WriteRecover Workshop

We’ve all been told that writing is therapeutic. The benefits are numerous and include:

• Getting space from your life to gain perspective
• Decreased stress
• Improved mood and self-esteem

And, it’s been said that it is even beneficial for your health.

So why don’t we do more of it? Because…we don’t have a deadline, we’re not accountable, we don’t know what to write about and we don’t like our writing or think we’re not “good” writers. In WriteRecover groups, we overcome all of those obstacles.

By gathering as a group and sharing our writing with each other, we:

• Create community as we bond over our similarities.
• Feel less isolated discovering we have shared experiences.
• Learn about others and gain empathy from hearing their stories.
• Hone our listening skills and learn how to give supportive and encouraging feedback.

Workshop Structure:

You show up with a pen and paper. I provide a theme and prompts to get the juices flowing. You free-write for 20 minutes to my home-made, theme-related playlist. We read aloud what we came up with. Our peers support us and give us encouraging feedback. We inspire each other. Think you can’t write? You CAN. I promise. Drop the rules and forget the English classes. We will laugh, we will cry, and most important, we will develop friendships and build community.

And if you’re still not convinced, or you’re simply feeling intimidated or shy about writing or reading aloud to a group, come, observe and see for yourself.

Sign up for each week of the series by clicking the links below:

WEEK 1 (THURSDAY, 3/3)

WEEK 2 (THURSDAY, 3/10)

WEEK 3 (THURSDAY, 3/17)

WEEK 4 (THURSDAY, 3/24)

Meet your instructor, Jean Unger:

Hi. I’m Jean, and I’m a writer. Do I write for a living? No. Do I journal? No. Do I go long periods without writing? Yes, and do I suffer when I do? Absolutely. Writing has always been the way I best expressed myself. Putting words together to elicit a reaction or to formulate the most tactful, funny and effective way of saying things is my talent and, dare I say, passion.

I’ve had many jobs and potential career paths throughout my life, but they have felt meaningless and unimportant. I long for depth and authenticity, and in these groups, I find both. Turning writing into a way of creatively expressing ourselves with no rules frees people up. Hearing participants share and watching them grow and glow as they read to the group is an absolute honor. Facilitating these groups has given me a new sense of purpose and meaning. My mission now is to build community in recovery through expression and creativity using pen and paper as our tools.

Never think you’re not interesting. We all have a story to tell.