Professional Development Life Review Program

Much has been written about the positive impact of biographical learning on adult personal and professional development, the therapeutic potential of life review for those who have experienced, or are facing, life-changing events, and the psychological and physical health benefits of expressive writing. Life review facilitates understanding of how life experiences and events have evolved over one’s lifetime thus allowing individuals to:

• Assess current personal resources
• Re-evaluate the meaning and purpose of their life
• Explore who they are and want to be in the world
• Restore resiliency for the future

This process often serves to enhance vocational satisfaction and collegial relationships.

Group-Based Life Review (also known as Guided Autobiography) is not group therapy. It is an adult education model that has been shown to have naturally therapeutic benefits among various populations including older adults, veterans and peacekeepers, graduate students, women facing mid-life transition, family physicians, and some illness groups. Birren and Deutchman summarized the benefits from 22 life review studies. Some of the positive outcomes included a sense of increased personal power and importance; recognition of past adaptive strategies and their application to current needs and problems; reconciliation with the past and an increased sense of resolution about past resentments, regrets and negative feelings; resurgence of interest in past activities or hobbies; development of supportive relationships with other group members; greater sense of meaning and purpose in life; increased role clarity, self-esteem and self-understanding.

Group-Based Life Review uses a small group format (usually 5 - 7 people) and a structured process of reflective writing on pre-selected themes, followed by sharing parts of these personal reflections in the confidentiality of the small group. The Professional Development Life Review Programs offered to Providence Health Care employees by the Centre for Practitioner Renewal are grounded in group counselling theory and practice to facilitate the creation of a climate of safety, inclusion and interpersonal trust among participants which enhances the benefits of the process.

The scheduling of CPR Professional Development Life Review programs will vary to address the needs of group members. In general, participants will meet for 3-4 hours (depending on the size of the group) on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for 6 sessions and commit to spend time between these meetings reflecting and writing on a pre-selected theme. The 6 sessions are preceded by a 3-hour introductory meeting and followed by a 3-hour evaluation sessions.  A 3-hour follow-up meeting is usually scheduled 8 – 10 weeks later.

Therapeutic Enactment

Therapeutic Enactment (TE) is a group-based intervention designed to address complex life problems. This form of group work has proven to be a powerful means of working through traumatic life events or critical issues that are impeding an individual’s sense of vitality and growth. In a TE group, participants are able to safely enact and integrate past traumas and current or anticipated struggles in a supportive group climate. The approach is highly participatory and healing is not limited to the person whose story is enacted. Those taking part in the enactment and those bearing witness to the unfolding story, often report experiencing a personal sense of renewal as they join with others in a supportive group.