Textherapy: Writing as a Path to Mental Well-Being
Turning words into tools for healing, connection, and self-expression.
Challenge
In an era of constant change, many people (especially youth) struggled to navigate uncertainty, anxiety, and major life transitions. Mental health challenges were on the rise, yet conversations about feelings often remained unspoken. Traditional approaches sometimes felt distant; there was a need for creative, human-centred ways to help people reconnect with themselves.
Approach
Textherapy was a creative writing workshop series that combined mental health awareness with expressive writing techniques.
Led by a team of social pedagogues, a psychologist, and a communication specialist, the program used writing as a therapeutic tool to:
Improve communication and functional writing skills.
Build self-awareness and self-acceptance.
Create a safe, non-judgmental space for self-expression.
Workshops were adapted for diverse audiences - from young people navigating school and life transitions to older adults in care homes. Each session blended short writing prompts, group sharing, and reflection, allowing participants to turn emotions into narratives and narratives into healing.
Impact
During the project phase:
7 workshops were delivered across Slovenia (Notranje Gorice, Vrhnika, Zagorje, Logatec, Idrija, Črni Vrh, and online), exceeding the initial plan of six.
Multiple train-the-trainer meetings were done with Alja Adam, PhD., who was an official project instructor of the project group
The 3-hour format for adults and youth was shortened for elderly participants due to motor and concentration needs.
Participants reported increased self-confidence in writing and communication.
Many overcame writing anxiety, shifting from “I can’t write” to “I found my voice.”
Why It Mattered
Writing was more than a skill - it became a mirror. Textherapy helped people see themselves more clearly, rewrite limiting narratives, and connect with others. It offered a low-cost, scalable approach to emotional resilience that could be embedded in schools, community centres, and care institutions.
Partners & Funding
Textherapy was co-financed by the European Union and implemented with support from local communities and cultural centres (libraries, elderly care centres).
In the Media (Mostly in Slovenian)
Textherapy? This is Lilalab’s Ambitious 10-Month Initiative, Lilalab blog, september 2024
To je projekt Tekstoterapija: kreativno pisanje za duševno zdravje, Lilalab blog, november 2024
Tekstoterapija: Izobraževanje za izvajalke z mentorico, Lilalab blog, november 2024
Zgodbe, ki povezujejo: Tekstoterapija za duševno zdravje, Barjanski list (stran 16), november 2024
Pisanje zdravi, smo potrdili na prvi delavnici tekstoterapije! Lilalab blog, september 2024
Tekstoterapija za starejše, Lilalab blog, december 2024
Medgeneracijska delavnica tekstoterapije na Vrhniki, Lilalab blog, december 2024
Izjava za javnost, Lilalab blog, december 2024
Medgeneracijska delavnica tekstoterapije na Vrhniki, Naš časopis Vrhnika, december 2024
Pisanje, ki osvobaja – ‘Tekstoterapija’ v Zagorju, Lilalab blog, januar 2025
Delavnice tekstoterapije po Sloveniji, Lilalab blog, januar 2025
Textherapy Workshops Across Slovenia, Lilalab blog, januar 2025
Tekstoterapija: To smo počele na izbraževanju za izvajalke delavnic, Lilalab blog, januar 2025
Ganljiva spletna delavnica Tekstoterapije, Lilalab blog, februar 2025
Tekstoterapija za mladostnike s posebnimi potrebami, Lilalab blog, marec 2025
Krog delavnic tekstoterapije je sklenjen, Lilalab blog, marec 2025
Delavnice Tekstoterapije po Sloveniji, Logaške novice, marec 2025
Tekstoterapija: ustvarjalna delavnica, ki povezuje generacije in krepi duševno zdravje, Črnovrške novice, junij 2025
Predstavitev projekta Tekstoterapija, Jutro na Planetu, junij 2025
What’s Next
Textherapy laid the foundation for:
Youth programs with a focus on climate emotions
Training for facilitators to bring Textherapy to their own communities (project is a continuation of this one)
A digital resource library for prompts and guides.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or national agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
