From the President

Thank you for showing interest in The National Association for Poetry Therapy (NAPT)! Poetry therapy is a beautiful blend of language, symbol, and story used for therapeutic, educational, and community building purposes. It encompasses practices such as bibliotherapy, therapeutic writing, journal therapy, and narrative therapy. We welcome all you healers all over the world to be part of our community and are so grateful for all that you do and the amount of care and support that you share.

You are needed. You are the voices of change. This is a time of  much conflict and confusion and you have a vital role to play. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude and acknowledge your incredible contributions to our communities both locally and globally. Together, let us use poetry as a voice of hope and a path towards healing, justice, action, strength, and support.

It is exciting to witness the spread of poetry therapy and to be a part of its evolution. We have a world of possibilities to explore and we eagerly invite your collaboration. As one of the major creative arts therapies, we work closely with our sibling creative arts organizations: The National Coalition of Creative Art Therapies Association (NCCATA) and The National Organization of Arts in Health (NOAH). We understand the power of the creative arts and together, we form a community of change makers.

So let us join together with our mission to promote growth and healing. I encourage you to explore what poetry therapy means to you personally and professionally, and how NAPT can best support you in your journey. NAPT offers many opportunities to advance your study, practice, teaching, and research. Our website, social media channels, mailing lists, and publications (NAPT Museletter and the Journal of Poetry Therapy) are filled with rich information, resources, and ways to connect. We also host an annual national conference which is the optimum way to immerse yourself in an informative and enriching poetry therapy experience. There’s nothing quite like connecting with kindred spirits who share a deep passion for the poetics. The April 2024 conference theme, "Converging in Solidarity: Fostering Community and Belonging" inspired me to want to ensure that our community remains strong and connected as a family. So please do not hesitate to reach out, let us know your ideas and suggestions, get involved, let us get to know you! We have accomplished so much, but we can and must do more for ourselves, our communities, and our future generations. Remember, the vision for NAPT is a collective one, and together we can continue to make a meaningful impact.

I’ll close with a quote from our very own past president, Nicholas Mazza PhD PTR: "Now more than ever, poetry therapy is needed to meet personal and societal changes…. Let’s stay together, hold hands, shine a light, and make a difference.”

Wishing you all the very best, and I’m looking forward to working together to shine that light.

Laura

(Laura Santner, LCSW, PTR-CM, CCATP is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional, a Certified Poetry Therapist, a Registered Poetry Therapist, and a Certified Mentor in Poetry Therapy. She has served on the NAPT Board in various capacities.)