Writing Our Relationship with Trees

In Writing Our Relationship with Trees, the group members were invited to listen to the stories of trees, past and present, of their lives and dreams. Using the palette of imagination, ritual, and expressive writing, participants explored the relationship between tree and self, self and tree.

Participants were people with PTSD, and schizophrenia, who were interested in exploring personal growth opportunities through poetry as well as their connections with trees.

The workshop took place at Pathways Learning Center, part of Laurel Hill Center, which is a non-profit organization committed to helping people with psychiatric disabilities make choices and acquire skills that increase their self-reliance and ability to live and work in the community.

The workshop consisted of six two-hour sessions, two half-day sessions, and a culminating event that included individuals participated in a tree planting. This was done as part of a beautification project at Laurel Hill Center. An anthology of poems was published as a way of honoring workshop participants and their creative efforts. This anthology was sold locally, for a set cost or for donations, to help support future workshops.