The Poets Toolbox: Creative Approaches for Therapists

Counts as 3 hours CPD

Tickets £35 (inc VAT)

Our fifth Deep Dive of 2026 is brought to you by Ben Bradshaw 

"Long before there were therapists, there were poets." — Molly Harrower

This three-hour online experiential workshop introduces The Poet’s Toolbox, a set of creative and practical tools for integrating poetry into therapeutic practice. Drawing on Ben’s long-standing relationship with poetry alongside his work as a counsellor, the session blends lived creative experience with clinical insight and explores the link between poetry and human emotion.

Poetry offers particular therapeutic tools. It can create distance from overwhelming
experience, providing containment and perspective, and it can also bring us directly into the core of emotion. Participants will explore how poetry can support reflection, emotional processing, and meaning-making in clinical work.

During the workshop, participants will explore:
● Theories on poetry and reflective writing in therapy
● Blackout Poetry for reflection and emotional processing
● Using published poems as therapeutic prompts
● Integrating poetic tools with TA concepts, including ego states and injunctions
● Ethical and responsive use of creative methods in practice

Participants will have the opportunity to try these tools for themselves. No prior
poetry experience required, and sharing will be optional.

Note to Participants: What to Bring

To get the most from the workshop, please bring:
● A notebook, journal, or paper and a pen — alternatively, a digital device you
can write on
● A book or magazine page with plenty of text that you don’t mind marking on
— alternatively, a digital version you can obscure or cover text.

These materials will allow you to fully engage with the hands-on creative exercises.

This session will cover the following SCoPEd criteria

3.15.A Ability to enable the appropriate discussion of and (or) expression of the client’s or patient’s emotions, and understand and respond therapeutically to the emotional content of sessions
3.20.A Ability to attend to, reflect on and respond to the client’s verbal and nonverbal communication as part of the therapeutic process
4.7.A Ability to select and use appropriate therapeutic interventions and (or) responses
4.10.A Ability to invite the client’s or patient’s use of imagination to facilitate work towards therapeutic goals

If you would like a digital text to use or print, email Ben at hello@feltsensetherapy.com

Ben Bradshaw is an integrative psychotherapist using Transactional Analysis and working towards UKCP accreditation. In his private practice, Felt-Sense Therapy, he supports individuals and couples. Ben also works as an Associate Counsellor with Suicide&Co and Time to Listen.

Ben has been writing poetry for many years and has always recognised its therapeutic value. He incorporates it into his clinical practice when appropriate, using it to support reflection, meaning-making, and connection with clients’ lived experience. He is particularly interested in the link between poetry and human emotion. His poetry and creative writing have been published in newspapers and Transactional Analyst magazine, and he has performed at open mic events and on local radio.