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Michèle Frottier

Certified Applied Poetry Therapy Facilitator

Career:

BA Philosophy, University of Vienna, University College Cork, Irland, Graduated 2019

Bookseller, since 2020

Independent Poetry Therapy Facilitator (in Training under Supervision), International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy, USA, since 2021

Internship at Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic for Children and Youth „Extended Soulspace“, Clinic Hietzing Vienna, 04–06/2022

Internship Biblio/Poetry Therapy, i.a. at Westport Writers Workshop, Bigelow Senior Center, Home for the Braves (Shelter for Homeless War Veterans), Connecticut USA, 09–12/2022

Internship at a Day Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Clinic Freistadt, Upper Austria,  09-11/2024


Continued Education (Selection) 

1st European Biblio/Poetry Therapy Conference, Hungarian Association for Biblio/Poetry Therapy, Budapest, 10/2024

Group Dynamics, ÖAGG Vienna, 10/2023–04/2024

Autism – Encounter with a Multifaceted Spectrum, VÖPP Vienna, 09/2024

Oral History, Westport Writers Workshop USA, 09–11/2022

Poetry Therapy in the Treatment of Depression, Sherry Reiter, PhD, Poetry Therapist, Drama Therapist, 09/2022

Anti–Oppression and Diversity Training, ULEX, 03/2022

Pathways to Wholeness: Mindful Writing Towards Momentous Leaps of Meaning, Psychotherapeutin Marianela Medrano, Transformative Language Arts, 11/2021–01/2022

Introduction to Therapeutic & Reflective Writing, Poetry Therapist Victoria Field, Professional Writing Academy, 04–06/2021

Important experiences:

Through my oral history teaching units, I learned to ask non-directive, open-ended questions and to follow the therapeutic process without a predefined goal.

Meditation teaches me to look at my experiences with a new perspective and to question the automatic assessment of situations.

In the area of mindful writing, I was able to practice being mindful of what surrounds me and incorporating all sensory perceptions when I write. I understood that difficult situations can be processed through vivid and emotion-based, as well as sensory descriptions.

During my internship in the USA, I was able to learn to work with “what is available” in a homeless shelter for war veterans, i.e. to respond to the needs and resources (as well as their possible limitations) of the participants. During a series of workshops in a senior center, it became clear to me how much elderly people long for exchange and someone to listen to them.

What is writing therapy used for:

Writing therapy offers a valuable outlet for expressing intense emotions and finding inner balance. Through writing you can access new insights, unconscious thoughts and feelings. A big advantage of this method is that you can read what you have written over and over again and retrace your own process.

Therapeutic writing is therefore a tool that can be used and continues to be effective not only during the units, but also at home and in everyday life.

Writing therapy can be helpful in a wide variety of life situations. It has already been used successfully in work with the homeless, with people who suffer from depression or unemployment, as well as in prisons, women's shelters, retirement homes and in drug rehabilitation. Bibliotherapy can offer the opportunity to create a new narrative that is coherent with a person’s values and help them in moving on from the old story that has held them back.

It is also used for self-awareness, psychological support and personal development.

What can I expect from writing therapy:

Writing therapy groups provide an opportunity to listen to each other and feel less alone. An appreciative interest and emotional support often arises between the participants. This strong and supportive framework allows one to better understand oneself, life and others and thereby develop greater compassion.

Therapeutic writing helps to gain new insights about oneself, one’s own life circumstances and relationships. It's always amazing to see how surprised people are when they read their texts out loud and realize their feelings or thoughts about a certain situation.

Populations I work with:

Activists

LGBTQAI+ people

Neurodivergent people (Autism and ADHD)

Youth groups

Seniors

Unemployed population

People interested in self-awareness

Meditation groups

Topics I have covered in my sessions:

Overwhelm/Burnout/Compassion Fatigue

Coming out

Finding/strengthening identity

Setting boundaries

Strengthen self-esteem/self-acceptance

decision making

Search for meaning/own finiteness

Dealing with fears

My way of working:

My therapeutic writing courses offer the opportunity for self-knowledge and coping with difficult topics. Through visualizations and subsequent writing exercises of various kinds, you can delve deeper into the matter and resolve blockages. The written texts are read out loud (on a voluntary basis) and both the person who wrote them and the listeners can share their emotional responses to the text. Reading your own feelings and thoughts out loud in an appreciative setting and exchanging ideas about them are a central part of writing therapy.

I also place a particular focus on the interaction between mind and body. Through guided meditations and body scan exercises, attention is drawn to the body and may help you learn to communicate better in difficult discussions.

My personal approach:

In this work, I love promoting the exchange that takes place between the participants. It's wonderful to see how difficult or painful topics can be dealt with in a playful way. I admire the courage of many to show themselves and appreciate the trust that is placed in me.

It fills me with joy and gratitude to accompany and support people in this process.