Writing for Wellbeing & Personal Development for Caring Professions 2025/6

Explore the pioneering psychology of Carl Jung and learn how writing and imagination can be used as tools to access the unconscious, untether creativity and expand your sense of possibility with Dr Rachel Newsome

According to Carl Jung, deep beneath our everyday awareness, we all have an undiscovered self who is the creative, animating and healing inner life-force behind our intuition, imagination and dreams. It is through learning to attune to the embodied wisdom of our undiscovered self that we can experience this deeper level of reality as an expansive cosmological web in which everything and everyone is connected. In this way, we can create the necessary conditions for living more fully, authentically and meaningfully.

Over this five week course, you’ll be introduced to key Jungian concepts, including Jung’s model of the psyche, the collective unconscious, the archetypes, active imagination and individuation. You’ll explore how writing and imagination can be tools to help us access what Jung calls the ‘real psychic truths’ via the lens of the child, self and shadow archetypes, with a view to considering how we can bring we can deepen self-awareness and cultivate wholeness towards living more creatively and fully.

Sessions will include:
An accessible introduction to key Jungian concepts.
Guided writing exercises.
Small group discussions.
Weekly worksheets.
Recordings of each session.

Schedule
Week One: In week one, you will be introduced to key Jungian concepts, including the model of the psyche, the archetypes and the collective unconscious. The guided writing exercises will focus on exploring yourself as you see who you are now and investigating how our emotions can help us access a deeper layer of ourselves.

Week Two: In week two, you will be introduced to the child archetype and its associations with curiosity, imagination, creativity and play. You will explore your undiscovered child self through guided writing prompts focussed on exploring and activating these qualities in yourself.

Week Three: In week three, you will be introduced to the self archetype and its associations with wholeness, healing, creativity, wisdom and inner guidance alongside the technique of ‘active imagination’. You will write this undiscovered ‘great’ self’ through guided writing prompts focussed on exploring and activating these qualities within yourself.

Week Four: In week four, you will be introduced to the shadow archetype and its associations with exiled aspects of ourself we prefer to bury and disown. You will explore your undiscovered shadow self through guided writing prompts focussed on gently exploring what may be hidden in your dark trunk.

Week Five: In week five you will be introduced to the Jungian concepts of the ‘golden shadow’ and ‘individuation’ – Jung’s term for the journey of psycho-spiritual growth. You will explore your undiscovered ‘future’ self through guided writing prompts focussed on integrating insights and experiences gained over the course with a view to facilitating individuation and the self you are in the process of becoming.

Write Your Undiscovered Self is for:
Those on a journey of self discovery who are interested in learning writing techniques to support psycho-spiritual growth and who are comfortable with diving deeper
Writers & creative practitioners interested in expanding their practice and range
Therapeutic practitioners and professionals in health, social care, education, the arts & creative industries who would like to learn more about how writing can be a form of healing.

About Dr Rachel Newsome
I’m a writer & creative guide with a Jungian arts-based PhD in Creative Writing and twenty years teaching experience as a former lecturer in Higher Education. I now run a programme of depth writing workshops, courses & retreats focussed on inspiring the creative self in everyone. I’m a Seed Talks expert speaker, serve on the Editorial Team of the London Arts-Based Research Centre, am Co-Editor of forthcoming Routledge publication The Creative Psyche: Between Spirit & Matter and am author of the ‘living autobiography’ Dreaming Awake on Substack.
rachelnewsome.co.uk
https://drrachelnewsome.substack.com

One-to-One Creative Support Sessions with Kate Poll (she/her)

Take time to pause, explore, and create – reconnecting with neglected and under-represented parts of yourself, and cultivating a fuller, more self-directed and connected way of being. These sessions place writing and voice at the heart of the process, supported by sound, image, and other creative tools for wellbeing.

Together, we’ll focus on what matters most to you, nurturing your strengths, giving voice to overlooked parts of yourself, and discovering fresh ways to navigate life with clarity and confidence. Sessions are gentle, collaborative, and shaped entirely around your needs and interests.

Practical details: Online, weekdays and some evenings. £80 per session, or £288 for a 4-session package (£72/session). 15% off for key workers, students, unwaged, and Lapidus members.

Please email Kate to book.

📧 katepoll@gmail.com | 🌐 www.katepoll.co.uk

Words in the Wood brings together the calm of nature and the joy of writing, in the beautiful surroundings of Hazel Hill Wood in Wiltshire.
The day consists of gentle facilitation with writing prompts and the chance to share in a supportive and like-minded group. No rules, no pressure — just space to breathe, explore, and let your writing flow.
The day will run with a group of 6-15 participants. We have access to beautiful spaces indoors and out, so the weather needn’t trouble us.