“Writing about stressful situations is one of the easiest ways for people to take control of their problems and release the negative effects of stress from their bodies and their lives.” -James Pennebaker, PhD
Writing Immersion for Healthcare Professionals is a transformative 2-day virtual workshop designed to help participants explore writing as a tool for personal well-being and professional growth. Through a range of guided prompts and writing exercises—rooted in expressive, reflective, and legacy writing practices—participants will learn to use writing to reduce stress, process emotions, and reconnect with their purpose. In addition to nurturing emotional resilience, the program offers practical strategies that translate directly to healthcare and wellness settings, enhancing communication, empathy, and client/patient engagement. Whether writing for personal reflection or professional development, participants will leave with concrete skills that foster connection, intention, and clarity.
Please note:
This training is intended to support personal exploration and professional application of writing as a wellness and communication tool. It does not provide certification or credentials to facilitate expressive writing workshops for others.
While the experience may be personally meaningful, it is not a substitute for mental health treatment or trauma therapy. Participants are encouraged to care for themselves and seek professional support as needed throughout the writing process.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
• Describe the benefits of various writing practices (expressive, affirmative, poetic, transactional, and legacy) in supporting mental well-being and emotional resilience.
• Identify prompts and writing techniques that foster clarity, emotional processing, and mindfulness.
• Apply writing strategies to promote self-awareness, gratitude, and stress reduction in personal and professional contexts.
• Analyze how different writing modalities can be used to support communication with patients, clients, and care teams.
• Evaluate the impact of intentional writing on one’s personal sense of purpose and professional communication.
• Create personalized writing samples (e.g., letters, reflections, legacy pieces) that can be used as tools for professional development or client engagement.
Registration Now Open!
Early Registration Closing Date: January 12, 2026
Registration Closing Date: February 6, 2026
Schedule:
Location: This training will take place on Zoom
Please Note
While this program can be transformative and aims to be trauma-informed, it is not a replacement for therapy with a licensed professional. The instructors are not therapists, nor have they undergone formal trauma-informed training. This program is designed to assist as an integrative, contemplative tool against burnout. Please take the steps to care for yourself, ask questions, and let us know what you need from us.
This program was initially designed by instructor emeritus John Evans. John believed in the power of creative writing to improve our well-being and bring healing to our experiences. His work in the field of expressive writing will continue to impact Duke Integrative Medicine and Duke Health and Well-Being.
Accommodations Statement
Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations or who have questions about physical access should contact us in advance of the program.
Writing Immersion for Healthcare Professionals: a Tool for Burnout Management
$525.00 Registration Fee
$472.50 Early Registration Fee
2-Day Online Training
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Friday, February 13, 2026
Zoom
Course Description: This 2-day workshop is a comprehensive, experiential training based on James Pennebaker’s 30 years of research in writing to heal. The curriculum will provide easily adaptable lessons, activities, and guideposts for anyone working in the healthcare field — physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, hospice workers, health coaches, and others — to use with their clients and patients. The workshop will lead you through progressive learning that incorporates these Sixteen Reasons for Writing for Health.
Target Audience: Open to general public and all professional backgrounds. Especially beneficial for anyone working in the healthcare field — physicians, nurses, allied health professionals (mental health professionals, hospice workers, health coaches) and others — to use with their clients and patients.
All members of the target audience are eligible for continuing education credit.
NOTE: This class does not issue certificates of attendance and does not award partial Joint Accreditation (JA) for partial attendance.
Continuing Education Credit Statements
The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC): This course is an NBHWC-Approved Continuing Education course. Those who successfully complete all the course modules and requirements will earn a Certificate of Completion and National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) Continuing Education Credits. The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching designates this course for 12 credit hours (CEA-100030-2).
Statement of Joint Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), to provide continuing education for the health care team.
The designation was based upon the quality of the educational activity and its compliance with the standards and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Joint Accreditation Continuing Education Credits
Category 1: Duke University Health System Department of Clinical Education and Professional Development designates this live activity for a maximum of 12.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurse CE: Duke University Health System Department of Clinical Education and Professional Development designates this activity for up to 12.00 credit hours for nurses. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.
IACET Statement of Accreditation
Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development is authorized to issue the IACET CEU.
IACET CEU Credit Statement
As an IACET Accredited Provider, Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development offers CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standard. Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development is authorized by IACET to offer 1.20 CEUs for this program.
All members of the target audience are eligible for continuing education credit. This class does not issue certificates of attendance and does not award partial Joint Accreditation (JA) or IACET CEU continuing education credit certificates for partial attendance.
Resolution of Conflict of Interest
Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development has implemented a process to resolve any potential conflicts of interest for each continuing education activity in order to help ensure content objectivity, independence, fair balance, and content that is aligned with the interest of the public.
Disclosures
It is the policy of Duke University Health System Clinical Education and Professional Development to require the disclosure of anyone who is in a position to control the content of an educational activity. All relevant financial relationships with any commercial interests and/or manufacturers must be disclosed to participants at the beginning of each activity.
The following speakers and/or planning committee members have indicated they have no relationship(s) with industry to disclose relative to the content of this CE activity:
No speakers and/or planning committee members have indicated that they have relationship(s) with industry to disclose.
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