Lapidus News

Reviewing and revising the Lapidus code of ethics has been interesting and a challenge, reminding us about the power of words, their meanings, misunderstandings and how we make ourselves understood.

The sub-group delegated to do this work quickly realised that discussion on what is meant by ethics, the relevance and authority of an ethical code when applied to Lapidus was not straightforward or an exact fit for all members.  We believe that this revised ethical code is applicable to all Lapidus members. 

Every month we have a chat with a Lapidus member, and get them to share their words and wellness journey. First up, it’s Pam Blamey.

Tell us about yourself:

I’m a British Colonial Empire girl by birth but not by political persuasion. My father was a New Zealander, my mother was born in Kenya to British parents. I migrated from Kenya to South Africa as a teen and then to Australia with my husband and children in 1981 to escape apartheid. We settled in Brisbane and when my children went to university I did too. I studied Social Science, where I was introduced to Joseph Campbell and Carl Gustav Jung, and later did a Masters in Art Therapy. Before that I had been a nurse and a teacher of English as a second language. At some point my childhood love of fairy tales was re-ignited into a full-blown passion when I read an anthology of tales with a Jungian commentary and I knew I had found my vocation. 

Great news! Lapidus International has managed to arrange a deal with Balens to insure your work as practitioners in writing for wellbeing. This insurance will give you peace of mind if you are running writing groups or selling your services as it covers three areas:

* Professional Insurance. This covers alleged malpractice, such as a complaint about your practice and where there may have been a breach of your professional duties.

* Public liability. This covers accidental injuries to third parties, and third party damages.

* Product liability. This covers accidental injury to third parties caused by your products. This category may not seem that relevant for us, but in cases where members combine writing with other activities this may be very useful.

Monica Suswin has published two of the books in her series of four mini-books on creative therapeutic writing: A Fox Crossed My Path and Love & Loss (due out this spring). She very kindly wrote this piece for us about her experience writing the books and the process that led to their conception. 

Writing is generous in its wisdom 

(from one of many freewrites)

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Fifteen years ago my writing was squeezed into short bursts of time, often on the back of envelopes. Although I’d already gained an MA in Creative Writing at Sussex University (2002), and was part of a vibrant writers’ group of poets and novelists, at home I had a teenage daughter, and elderly parents (living a couple of hours away) who were increasingly needing attention. I was an avid scribbler, but didn’t fully dare to call myself a writer.