Spreading the Word on Writing in Health 

An exciting nationwide project is underway to demonstrate the different ways in which creative writing can benefit health.

The project is organised by Lapidus and is funded by Arts Council England.

Lapidus promotes professional standards in the growing field of creative writing and reading (sometimes called ‘creative bibliotherapy’) to promote health and well-being. All the practitioners running these projects are, or will be Lapidus Professional Members, which means they meet the minimum standards for safe practice.

All Lapidus members were invited to tender to run pilot projects. There were fifteen submissions and eight will be funded. The results of these will be evaluated and used to develop the field further. There is a growing evidence base for the benefits of creative writing on many aspects of health but further research is urgently needed.

The projects will run between January and May 2009. There will be a Training Day to share the outcomes and good practice with Lapidus members and other interested parties, including healthcare personnel interested in using writing and writers interested in working in health settings.

The Training Day will take place in Bristol in June 2009.

Project Manager, Victoria Field, a poetry therapist based in Cornwall, said, ‘One of the characteristics of writing in health and social settings is that many practitioners work in isolation on short-term projects. This new venture will bring together eight professionals in the field to demonstrate the varied and exciting ways in which creative writing can improve people’s well-being. It will also help to ‘make the case’ for more funding and support for this invaluable work.’

For further information and full details of the project, visit the website.