Kathleen (Kay) Adams of Denver, Colorado is one of the world's foremost journal therapists whose groundbreaking work as a trainer has opened the door to hundreds who are now teaching classes, leading groups and facilitating depth work using poetry and journal therapy techniques.
She began teaching journal writing workshops on her living room floor in 1985. Three years later, when she graduated with her Master's degree in Counseling, she started the Center for Journal Therapy and began working as a journal therapist in psychiatric hospitals. The author of seven books in the field of therapeutic writing, including the best-selling Journal to the Self, Kay began offering the Instructor Certification Training (ICT) for the Journal to the Self ® workshop in 1989. Since then, more than 350 people across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia have become certified to offer journal writing workshops and groups in their own communities.
Kay trained for the PTR (Registered Poetry/Journal Therapist) credential with Dr. Peggy Osna Heller and Dr. Ken Gorelick and was granted her PTR in 2000. That same year, because of her extensive training experience (paired with a geographic hardship that necessitated a Federation-approved mentor/supervisor in the vast region between Chicago and California), she was granted mentor/supervisor status. She began training both locally in Denver and internationally through distance learning, and in the years 2002-2008 she graduated 23 CAPFs, CPTs and PTRs. In 2008 she was one of a charter group of 7 mentor/supervisors conferred by the Federation as Master Mentor/Supervisors.
In April 2008 Kay returned her full-time training focus to journal therapy through the launch of a program, Certified Journal Facilitator (and, for licensed psychotherapists, Certified Clinical Journal Facilitator) that teaches the theory and practice of journal writing for therapeutic ends. The program also teaches business development/marketing skills, psychological awareness, professional practice skills, and other preparation to ethically and responsibly develop and facilitate writing groups for many audiences and populations. The Federation granted permission to transfer this completed program as 50% of the hours in all categories for the CAPF, CPT or PTR.
In an internet poll on About.com, Kay Adams was listed (along with Anne Frank and Anais Nin) as one of the three most significant influences on contemporary journal keeping.
My Philosophy of Training
The cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien speaks of "walking the mystical path with practical feet," and that's how I've always thought of my training programs. I am approximately equal parts pragmatic and visionary, grounded and intuitive, common-sense and inspirational, structured and flexible. I am a hands-on trainer: approachable, goal-directed, task-oriented. I also train from the heart: I care deeply about both the process and the outcome for each and every one of my trainees. I set a high bar, yet I also teach the art of "create and adjust" – if something's not working, then we make strategic adaptations to enhance effective outcomes.
I'm a good role model of a self-made woman who has crafted a career in an emerging field through hard work, clear focus and smart choices.
My professional training programs require allocations of resources – time, money, energy, focus, acceptable levels of risk. These programs are designed to result in income-producing career extensions or expansions. (We've even got an "earn as you learn" protocol in the training.) Therefore, I don't have sliding fees or scholarships, except in limited cases. I would rather spend time and energy teaching you the skills I have learned about marketing myself and my programs – skills like how to overcome resistance to "selling yourself," the single most important resource for building your business (97% already have it but aren't using it effectively), how to write grants. This mandatory business development part of my training program will prepare and empower you to earn money doing work you love.
