Words that Heal

By Ramkumar Sridhar | Arts and Entertainment | Jan. 31, 2025

Stanton College Preparatory School students often associate poetry to a simple topic learned in their English classes. To them, the notion of using poetry in a healing way may seem foreign; however, it can be a key method in certain therapy practices. Specifically, poetry therapy uses the reading or writing of poetic works to assess a person’s emotions. Through language, symbolism, and other figurative elements, poetry therapy effectively helps its clients express their feelings. 

Therapeutic applications of poetry are used at Hope at Hand, a Jacksonville based poetry project. There, Steffanie Fletcher, the certified applied poetry facilitator, works with people of different pasts to guide them in processing their emotions.  

“[Like a] licensed mental health counselor who looks in the past [of a client] to figure out what is going on in the present, a poetry therapist does the same but through the use of poetry,” said Fletcher. 

In a typical session, a therapist incorporates poetry by having their client read or write different poems. Certain works can reflect upon the person’s emotions, aiding the therapist in identifying underlying emotions and cognitive behaviors.  

While poetry may seem like an atypical medium to heal, the practice is open to everyone. According to the National Association for Poetry Therapy, poetry therapy promotes personal growth, healing, and self-awareness without limitations on different demographics. At Hope at Hand, people of all backgrounds take part in the practice. Their work uses poems focusing on teaching clients to realize they cannot change what has already happened. Instead, through therapy, clients learn how to handle what is to come. Even for disadvantaged groups, Hope at Hand makes sure to physically meet and work with them and share works meant to boost their sense of self. 

 “For example, [we go to jails and work] with teenagers. I do not need to know anything else other than they are in jail,” said Fletcher. “All of our poetry lessons deal with confidence, self-esteem, choice, and change. Everything we do wraps around those four concepts.” 

The use of poetry can also be an efficient form of self-expression for students at Stanton. Through a poetic form, students can write down their thoughts and express bottled-up feelings they may have. Reading poetry also provides a cathartic effect by releasing strained feelings within certain individuals. Relating to written experiences allows people to understand emotions they may not be able to verbalize on their own. For students, works centered on self-esteem and confidence may be more relatable.  

While the use of poetry in therapy can be effective, there has been a growing disinterest in poetry among students. Claims of its irrelevancy to modern times and overly complex nature have deterred students from exploring its possibilities, causing them to seek out more accessible forms of literature like novels. Its abstract nature and elaborate language lead some feeling disconnected to its content.  

“Over time I never got into poetry and never found it interesting,” said freshman Anish Jawalkar. Part of this is because for me, it is hard to understand at first glance, and it takes extra time to process what the poems are saying compared to a book or article.”  

Poetry therapy has the potential to change people’s lives for the better and help them understand how they feel and reflect on it. Although it may seem to be uninteresting and complex, with time, it can turn into a serious outlet for people of all ages. Its benefits come from the time and effort taken to seriously analyze the complex elements making up poems.  

Poetry has also been seen as an outlet for students at Stanton. Students like sophomore Alyssa Casullo use poetry to learn more about themselves and realize what exactly they feel. 

“Poetry has given me an outlet to express how I truly feel about a subject matter without explicitly stating my opinion,” said Casullo. “It has allowed me to discover a true, raw version of myself in a way I never thought possible.” 

The practice of poetry therapy can help people regardless of all backgrounds. It effectively allows individuals to process their feelings through unconventional means. By focusing on self-expression, individuals can heal in ways unlike any other literary forms.