Storytelling is at the heart of most support groups. A person with cancer shares her story of hearing the news from her oncologist; a parent offers his account of caring for a child with special needs; or a member asks for stories of how to ask for help from others. These typical examples can be enriched through the use of writing, literary resources, and individual and “group” stories as key tools of the facilitator.

In this experiential workshop, participants will be presented with a variety of perspectives and tools for the use of writing and use of literary resources (memoir, fiction, lyrics, poetry) in their facilitation practices. Methods will be demonstrated, practiced, debriefed and discussed. Further, attention will be given to choosing materials and the merits and limitations of literary prompts.

Ted Bowman has been facilitating groups for over 40 years. He is also a collector and practitioner of using literary prompts in the groups he facilitates. From 1999 – 2008 Ted was a board member of the National Association for Poetry Therapy. He is a community faculty adjunct in the School of Social Work at the Universities of St. Catherine and St. Thomas.