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Mount Sinai workshop helps patients heal through creative writing
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Mount Sinai offers writing workshops to help patients with cancer and cancer survivors process their experience through a therapeutic and creative outlet.
“The Write Treatment Workshop at Mount Sinai is so important because it offers a weekly time for people to gather to write together, to be creative and to take a break from the rigors of their treatment,” Alison Snow, PhD, LCSW-R, OSW-C, assistant director of Cancer Supportive Services at Mount Sinai Downtown Cancer Centers, said in a press release.
The writing workshops are hosted by a breast cancer survivor and author who has published the group’s essays, short stories and poems in “The Write Treatment Anthology,” available on Amazon.com. A portion of the book’s profits will benefit the workshop.
HemOnc Today spoke with Snow about how the Write Treatment Workshop came about, how it is conducted, and the tangible benefits it provides to patients and survivors.
Question: How did the idea for this workshop come about?
Answer: Emily Rubin, a breast cancer survivor and published author who received her treatment at our center, approached myself and one of our psychiatrists, who was the director of supportive services at the time. She said she wanted to start a writing workshop for our patients. She went over exactly what she wanted to do and had ideas of where to get the funding. We supported her in getting the funding and were supportive in securing the space, creating the flyer and promoting it. This particular program has been one of the most successful at Mount Sinai.
Q: How is the workshop conducted and how many people does it serve?
A: There is no one from the hospital who sits in on these sessions. It is just Emily and the other patients and survivors. There are approximately 10 people in each workshop, and we have two workshops — a writing workshop and a journaling workshop. They are about 2 hours long, and she gives participants writing prompts that do not necessarily have to do with cancer. People can certainly write about their cancer, but it is more of a distraction for them.
Q: What tangible benefits does the workshop provide to participants?
A: The feedback we have received from participants is that this is therapeutic. Having a place where they can connect with other survivors who have been through what they have been through is beneficial for them. The groups’ essays, short stories and poems also have been published, which is exciting for them.
Q: Is it possible for other institutions to host this type of workshop?
A: Our workshop is open to all patients at all centers. In fact, we have patients from New York University and Cornell University. However, I think it is very possible to hold something similar at other institutions. Emily’s next book may even be a “how-to” for something like this.
Q: Does this approach apply to other creative outlet s, such as art or music therapy ?
A: People benefit from many therapeutic distractions, and they can coordinate their schedules around the different programs. All of these types of services are great as a form of distraction and bonding with others who are going through similar experiences.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to mention?
A: One of the things that surprised me was that men are involved in these writing workshops. I oversee support and wellness programing across three different locations, and we always want to make sure that we are offering programs that appeal to everyone. The writing workshop is one of the few programs that men regularly attend. – by Jennifer Southall
For more information:
Alison Snow, PhD, LCSW-R, OSW-C, can be reached at Mount Sinai Downtown Cancer Centers, 10 Union Square East, Suite 4B-03, New York, NY 10003; email: alison.snow@mountsinai.org.
Disclosure: Snow reports no relevant financial disclosures.