolved into a significant creative space for the students’ own personal development. Shared reflections about our experience of writing together sheds light on the broader potential of WfW as a participatory research method, and as a compassionate approach for writing the self in higher education.

Keywords

• therapeutic & expressive writing
• wellbeing
• compassionate pedagogy
• creative research method
• personal & professional development
• poetry/bibliotherapy