If you are a poetry therapist, a mental health professional,
a teacher, a minister, or an expressive arts therapist who
uses poetic writings in your work, you will want often to consult
Word Arts Collage as a creative resource. And if you are
an English or psychology student seeking a profession that will be
meaningful and successful, you will find Word Arts Collage
a useful guide. If you are a reader or writer of poetry, you will find
yourself reflected with deep appreciation for your passion
and for the significance of what you do.

Although Word Arts Collage is about poetry therapy, it is not
a book just for therapists but for everyone fascinated with
(or frustrated by) words and imagery. Read more...

Listen to a selection from Wordscapes, a free DVD included with each book order.

This book:

1) Reminds readers that they use poetic language in their everyday lives—without even being aware of it. We are all natural poets.

2) Makes poetry approachable by making it personal—readers who may have found poetry too challenging or abstract will learn to interpret metaphors and symbols in ways that resonate and fit in their life.

3) Invites readers to enhance healthy self-image and enjoyment of life by thinking more creatively with humor (seeing things as they are not), the power of "if" (as they might be), metaphorical x-ray vision (seeing the invisible), and interactive dialogue (sharing).

4) Suggests ways of using poetic literature to address and overcome the ruts of indecision or helplessness sometimes called “stuckness.”

5) Provides ideas for approaching literature in an interactive participatory manner—inviting students/patients/clients to be engaged in the process, rather than leaving them uninvolved and passive.

If you are a therapist, you will find new, creative ways of dealing with your patients' problems by

applying literature as an adjunctive treatment modality

helping them to honor and integrate their poetic language and imagery

If you are a poetry therapist, you will learn about the history of poetry therapy from one of its early practitioners who will encourage you and advise you on developing your career. You can also explore all the Wordsworth Center's Intensives from 1996 through 2005.